Safeguard Public Health Research Articles

Prevalence of fasciolosis (Liver flukes) infection in cattle in Zamfara, Nigeria: A slaughterhouse surveillance data utilizing postmortem examination

Bovine fasciolosis, caused by Fasciola gigantica (F. gigantica) and rarely F. hepatica, is an economically important disease affecting cattle in tropical Africa. The aims of this study were to determine a year prevalence of bovine fasciolosis and correlate determinants of infection in slaughtered cattle at the municipal abattoir in Zamfara, Nigeria. Fasciola gigantica was detected in 15% (1740/11,562) cattle slaughtered during a daily postmortem examination (PME) between November 2016 and October 2017. This approach demonstrated an increase risk of liver fluke infection in older cattle (p=0.001, AOR=1.476, 95% CI: 1.188-1.832) and during rainfall (p=0.003, AOR=1.604, 95% CI: 1.176-2.187). Liver condemnation had been significantly found in hot-dry season (p≤0.001, AOR=0.518, 95% CI: 0.417-0.643) and adult cattle (p=0.003, AOR=1.726, 95% CI: 0.586-0.899). This study is an account of bovine fasciolosis prevalence and infection dynamics in part of the northwest region of Nigeria, which provides preliminary information for further studies to guide the design of appropriate control steps to lower the impact of the disease and safeguard public health.

A copper monosulfide-nanoparticle-based fluorescent probe for the sensitive and specific detection of ochratoxin A

The mycotoxin ochratoxin A (OTA) is a secondary metabolite derived from multiple Aspergillus and Penicillium strains. The development of a rapid, sensitive, and simple method for OTA detection is important to ensure food biosafety and safeguard public health. In this study, we designed a highly specific and sensitive assay for the detection of OTA using copper monosulfide (CuS) nanoparticles conjugated to an anti-OTA antibody (CuS-Ab NPs) and a fluorescent probe for Cu2+. When OTA is present in the solution, the OTA antigen, bound to the microplate, is competed off by the soluble OTA for binding to CuS-Ab NPs. After washing, the CuS-Ab NPs and bound OTA are removed. Subsequently, HCl is added to dissolve the CuS-Ab NPs bound to the OTA antigen, releasing Cu2+ and activating the Cu2+ fluorescent probe. Thus, the resultant fluorescence emission is inversely proportional to the OTA content in the solution. Under optimal conditions, this method detected 0.1–100 ng mL−1 OTA with a limit of detection of 0.01 ng mL−1. The assay was tested using corn, soybean, and coffee samples, with recoveries ranging from 94% to 110%. This strategy provides a new approach for the detection of mycotoxins and other small-molecule analytes with broad application potential in food safety and quality control.

Lead, cadmium and mercury in canned and unprocessed tuna: six-years monitoring survey, comparison with previous studies and recommended tolerable limits

Fishery products, in particular those belonging to tuna species, widely present in the human diet, may represent a toxicological issue because of the level of contamination by heavy metals (e.g., lead, cadmium and mercury) and the average per capita consumption. Control of food safety is one of the pillars to the public health safeguard, therefore the official laboratories are in charge of checking the compliance of food products with quality standards for these toxic elements.. From 2014 to 2019, 108 tuna samples, canned or unprocessed, were checked at the laboratory of the Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Puglia e della Basilicata (Italy). One canned tuna was non-compliant for cadmium (0.22 mg kg-1), and twelve fresh tuna samples (11% of total) showed mercury content above the permitted level. Mean mercury concentrations in fresh and canned tuna (0.517 and 0.207 mg kg-1, respectively) confirm that this element represents a serious toxicological issue. Exposition to mercury, and markedly in its organic form, due to tuna consumption, was found to be significant and may pose a risk for the most sensitive consumer groups (i.e., children).

Comprehensive Spatial Criteria and Parameters for Sustainable Landfill Site Selection

A landfill site is an important facility that must be occasionally evaluated when its demand gets high with the increment of generated waste. The task of selecting new landfill sites becomes difficult when there is a shortage of land and time available. It requires tedious planning decision about identifying the suitable sites. The complication will proliferate when there are various criteria that need to be apprehended. In Malaysia, the procedures for landfill site selection (LSS) is provided in the National Strategic Plan for Solid Waste Management (NSPSWM). It specifies the mitigation measures to be followed, but the restrictions on the appropriateness of suitable new landfill sites were not comprehensively deliberated. The criteria for the site suitability problem was not distinctly characterized as prescribed by the local Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) guidelines. The significance of selecting proper landfill sites must encompass the physical characteristics, environmental impact, economic and social acceptance for the necessity of the sustainability community life. From the works of literature, this study introduced seventeen (17) universally adopted spatial criteria categorized under the environmental, physical and socio-economic (EPSE) characteristics. They were successively assigned with the relative weights and standard parameters. The EPSE criteria can assist in improving the regulated LSS policy currently available in the local NSPSWM and EIA guidelines. This will ascertain that future landfill site will be sustainable, safeguard public health, ensuring minimal impact on the environment, and provide long term isolation of the solid waste deposited.

