Social Hygiene Research Articles

Changes in the Occurrence of Gastrointestinal Infections after COVID-19 in Korea.

BackgroundAfter the global epidemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), lifestyle changes to curb the spread of COVID-19 (e.g., wearing a mask, hand washing, and social distancing) have also affected the outbreak of other infectious diseases. However, few studies have been conducted on whether the incidence of gastrointestinal infections has changed over the past year with COVID-19. In this study, we examined how the incidence of gastrointestinal infections has changed since COVID-19 outbreak through open data.MethodsWe summarized the data on the several viruses and bacteria that cause gastrointestinal infections from the open data of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency for 3 years from March 2018 to February 2021 (from Spring 2018 to Winter 2020). Moreover, we confirmed three most common legal gastrointestinal infectious pathogens from March 2016.ResultsFrom March 2020, when the COVID-19 epidemic was in full swing and social distancing and personal hygiene management were heavily emphasized, the incidence of infection from each virus was drastically decreased. The reduction rates compared to the averages of the last 2 years were as follows: total viruses 31.9%, norovirus 40.2%, group A rotavirus 31.8%, enteric adenovirus 13.4%, astrovirus 7.0%, and sapovirus 12.2%. Among bacterial pathogens, the infection rates of Campylobacter and Clostridium perfringens did not decrease but rather increased in some periods when compared to the average of the last two years. The incidence of nontyphoidal Salmonella, Staphylococcus aureus, or enteropathogenic Escherichia coli somewhat decreased but not significantly compared to the previous two years.ConclusionThe incidence of infection from gastrointestinal viruses, which are mainly caused by the fecal-to-oral route and require direct contact among people, was significantly reduced, whereas the incidence of bacterial pathogens, which have food-mediated transmission as the main cause of infection, did not decrease significantly.

On the history of student scientific societies in public health: scientific circles at the Department of Social Hygiene

On the history of student scientific societies in public health: scientific circles at the Department of Social Hygiene

On the history of the creation and activities of the Department of Social Hygiene in the Faculty of Medicine at the First Moscow State University

On the history of the creation and activities of the Department of Social Hygiene in the Faculty of Medicine at the First Moscow State University

SARS-COV-2 pandemic: the food insecurity and social inequalities in Brazil

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in the most severe global public health crisis in the last century. SARS-CoV-2 emerged in China in December 2019, and since then, it has been quickly spreading around the world. After Europe and North America, the virus has arrived in Latin America. Among the developing countries, Brazil has been the most affected by the pandemic causalities, which is a concern, since social and economic disparities may favor its severity. In an attempt to reduce virus transmission, public health measures have been implemented by the states, despite the lack of assistance from the Brazilian federal government. Implementing social distancing and hygiene measures have not been possible, mainly due to the unfavorable social conditions of economically vulnerable people. Thus, the pandemic is exposing the evidence of social inequalities in the country, which in turn deepens the public health crisis. Here, we discuss evidence from relevant topics that are influencing the course of the pandemic in Brazil, including food insecurity, social aspects and public health political issues. The pandemic has exposed the need for maintaining and improving the social care and food security of vulnerable groups as well as the harm of ignoring them. Thus, more effective mitigation measures must be thought and applied in Brazil to improve the handling of this pandemic and the next ones.

Modern principles of implementation of personal-activity approach to physical education of students

The purpose of the work is to define and generalize principles of implementation of personal-activity approach to physical education in higher educational institutions in order to avoid mistakes and shortcomings in modern conditions of development of the system of higher education of Ukraine. Research methods: theoretical analysis and generalization of data of scientific and methodical literature and sources of the Internet information network on the researched problem.
 It is determined that a necessary condition for optimizing the physical education of students is the organization of a personal-activity approach to physical improvement. It should be based on the idea of pedagogy of cooperation, the implementation of which takes into account the principles of democratization and humanization, optimization and intensification of the training process. In accordance with these principles, it is necessary to reorient the training process from reproductive to creative with the formation of students' conscious need for physical improvement. To this end, the educational process should be primarily saturated with information from personal and social hygiene, physiology, psychology, theory and methods of physical education, forming scientifically sound views on the socio-biological essence, the role and opportunities of physical culture in human development. In this sense, physical education classes should gradually turn into lessons in knowing yourself, your body, your moral and volitional qualities, spiritual and physical capabilities.

Bad Vibes: Images of Communication, Emotional Balance and Health in East German Television, 1970s-1980s

Analysing health education films from the German Democratic Republic broadcast on TV during the 1970s and 1980s, this paper explores how emotions were framed as health risks and how this framing corresponded with socialist ideas on communication and media theory. I argue that television offered an ideal medium for updating traditions of social hygiene and that it served as a means to the socialist concept of “emotional education”. Television and public health met in highlighting socialist ideas on social interaction: health education aimed at cultivating trust to reduce organic diseases. At the same time, creating trust and intimacy was one of the main promises of the new medium, a function bolstered by its location in the home. To achieve these, they turned to the emotional effects of the spoken word.

