Spread Of Respiratory Infections Research Articles

Bayesian workflow for time-varying transmission in stratified compartmental infectious disease transmission models.

Compartmental models that describe infectious disease transmission across subpopulations are central for assessing the impact of non-pharmaceutical interventions, behavioral changes and seasonal effects on the spread of respiratory infections. We present a Bayesian workflow for such models, including four features: (1) an adjustment for incomplete case ascertainment, (2) an adequate sampling distribution of laboratory-confirmed cases, (3) a flexible, time-varying transmission rate, and (4) a stratification by age group. Within the workflow, we benchmarked the performance of various implementations of two of these features (2 and 3). For the second feature, we used SARS-CoV-2 data from the canton of Geneva (Switzerland) and found that a quasi-Poisson distribution is the most suitable sampling distribution for describing the overdispersion in the observed laboratory-confirmed cases. For the third feature, we implemented three methods: Brownian motion, B-splines, and approximate Gaussian processes (aGP). We compared their performance in terms of the number of effective samples per second, and the error and sharpness in estimating the time-varying transmission rate over a selection of ordinary differential equation solvers and tuning parameters, using simulated seroprevalence and laboratory-confirmed case data. Even though all methods could recover the time-varying dynamics in the transmission rate accurately, we found that B-splines perform up to four and ten times faster than Brownian motion and aGPs, respectively. We validated the B-spline model with simulated age-stratified data. We applied this model to 2020 laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 cases and two seroprevalence studies from the canton of Geneva. This resulted in detailed estimates of the transmission rate over time and the case ascertainment. Our results illustrate the potential of the presented workflow including stratified transmission to estimate age-specific epidemiological parameters. The workflow is freely available in the R package HETTMO, and can be easily adapted and applied to other infectious diseases.

Assessment of Slaughter Slabs Waste Management on Meat, Environment and Public Health in Khartoum State

Stratified random sampling was adopted for this study to detect and interprets the impacts of three slaughter slabs’ waste on the public and environmental health. While hazard analysis critical control points (HACCP) prerequisite programs (PRPs) in the investigated slaughter slabs were assessed by administering structured checklist. Verification for these PRPs by microbiological quality of meat was determined using both Aerobic Plate Count (APC) and Total Coliform Count (TCC). In addition, the assessment of the awareness of neighborhood residence pertaining public health and environmental hazards implications of the slaughter slabs waste was done by administering two semi-structured questionnaires; the first of which targeted 50 respondents of neighborhood residence and the other targeted 10 hospitals located at the vicinity of the slaughter slabs and contained questions pertaining to medical staff perceptions and medical records of cases diagnosed as public health diseases. The result revealed that the three slaughter slabs failed to attain compliance with FAO requirements. This was reflected in the higher microbial content of meat samples with mean total bacteria count (TBC) 16. 7× 10 5; 16. 6 × 105 and 13.9 × 105 in slaughter slabs A, B and C, respectively. A highly statistically significant difference was found in the TBC between the three slaughter slabs with P < 0.05. These values were higher than the standard permissible limit (1× 105). Moreover, the mean total coliform count using (MPN) in the three slabs were 263, 418 and 361 in slaughter slab A, B and C, respectively with a higher significant difference in the TCC compared to the standard permissible limit (1×102) of MPN. The results also showed that 90% of the respondents agreed that there were public and environmental hazards of slaughter slab waste to residential neighborhoods. The findings also disclosed that 100% of the investigated physicians in charge of hospitals in the vicinity of slaughter slabs confirmed that there was association between slaughter slab waste and infectious diseases, gastro-intestinal infections as well as spread of respiratory infection. It could be concluded that slaughter slabs’ waste had negatively impacted both public and environmental health of the residential neighborhoods.

Public face masks wearing during the COVID-19 pandemic: A comprehensive analysis is needed for potential implications

Face mask-wearing as a public health measure has been practiced since the coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic outbreak. Extensive research has shown that face masks are an effective non-pharmaceutical measure to contain the spread of respiratory infections. However, recent studies indicate that face masks release microplastics and other contaminants that have adverse health effects on humans. This communication reviews the evidence for face mask as a potential source of contaminants capable of adversely affecting human health. The benefits of face masks in reducing the transmission of SARS-Cov-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) and seasonal communicable diseases were addressed. In addition, the risk of inhaling microplastics and organic contaminants, as well as the associated exposure level, were discussed. Finally, the potential research gaps that need to be addressed were outlined to provide a holistic view of the problem. This communication has illustrated that face mask-wearing as a public health measure to contain the spread of COVID-19 could be a potential risk factor for human health. Very few studies have been done on microplastics, organic pollutants, and trace metal inhalation from surgical masks. However, future work providing a comprehensive understanding of the risk and exposure levels needs to be undertaken.