Insights into toxicology, safety pharmacology, and drug dependence testing: The performance and predictive values of nonclinical tests

The pre-marketing testing of drugs and chemicals is now a paradigm of contribution to the safeguard of public health. As pointed out by the ICH concept paper E14/S7B, there is a need for science-based frameworks that allow a better design, conduction, and interpretation of nonclinical and toxicity tests, particularly, in order for those assays to influence nonclinical and clinical evaluations and decisions better. Critical issues related to the performance and predictive values of nonclinical testing were highlighted and discussed in this article, specifically, to help pharmacologists, toxicologists, and regulators in the evaluation of the reliability of such tests, and basing the prospective decisions on the true predictivity of selected screening tests. This review addressed two common mistakes in drug and chemical testing, namely, (a) the assumption of either sensitivity or specificity as automatically “predictive,” and (b) the reporting of the predictive values disregarding a truly representative prevalence. This review also discussed a statistical basis to apply for (industry standpoint) or grant (regulatory standpoint) authorization for the waiving of selected nonclinical tests. Furthermore, this review can be guiding for those who are entering into the field of drug and chemical testing. Through application, investigation, and enhancement of the conceptual framework discussed in this review, nonclinical testing is expected to provide a higher contribution to drug and chemical development, regulatory science, and public health.

A modified hydrological model for assessing effect of pH on fate and transport of Escherichia coli in the Athabasca River basin

Quantifying bacteria fluxes and contaminants from the point and nonpoint sources in a watershed are important for the management of water quality and safeguard public health. Therefore, the appropriate characterization of bacteria from different sources is necessary for understanding of fate and transport of bacteria in watersheds. However, it is challenging to simulate the effects of pH on bacteria, such as Escherichia coli (E. coli) in the original version of Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT). This study aimed to augment SWAT-bacteria module to evaluate the potential effect of pH on E. coli concentrations. We modified SWAT-bacteria module to incorporate pH factor and to check E. coli observations from four sites of Athabasca River Basin. The modified SWAT-bacteria model demonstrated a linear relationship between observed and simulated daily E. coli data with R2 values found between 0.70 and 0.80; NSE: 0.59 and 0.68; PBIAS: 7.94% and 17.85% during calibration for all monitoring sites (2010–2012). While during the validation (2013–2014) the performance statistics found to be: R2: 0.59–0.72; NSE: 0.55–0.66; PBIAS: 10–22%. The results of the sensitivity analysis confirmed that pH is one of the most significant fate factors of E. coli. The modified SWAT-bacteria module provides an improved estimate of E. coli concentration from the river basin. This study contributes new insight to E. coli modelling. Therefore, the modified SWAT-bacteria model could be a powerful tool for the future regional to global scale model of E. coli concentrations thus significantly contribute for the application of effective river basin management.

Cost-benefit analysis of China’s Action Plan for Air Pollution Prevention and Control

China’s rapid economic growth has caused severe air pollution and public health problems. Therefore, the Chinese government launched the National Air Pollution Control Plan (hereinafter referred to as the “Air Plan”) in 2013–2017 to improve air quality and safeguard public health. In this study, an analytical framework for a cost-benefit analysis applicable to China was constructed, and the costs and benefits of the implementation of the “Air Plan” in 30 cities and provinces in China from 2013 to 2017 were evaluated. Results show that the total cost of implementation of the “Air Plan” is 1.6511 trillion RMB. The benefits of air quality improvement were determined to be 2.4691 trillion RMB through the willingness-to-pay method to calculate the economic loss of premature deaths. The net benefit related to the implementation of the “Air Plan” was 818 billion RMB. The public health benefit of air quality improvement was 1.5 times the cost of the nationwide implementation of the “Air Plan”. At the provincial level, net benefits that reach 279.3 billion RMB were the highest in Guangdong, whereas the benefit-cost ratio, where the benefit was 5.5 times the cost, was the highest in Fujian. Estimations in this study can serve as a reference for China in formulating similar environmental policies and implementing the “3-year Plan to Defend the Blue Sky”. In addition, these estimations have practical significance for advancing the long-term effective mechanisms of the cost-benefit analysis of China’s environmental policies.