In memory of the glorious son of Kazan University, Dr. V. N. Zolotnitsky

(Based on the materials from the archive of the Department of Social Hygiene of Kazan University) ..
 Another old doctor-populist and social activist, the glorious son of Kazan University, V Ladimir Nikolaevich Zolotnitsky, has passed away; left at a ripe old age - 77 years old, but continued to work almost until his last days. His work until his last days was to take an active interest in the life of the present and the past. In particular, he was keenly interested in the anniversary of our university. One of the first responded to my letter "To old doctors - citizens of Kazan" on the occasion of the anniversary with a request to send materials to the history of the university, VN was one of the first to respond. During January and February of this year, he corresponded with me; he delivered valuable materials about his life to our department , memories of the past, sent all his published works. He put me in touch with Prof. A?. V. Portugalov, the son of a scholar, writer - publicist, until the anniversary and will be a guest of honor at this university festival as the oldest student of the university. But the laws of biology decided otherwise: V.N.Zolotnitsky celebrated his 50th anniversary of medical and social activity, celebrated the 75th anniversary of his life, celebrated the formal historical date of the 125th anniversary of his university, but did not live 21/2 months before the solemn anniversary.

Chronicle

In connection with the anniversary of the Kazan University, the Department of Social Hygiene undertook the work "History of the Department of Hygiene of the Kazan University for 125 years." Placed in this issue Kaz. med zhurn. "article" The first hygienist of the Kazan department Fyodor Kalaydovich "is the beginning of this work. In connection with the same anniversary, the Department of Social Hygiene turned to the medical press with a letter "To the old doctors of Kazan" (see No. I, K.M.Zh., 1929) with a request to deliver material to the history of the medical faculty of Kazan University. that (memories, works, photographs, etc.). This appeal is primarily directed to hygienists, sanitary doctors and community physicians. The department notes with satisfaction that responses to this appeal have begun to arrive.

Hygiene and social distancing as distinct public health related behaviours among university students during the COVID-19 pandemic

Prevailing research on individuals’ compliance with public health related behaviours during the COVID-19 pandemic tends to study composite measures of multiple types of behaviours, without distinguishing between different types of behaviours. However, measures taken by governments involve adjustments concerning a range of different daily behaviours. In this study, we seek to explain students’ public health related compliance behaviours during the COVID-19 pandemic by examining the underlying components of such behaviours. Subsequently, we investigate how these components relate to individual attitudes towards public health measures, descriptive norms among friends and family, and key demographics. We surveyed 7,403 university students in ten countries regarding these behaviours. Principal Components Analysis reveals that compliance related to hygiene (hand washing, coughing behaviours) is uniformly distinct from compliance related to social distancing behaviours. Regression analyses predicting Social Distancing and Hygiene lead to differences in explained variance and type of predictors. Our study shows that treating public health compliance as a sole construct obfuscates the dimensionality of compliance behaviours, which risks poorer prediction of individuals’ compliance behaviours and problems in generating valid public health recommendations. Affecting these distinct behaviours may require different types of interventions.

The effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on maternal health due to delay in seeking health care: Experience from a tertiary center.

ObjectiveTo assess the effects of the COVID‐19 pandemic on obstetric care and outcomes.MethodsA prospective observational single‐center study was performed, including all antenatal and parturient women admitted from April to August, 2020. Data were collected regarding number of admissions, deliveries, antenatal visits, reason for inaccessibility of health care, and complications during pregnancy, and compared with data from the pre‐COVID period of October 2019 to February 2020.ResultsThere was a reduction of 45.1% in institutional deliveries (P < 0.001), a percentage point increase of 7.2 in high‐risk pregnancy, and 2.5‐fold rise in admission to the intensive care unit of pregnant women during the pandemic. One‐third of women had inadequate antenatal visits. The main reason for delayed health‐seeking was lockdown and fear of contracting infection, resulting in 44.7% of pregnancies with complications. Thirty‐two symptomatic women who tested positive for COVID‐19 were managed at the center with good maternal and fetal outcomes.ConclusionAlthough COVID‐19 does not directly affect pregnancy outcomes, it has indirect adverse effects on maternal and child health. Emergency obstetric and antenatal care are essential services to be continued with awareness of people while maintaining social distancing and personal hygiene.