Changes in the Circulation of Common Respiratory Pathogens among Hospitalized Patients with Influenza-like Illnesses in the Lazio Region (Italy) during Fall Season of the Past Three Years.

A descriptive analysis of common respiratory pathogens (CRPs) detected in nasopharyngeal swabs (NPSs) from hospitalized patients with influenza-like illness during the fall seasons of the past three years, 2019–2021, in the Lazio region, Italy, was conducted to assess whether or not CRP circulation changed because of COVID-19 during the fall season. The results observed in a total of 633 NPSs subjected to molecular diagnosis for CRPs by multiplex PCR assay during the autumn seasons (exactly from week 41 to week 50) were compared with each other. In 2019, in 144 NPSs, the more represented CRPs were rhinovirus/enterovirus (7.6%) and influenza A/B (4.2%). In 2020, 55 (21.6%) out of 255 NPSs resulted positive for SARS-CoV-2 and, except for one case of Legionella pneumophila, the CRPs detected were exclusively rhinovirus/enterovirus (4.7%). In 2021, among 234 NPSs, 25.6% resulted positive for SARS-CoV-2, 14.5% for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and 12.8% for rhinovirus/enterovirus. Compared with 2019, in 2020, CRP circulation was severely limited to a few cases; in 2021, instead, infections by RSV (detected also among adults), rhinovirus/enterovirus, and other respiratory pathogens were observed again, while influenza was practically absent. The comparison of the CRPs detected in the NPSs depicts a different circulation in the Lazio region during the last three fall seasons. CRP monitoring has a direct impact on the prevention and control strategies of respiratory infectious diseases, such as the non-pharmacological interventions implemented in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Future studies should investigate the impact of specific interventions on the spread of respiratory infections.

Government-sponsored disinformation and the severity of respiratory infection epidemics including COVID-19: A global analysis, 2001–2020

Internet misinformation and government-sponsored disinformation campaigns have been criticized for their presumed/hypothesized role in worsening the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. We hypothesize that these government-sponsored disinformation campaigns have been positively associated with infectious disease epidemics, including COVID-19, over the last two decades. By integrating global surveys from the Digital Society Project, Global Burden of Disease, and other data sources across 149 countries for the period 2001–2019, we examined the association between government-sponsored disinformation and the spread of respiratory infections before the COVID-19 outbreak. Then, building on those results, we applied a negative binomial regression model to estimate the associations between government-sponsored disinformation and the confirmed cases and deaths related to COVID-19 during the first 300 days of the outbreak in each country and before vaccination began. After controlling for climatic, public health, socioeconomic, and political factors, we found that government-sponsored disinformation was significantly associated with the incidence and prevalence percentages of respiratory infections in susceptible populations during the period 2001–2019. The results also show that disinformation is significantly associated with the incidence rate ratio (IRR) of cases of COVID-19. The findings imply that governments may contain the damage associated with pandemics by ending their sponsorship of disinformation campaigns.

"SARS-CoV-2 is transmitted by particulate air pollution": Misinterpretations of statistical data, skewed citation practices, and misuse of specific terminology spreading the misconception.

In epidemiology, there are still outdated myths associated with the spread of respiratory infections. Recently, we have witnessed the origination of a new misconception, to the effect that SARS-CoV-2 is transmitted in the open air by way of particulate air pollution (atmospheric particulate matter (PM)). There is no evidence to support the idea behind this misconception. Nevertheless, more and more people are involved in animated debate and the number of studies concerning atmospheric PM as a carrier of SARS-CoV-2 is growing rapidly.In this work, the origin of the misconception was investigated, and the published papers which have contributed to the spread of this myth were analyzed.The results show that the following factors lie behind the origin and spread of the misconception:a) The specific terminology is not always clearly defined or consistently used by scientists.In particular, the terms ‘particulate matter’, ‘atmospheric aerosol particles’, ‘air pollutants’, and ‘atmospheric aerosols’ need to be clarified, and besides they are often equated to ‘infectious aerosols’, ‘virus-bearing aerosols’, ‘bio-aerosols’, ‘virus-laden particles’, ‘respiratory aerosol/droplets’, and ‘droplet nuclei’.b) Authors misinterpret statistical data and information from other sources.Interpretation of the correlation between PM levels and the increasing incidence and severity of COVID-19 infection, is often changed from “PM may reflect the indirect action of certain atmospheric conditions that maintain infectious nuclei suspended for prolonged periods, parameters that also act on atmospheric pollutants” to “PM could cause an increase in infectious droplets/aerosols containing SARS-CoV-2.” This is a dramatic change to the meaning. Moreover, it is often not taken into account that PM may reflect activities in areas with high population density and this population density at the same time contributes to the spread COVID-19.c) Skewed citation practices.Many authors cite a hypothetical conclusion from an original study, then other authors cite the papers of these authors as primary sources. This practice leads to the effect that there are many witnesses to a ‘phenomenon’ that did not ever occur.Thus, the terminology used in interdisciplinary communications should be more nuanced and defined precisely. Authors should be more careful when citing unconfirmed data (and hypotheses) as well as in interpreting statistical data so as to avoid confusion and spreading false information. This is especially important now in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Characterization of exhaled particle deposition and ventilation in an indoor setting