Seroprevalences of Rickettsia conorii, Ehrlichia canis and Coxiella burnetii in Dogs from Montenegro.

The incidence of vector-borne zoonoses has been increasing in Europe as a result of global climate change, and rickettsioses are a significant etiologic entity among these infections. The objective of this study was to investigate the seroprevalences of Rickettsia conorii, Ehrlichia canis and Coxiella burnetii in dogs in Montenegro. The seroepidemiological study covered 259 dogs, of which 155 were owned dogs suspected of infection with agents of rickettsial aetiology from the continental (Podgorica) or five coastal municipalities of Montenegro (Budva, Herceg Novi, Kotor, Ulcinj and Bar), and 104 dogs were from a public shelter in Podgorica. The presence of specific IgG antibodies against R. conorii was analysed using a commercial indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test, and the presence of antibodies against E. canis and C. burnetii was analysed using commercial indirect immunofluorescence tests (IFAT). Seroprevalences of 73.36, 19.3 and 1.16% were determined for R. conorii, E. canis and C. burnetii, respectively. R. conorii was significantly more prevalent (χ2 = 14.53; p < 0.001) in owned dogs (81.93%) than in dogs from the public shelter (60.6%), while E. canis was more prevalent (χ2 = 12.31; p < 0.001) in dogs from the public shelter (29.81%) than in owned dogs (12.26%). Coinfection with two pathogens was determined in 40 (15.44%) dogs, and the prevalence of R. conorii/E. canis (χ2 = 4.23; p < 0.05) was greater in dogs from the public shelter (20.19%) than in owned dogs (10.97%). The prevailing evidence from this study shows that dogs from Montenegro are exposed to pathogens of veterinary and public health importance. This calls for the One Health approach to sensitise the public on the risks of zoonoses from dogs and to formulate policies and strategies to mitigate their spread and safeguard public health.

The Potential of the m-Health Platform to Safeguard Public Health: The Nigerian Example

Nigeria has a problem with fake drugs. This issue got to an intolerable height in 1989 when over 150 children died as a result of ingesting paracetamol syrup containing diethylene glycol. The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) was formed in 1993, as an agency under the Nigerian federal ministry of health, to check the tide of fake drugs and adulterated products. To achieve this mission, NAFDAC, in 2010, launched the Mobile Authentication Service (MAS) – a mobile-phone m-Health platform, which empowers medication drug users to instantaneously verify the authenticity or otherwise of a medication drug before purchase. This study sought to ascertain the workability of MAS among medication drug users; and factors negating this platform. The study was designed as a survey. Data was collected from 400 medication drug users in Lagos state, Nigeria, through a structured survey. Results show that 91 percent of the respondents were aware of MAS and 53 percent among these utilized it prior to purchasing medication drugs, while 9 percent were neither aware of MAS nor utilize it. The notable barriers to the use of MAS found in this study were lack of awareness and the unreliable nature of the MAS. Keywords: Mobile Authentication Service, Public Health Informatics, Fake drugs, m-Health. DOI : 10.7176/NMMC/79-07 Publication date : April 30 th 2019

Bat Research Networks and Viral Surveillance: Gaps and Opportunities in Western Asia.

Bat research networks and viral surveillance are assumed to be at odds due to seemingly conflicting research priorities. Yet human threats that contribute to declines in bat populations globally also lead to increased transmission and spread of bat-associated viruses, which may pose a threat to global health and food security. In this review, we discuss the importance of and opportunities for multidisciplinary collaborations between bat research networks and infectious disease experts to tackle shared threats that jeopardize bat conservation as well as human and animal health. Moreover, we assess research effort on bats and bat-associated viruses globally, and demonstrate that Western Asia has limited published research and represents a gap for coordinated bat research. The lack of bat research in Western Asia severely limits our capacity to identify and mitigate region-specific threats to bat populations and detect interactions between bats and incidental hosts that promote virus spillover. We detail a regional initiative to establish the first bat research network in Western Asia (i.e., the Western Asia Bat Research Network, WAB-Net), with the aim of integrating ecological research on bats with virus surveillance to find “win-win” solutions that promote bat conservation and safeguard public and animal health across the region.