Impactos da pandemia da COVID-19 na dispensação de medicamentos pela assistência farmacêutica da regional de Pirapora

A pandemia da Covid-19 tem exigido do poder público a adoção de medidas sanitárias emergenciais, visando diminuir o contágio e preservar a saúde da população. Essas medidas demandam a participação de todo sistema de saúde em seus diferentes níveis (municipal, estadual e federal), uma vez que várias mudanças regulatórias afetam a dispensação de medicamentos e o funcionamento das farmácias. Nessa perspectiva, o presente artigo tem por objetivo descrever as medidas de flexibilização e adequação adotadas pela Coordenação da Assistência Farmacêutica (CAF) da Gerência Regional de Saúde de Pirapora, durante a pandemia causada pela Covid-19, com base nas legislações do Ministério da Saúde, Secretaria de Estado da Saúde de Minas Gerais e da Agência Nacional de Vigilância Sanitária (Anvisa). Trata-se de um estudo de caso, de caráter descritivo com abordagem qualitativa e análise documental. Os resultados mostram que as medidas emergenciais adotadas subsidiaram a reorganização dos processos de serviços da CAF da Gerência Regional de Pirapora, no sentido de minimizar a aglomeração e exposição dos usuários, promover o distanciamento social e medidas de higiene dentro das farmácias, contribuindo para a redução do risco de disseminação e contágio do vírus causador da Covid-19 entre os usuários e servidores. Â

Formation and development of public health teaching in the system of higher medical education (From social hygiene to public health and health care)

The article deals with the historical ways of formation and development of the educational and scientific discipline Public Health and Healthcare, underlines the role of N.A. Semashko in the formation and development of the educational and scientific discipline, in the foundation and holding the first Department of Social Hygiene in Russia. The features of teaching the discipline at the stage of formation, the content of the first Russian manual on Social Hygiene are highlighted in this article. The stages of the formation and development of the discipline in Russia since the 20s of the last century until the present, the peculiarities of teaching the discipline at each of the stages, the reasons for changing the name of the discipline are considered. The special role of the Department of Public Health and Health Care Organization, among other departments dealing with the study of health, is highlighted. The article substantiates the leading, methodological role of the Department in teaching the issues of preserving, strengthening and restoring public health, presents the modern requirements for the departments of Public Health and Health Care Organization, as well as for teachers, shows special aspects of teaching the discipline, the content of the national education program and differences from foreign programs. The ways of development of the academic discipline and the Departments teaching it are also presented.

The health effects of quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Quarantine is considered as an effective solution in the early stages of an epidemic. In the case of the coronavirus epidemic, quarantine was also recommended and implemented as a significant guideline to prevent the disease. However, despite the benefits of quarantine, there are also complications and problems. The present study aimed to investigate the health effects of quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study was conducted as a literature review through searching the databases Google Scholar, PubMed, and Science Direct for papers published before July 2020. The research was conducted based on the keywords "Coronavirus," "COVID-19," and "quarantine." The references of the papers were also reviewed to find the ones not found in the databases. The guidelines published by reputable organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) were used in this study. Although quarantine is applied as an important and primary solution in the outbreak of epidemics, in cases of pandemics, it may not be free of negative effects on individuals and public health. However, because of the need to reopen and restart social and economic activities, some changes should be made in lifestyles and work activities. Using cyberspace and telework can be helpful. As the findings showed, COVID-19 bubbles can be used to restore social communications. Using masks, avoiding unnecessary gatherings, complying with personal and social hygiene, and respecting social distancing can be valuable solutions that, if implemented properly, can decrease the rate of the disease significantly. It is also emphasized that quarantine is still necessary and important as the best solution for sick people and individuals who are suspected carriers of the disease.

Johnny Tested Positive for COVID-19, What Is Next for the Team?

Johnny Tested Positive for COVID-19, What Is Next for the Team?

Border Closures: Experiences of Ni‐Vanuatu Recognized Seasonal Employer Scheme Workers

Border Closures: Experiences of <scp>Ni‐Vanuatu</scp> Recognized Seasonal Employer Scheme Workers

Predicting Future of Senior Housing Markets amid COVID-19 Pandemic in India Using Dependency Models

The COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to a very high percentage of senior deaths in India. Senior citizens constitute about 10% of total population while 73% of deaths during COVID-19 pandemic in India have been of people with co-morbidities such as diabetes, hypertension, heart and respiratory diseases. Amidst this pandemic, the senior housing market is poised for exponential growth despite a low market share as well as slow sales. To inquire as to which factors influence the seniors for not buying into exclusive senior housing communities and whether the decision varies among ages as well as genders; a questionnaire survey was conducted pre-COVID-19 using sales leads of 143 senior respondents from five cities; Delhi, Lavasa, Chennai, Pune and Ahmedabad. These data were tested using binary probit regression models for age and gender. The survey required the respondents to rate decision factors which included; amenities, location, social isolation, wealth, family, urban connect, new relationships, inheritance and moral values - on Likert scale of 1 to 9. The tested model for gender shows that males are dependent on factors of location of the project and fear isolation as compared to females. Males also rated new acquaintances as a discouraging factor as compared to females. The age model shows that older seniors (aged 66-75) do not wish to move to an exclusive senior citizen homes due to factors of distance, fear of social isolation and attachment to urban elements as compared to younger seniors (aged 55-65). An attempt is made to use the results arising from these models to predict the future of senior housing market post-COVID-19 pandemic in India. By integrating new factors such as social distancing, personal hygiene and recreational activities, the existing models can be used to forecast post-COVID-19 senior housing markets in India.