Exhalation of infectious micrometer-sized particles has been strongly implicated in respiratory infection spread. An important fundamental question is then the fate of infectious exhaled particles in indoor spaces, i.e., whether they will remain suspended in an aerosol until ventilation leads to their clearance or whether they will deposit, and if so, on what surfaces in an indoor space. We investigated the interplay between deposition and ventilation using model experiments with a breathing simulator manikin in an office environment. The breathing simulator utilized physiologically correct exhalation and inhalation breathing waveforms as well as an anatomically correct manikin. The simulator output fluorescein-doped particles with a volume distribution spanning the 1–3 μm range. The office environment was a 344 m3 room equipped with desks. Four different test conditions were created by changing the simulator location and via different air change rates and MERV ratings of filters in the HVAC system. We found that the rate of ventilation exceeds the rate of deposition on all surfaces (quantified by Stanton numbers, which were below unity) with several important exceptions: (1) surfaces close to (within 2 m of) the simulator; and (2) non-passive surface exteriors (return grilles and diffusers). A detectable decrease in Stanton number with distance suggests that the room environment cannot be approximated as truly well-mixed. The finding of enhanced deposition on non-passive surfaces at all distances from the room highlights that infectious particles may preferentially deposit on such surfaces in indoor spaces. Finally, while our results highlight particular surfaces with enhanced deposition, our results confirm the importance of ventilation in a room as a means to reduce infectious aerosol particle concentrations, as in large part the clearance for particles appears to occur by ventilation.

Nationwide infection control strategy lowered seasonal respiratory infection rate: occupational health care perspective during the COVID-19 epidemic in Finland

Background Respiratory infection is the 4th most common reason for absence from work in Finland. There is limited knowledge of how social distancing affects the spread of respiratory infections during respiratory epidemics. We assessed the effect of nationwide infection control strategies against coronavirus disease in 2020 on various respiratory infections (International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems code J06) in occupational outpatient clinics. Methods We used occupational healthcare data of respiratory infection J06 diagnoses from 2017 to 2020 obtained from the largest health service provider in Finland. The data was divided into three 252 day-long pieces and was weekday-matched and smoothed by 7-day-moving average. The difference in the J06 diagnosis rate between the follow-up years was measured using Pearson correlation. Possible confounding by sex, age, and region was investigated in a stratified analysis. Confounding by respiratory syncytial virus was analysed using nationwide data of confirmed cases obtained from the national registry. Results In the second quarter of 2020, the trend in the daily number of J06 diagnoses was significantly different from the follow-up years 2019 and 2018. The number of J06 diagnoses peaked between March and April 2020 with roughly 2-fold higher count compared to normal. The timing of these peaks matched with the government issued infection control strategies and lockdowns. Based on stratified analysis, the increase in the number of J06 diagnoses was not confounded by region, age, or sex. Moreover, the rapid increase in the number of J06 diagnoses was not governed by the respiratory syncytial virus. Conclusion Nationwide infection control strategies were effective to slow down the spread of common respiratory infectious diseases in the occupational population.

Spread of respiratory infections in student dormitories in China.

Student dormitory rooms in China are characterized by small space and high occupancy. This study aims to investigate infection rates for common colds and influenza among college students in a Chinese university and their association with the dormitory environment. This study involved two phases. In Phase I, 2978 students living in 998 dorm rooms in 12 buildings responded to a questionnaire survey on infections in four seasons. In Phase II, based on the data obtained from the questionnaire survey, we selected 242 dorm rooms to measure air temperature, relative humidity and CO2 concentration in both summer and winter. Ventilation rates at night were calculated based on measured CO2 concentrations. We found that students had infections more often in winter, and in rooms with higher occupancy and dampness problems. The median value of the ventilation rate in dorm rooms in summer was 10.7L/s per person, while it was 4.10L/s per person in winter. There were significant associations between ventilation rate per person at night and common cold and influenza both in summer and winter (p<0.05). A combination of dampness and low ventilation rate significantly increased the risk of common colds (adjusted odds ratios, AOR: 1.26-1.91) and influenza (AOR: 1.49-2.20). College students living in a crowded dormitory room with low ventilation and dampness problems had more common colds and influenza infections.