The Potential of the m-Health Platform to Safeguard Public Health: The Nigerian Example

Nigeria has a problem with fake drugs. This issue got to an intolerable height in 1989 when over 150 children died as a result of ingesting paracetamol syrup containing diethylene glycol. The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) was formed in 1993, as an agency under the Nigerian federal ministry of health, to check the tide of fake drugs and adulterated products. To achieve this mission, NAFDAC, in 2010, launched the Mobile Authentication Service (MAS) – a mobile-phone m-Health platform, which empowers medication drug users to instantaneously verify the authenticity or otherwise of a medication drug before purchase. This study sought to ascertain the workability of MAS among medication drug users; and factors negating this platform. The study was designed as a survey. Data was collected from 400 medication drug users in Lagos state, Nigeria, through a structured survey. Results show that 91 percent of the respondents were aware of MAS and 53 percent among these utilized it prior to purchasing medication drugs, while 9 percent were neither aware of MAS nor utilize it. The notable barriers to the use of MAS found in this study were lack of awareness and the unreliable nature of the MAS. Keywords: Mobile Authentication Service, Public Health Informatics, Fake drugs, m-Health. DOI : 10.7176/NMMC/79-07 Publication date : April 30 th 2019

Optimizing Communication With Parents on Benefits and Radiation Risks in Pediatric Imaging

Effective radiation risk communication is a core competency for radiology care providers and can prevent and resolve potential conflicts while helping achieve effective public health safeguards. The authors present a synopsis of the challenges to holding such dialogue and review published methods for strengthening and maintaining this discourse. Twelve strategies are discussed in this article that can help alleviate concerns about the iatrogenic risk associated with medical imaging using radiation exposure.

Oncology Nurses: First, Second, and Always Responders

Our hearts go out to our Gulf and Atlantic Coast neighbors who were battered by the harrowing effects and destructive aftermath of hurricanes Harvey and Irma, which made landfall with historically destructive force in late August and early September. The estimated cost to rebuild and recover is staggering. These disasters will change the infrastructure of nearly all aspects of how Gulf and Atlantic Coast communities function: housing, healthcare delivery, public health safeguards, transportation, utilities, schools, retail businesses, and local and county government. .

Microcystins Presence in Mussels (M. galloprovincialis) and Water of Two Productive Mediterranean's Lagoons (Sardinia, Italy).

Microcystins (MCs) are hepatotoxins harmful for animal and human health. The most toxic type between them is MC-LR whose presence has been investigated in different reservoirs all around the world. In this work microcystins were monitored in spring and summer in water and mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) of two Sardinia lagoons: Cabras and Calich lagoons. A Solid Phase Extraction method was developed to clean and concentrate samples before the Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) and the following Mass Spectrometry detection. MCs presence was detected using the screening ELISA test in both lagoons. MCs peak was revealed in July for water and mussels belonging to Cabras lagoon (0.75 ± 0.07 ng/L in water and 0.12 ± 0.04 ng/g ww in mussels). In water of Calich lagoon there was a constant trend in the concentration of MCs during the considered months, while there was a MCs peak in July (0.6 ± 0.5 ng/g ww) in mussels. The following LC-MS/MS analysis did not reveal MC-LR presence in all analyzed samples. These results can be useful to enrich knowledge on public health and consumer's safeguard.

International strategies in fighting against medicaments fraud and other similar offences. The MEDICRIME Convention

The Council of Europe has passed a convention which constitutes, for the first time in world history, a binding international treaty in the criminal law field “On counterfeiting of medical products and similar crimes involving threats to public health” (MEDICRIME Convention). Safeguarding of public health through penal measures against criminal behaviours, protection of victims, promotion of cooperation at national and international levels and preventive measures are the overarching aims of the above convention. Counterfeiting medical products and similar crimes threaten the right to life enshrined in the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (thereafter ECHR). Incidences of counterfeit medical products and similar crimes undermine public trust in healthcare systems and authorities’ surveillance thereof. Counterfeiting of medical products and similar crimes have a global spread, no country is spared. The present paper brings to light the added value of the MEDICRIME Convention in order to protect public health at the international level and analyses the substantive criminal law aspects of the Convention.