From Sentimentality to Science: Social Utility, Feminist Eugenics and The End of The Road in Progressive Era America

ABSTRACTGiven the sensational appeal of Katherine Davis's The End of the Road, leading to its unofficial designation in The Exhibitor's Herald as ‘the most talked about Picture in America’ in 1919, it is surprising the film has not received greater critical attention for its peculiarly feminist eugenic vision. Reading The End of the Road alongside other US government hygiene films and contemporaneous journal articles and medical texts, I reveal a different vision of Progressive Era eugenics than that found in the well‐known work of Shelley Stamp, Martin Pernick and Stacie Colwell. Drawing a distinction between what the progressives themselves termed ‘positive’ and ‘negative’ eugenics, I explore hygiene cinema's unexpected intersection with first‐wave feminism, progressive economics and welfare reform. In so doing, I reveal a window into a nearly‐forgotten feminist counter‐culture that briefly attained governmental support due to the overlap in membership between the American Social Hygiene Association and the US War Department. At the centre of this vision is The End of the Road’s eugenic heroine, Mary, who is neither a wife nor a mother but a college‐educated working woman who promotes the ‘development of oneself for the service of mankind’.

Preventing the Spread of COVID-19 in Immigration Detention Centers Requires the Release of Detainees.

Immigration detention centers are densely populated facilities in which restrictive conditions limit detainees' abilities to engage in social distancing or hygiene practices designed to prevent the spread of COVID-19. With tens of thousands of adults and children in more than 200 immigration detention centers across the United States, immigration detention centers are likely to experience COVID-19 outbreaks and add substantially to the population of those infected.Despite compelling evidence indicating a heightened risk of infection among detainees, state and federal governments have done little to protect the health of detained im-migrants. An evidence-based public health framework must guide the COVID-19 response in immigration detention centers.We draw on the hierarchy of controls framework to demonstrate how immigration detention centers are failing to implement even the least effective control strategies. Drawing on this framework and recent legal and medical advocacy efforts, we argue that safely releasing detainees from immigration detention centers into their communities is the most effective way to prevent COVID-19 outbreaks in immigration detention settings. Failure to do so will result in infection and death among those detained and deepen existing health and social inequities.

The Role of Masks in Mitigating the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic: Another Piece of the Puzzle.

Bundgaard and colleagues report the results of a unique randomized controlled trial of mask wearing in the community to mitigate SARS-CoV-2 infection. The editorialists discuss how the findings add to what we know about mask wearing in the community and risk for SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Post-exposure prophylaxis with hydroxychloroquine for the prevention of COVID-19, a myth or a reality? The PEP-CQ Study

Many drugs have been tried for the treatment/prevention of COVID-19 with limited success. Direct household contacts of COVID-19 patients are at highest risk for SARS-CoV-2 infection. Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) has been tried against COVID-19 owing to its in vitro virucidal action against SARS-CoV-2, but the role of HCQ as post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) remains inconclusive. In this open-label, controlled clinical trial, asymptomatic individuals who had direct contact with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases or had undertaken international travel in the last 2 weeks were offered HCQ prophylaxis and assigned to PEP (n = 132) or control (n = 185) group. The PEP group received HCQ 800 mg on Day 1 followed by 400 mg once weekly for 3 weeks. Both groups undertook home quarantine for 2 weeks along with social distancing and personal hygiene. Over 4-week follow-up, 50/317 participants (15.8%) had new-onset COVID-19. The incidence of COVID-19 was significantly (P = 0.033) lower in the PEP (14/132; 10.6%) compared to the control (36/185; 19.5%) group (total absolute risk reduction, –8.9% points). The NNT to prevent the occurrence of 1 COVID-19 case was 12. Overall relative risk was 0.59 (95% CI 0.33–1.05). Compliance was good. The most common adverse event was epigastric discomfort with burning sensation (three participants), with no serious adverse events. PEP with HCQ has the potential for the prevention of COVID-19 in at-risk individuals. Until definitive therapy is available, continuing PEP with HCQ may be considered in suitable at-risk individuals. Further randomised clinical trials with larger samples are required for better evaluation of HCQ as PEP for COVID-19 prevention.