The effectiveness of finances used for safety by the local government

One of the institutions, which directly reports to the city and participates on tasks influencing the security, is the municipal police. The cities spend their finances for the program of safety, which main purpose is to ensure a safe city. The contribution will be primarily focused on subprogram's budget of public order and security dedicated to the safeguarding of public order, property and health of inhabitants. In this subprogram are the funds of the municipal police. It is very important that the municipal police use these funds effectively in order to try to increase the quality and effectiveness of the provided services. This paper deals with the activities of the municipal police in the local government and its results in a certain period of time. We also include the amount of finances allocated in certain period of time and how the municipal police use them. Keywords: Municipal police, private security service, government, security

Assessment of the Impact of Solid Waste Dumps on Ground Water Quality, Calabar Municipality, Nigeria

Solid waste dump where leachate generated is allowed to escape to the surrounding and underlying water body is a major threat to borehole water. This study was designed to assess the impact of solid waste dumps on ground water quality and the current status of the quality of borehole water in Calabar municipality. Randomly selected boreholes around Lemna road where the final dump site of solid waste in Calabar is located, Etta Agbor area where there are no major dumpsites but a few sporadic dumps and Satellite town where there are relatively no dumpsites were thoroughly examined. Physicochemical properties of water quality were determined following standard analytical procedure and metal content by atomic absorption Spectrophotometry using Shimadzu atomic absorption spectrophotometer (model AA6800, Japan). Metal content and other physicochemical parameters generally displayed the trend Lemna road &gt; Etta Agbor road &gt; Satellite town. The differences were found to be statistically significant (ANOVA, p &lt; 0.05), suggesting that solid waste dumpsites have reasonable influence on the quality of ground water in Calabar municipality. A significant (p &lt; 0.01) positive correlation was observed between each of the metals and between the metals and most of the physicochemical parameters, suggesting that a similar source is responsible for their presence at the concentration determined. When ompared with WHO drinking water standards, borehole water in the study area especially Lemna road was seriously implicated. The study thus concludes that solid waste dumps in Calabar municipality have significant influence on the quality of ground water and that continuous use of borehole water from the study area for drinking or other domestic purposes without any form of physical or chemical treatment could pose serious toxicological risk. It was therefore recommended that ground water in Calabar municipality should be put under surveillance in other to protect it from further degradation and safeguard public health.

Nontuberculous Mycobacteria Isolated from Tuberculosis Suspects in Ibadan, Nigeria.

In Nigeria, one of the highest tuberculosis (TB) burdened nations, sputum smear microscopy is routinely employed for TB diagnosis at Directly Observed Treatment Short-Course (DOTS) Centers. This diagnostic algorithm does not differentiate Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTC) from nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM). Between December 2008 and January 2009, consecutive patients diagnosed with TB were screened for inclusion at 10 DOTS centers in Ibadan, Nigeria. To verify Mycobacterium species in patients diagnosed, we cultured and identified mycobacterial isolates using PCR, line probe assay, and spoligotyping techniques. From 48 patients screened, 23 met the inclusion criteria for the study. All the 23 study patients had a positive culture. Overall, we identified 11/23 patients (48%) with MTC only, 9/23 (39%) with NTM only, and 3/23 (13%) with evidence of both MTC and NTM. Strains of MTC identified were Latin American Mediterranean (LAM) genotype (n = 12), M. africanum (n = 1), and the genotype family T (n = 1). Four M. avium-intracellulare-M. scrofulaceum complexes, one M. chelonae complex, one M. abscessus, and one M. intracellulare were identified. Our findings underscore the need to incorporate molecular techniques for more precise diagnosis of TB at DOTS centers to improve clinical outcomes and safe guard public health, particularly in TB endemic countries.

Persistence and transmission of the Ebola virus in wildlife

Infection with the Ebola virus can cause severe acute hemorrhagic fever in humans and nonhuman primates. The virus is highly virulent and there are no effective drug treatments or vaccines available to date. The largest recorded outbreak of Ebola virus disease (EVD) is currently ongoing; it has affected West Africa, which is outside of its previously reported and predicted niche. It was declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern by the World Health Organization. Here, we reviewed studies on EVD and its associated etiology, ecology, and epidemiology, spanning approximately 40 years. Multi-disciplinary theoretical knowledge was integrated to explain the reasoning behind Ebola virus persistence, circulation, and spread, including knowledge relating to natural reservoir hosts and a detailed description of the role of bats and other wildlife in the spread of the Ebola virus. To prevent the spread of major pathogens from wild animals to humans, it is crucial to put forward the most effective measures of maintaining the security of social public health. It is essential to strengthen wildlife disease surveillance, establish a long-term, comprehensive surveillance system for early warning and prevention methods, and provide a scientific basis for better safeguarding of public health and safety.

Think big, World Bank: time for a public health safeguard.

Think big, World Bank: time for a public health safeguard.