Erratum: Mass Gatherings and the Spread of Respiratory Infections. Lessons from the Hajj.

Erratum: Mass Gatherings and the Spread of Respiratory Infections. Lessons from the Hajj.

Mass Gatherings and the Spread of Respiratory Infections. Lessons from the Hajj

The mass gathering of people is a potential source for developing, propagating, and disseminating infectious diseases on a global scale. Of the illnesses associated with mass gatherings, respiratory tract infections are the most common, the most easily transmitted, and the most likely to be spread widely beyond the site of the meeting by attendees returning home. Many factors contribute to the spread of these infections during mass gatherings, including crowding, the health of the attendees, and the type and location of meetings. The annual Hajj in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is the largest recurring single mass gathering in the world. Every year more than 10 million pilgrims attend the annual Hajj and Umrah. Attendees assemble in confined areas for several days. People with a wide range of age, health, susceptibility to illness, and hygiene sophistication come in close contact, creating an enormous public health challenge. Controlling respiratory infections at the Hajj requires surveillance, rapid diagnostic testing, and containment strategies. Although the Hajj is without equal, other mass gatherings can generate similar hazards. The geographic colocalization of the Zika virus epidemic and the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Brazil is a current example of great concern. The potential of international mass gatherings for local and global calamity calls for greater global attention and research.

The importance of the local environment in the transmission of respiratory syncytial virus

The role of the environment in the spread of respiratory infections is poorly understood, and consequently probably underappreciated. To improve our understanding of the environmental drivers of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) transmission, we examined RSV seasonality in two settings with unusual seasonal patterns: The Gambia (where RSV epidemics occur at different times of the year) and Southeast Florida (where RSV seasonality differs from the rest of mainland USA). We used published data to correlate the seasonality of RSV with rainfall and child nutrition in the Gambia, and with rainfall and temperature in Florida. In the Gambia, RSV incidence was more strongly and more consistently correlated with child nutrition (r=−0.73 [95%CI −0.90 to −0.38]) than with rainfall (r=0.37 [95%CI 0.20 to 0.52]). In Southeast Florida RSV incidence was strongly correlated with rainfall two months previously (r=0.65 [95%CI 0.40 to 0.81]) compared to North Florida where RSV incidence was strongly correlated with temperature (r=−0.75 [95%CI −0.87 to −0.56]). We propose that nutrition is the dominant environmental driver of RSV seasonality in the Gambia, while rainfall is the dominant driver of RSV seasonality in Southeast Florida. This reinforces the importance of an ecological scale understanding of disease transmission: only with such an evidence base can setting-specific recommendations be made for public health interventions that are targeted for maximum efficacy.

Respiratory hygiene in emergency departments: Compliance, beliefs, and perceptions

BackgroundLow respiratory hygiene compliance among health care workers of emergency departments has become a major concern in the spread of respiratory infections. Our objective was to determine the compliance with respiratory hygiene of triage nurses at 2 university hospital centers and to identify factors influencing compliance to the respiratory hygiene principles of emergency health care workers.MethodsA 2-part, cross-sectional, descriptive study was conducted at 2 training centers. An anonymous observation of compliance with respiratory hygiene by triage emergency nurses was performed. A self-administered, voluntary questionnaire on attitudes, perceptions, and knowledge of respiratory hygiene guidelines was distributed to the health care workers at the emergency department of the 2 hospital sites.ResultsMedian objective compliance with respiratory hygiene measures of triage nurses was 22% (interquartile range [IQR], 11%-33%). Median perceived compliance of the health care workers was 68% (IQR, 61%-79%). Median actual knowledge score was 75% (IQR, 75%-100%). Overall, 91.9% of respondents believed that the mask was an effective preventive measure. The main obstacles toward mask wearing by the health care worker were “tendency to forget” (37.8%) and “discomfort” (35.1%).ConclusionThe compliance rate at our institution is very low. We identified a few factors affecting adherence to respiratory hygiene measures that are of potential use in targeting groups and formulating recommendations.

Hajj Pilgrims’ Knowledge about Acute Respiratory Infections

Hajj Pilgrims’ Knowledge about Acute Respiratory Infections

The prevention of respiratory infections within families.

Article1 September 1955THE PREVENTION OF RESPIRATORY INFECTIONS WITHIN FAMILIESJOHN H. DINGLE, M.D.JOHN H. DINGLE, M.D.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-43-3-518 SectionsAboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail ExcerptFour general principles provide the theoretic basis for the prevention and control of any infectious disease, namely: (1) to eradicate the causative agent, (2) to destroy the reservoir of infection, (3) to break the chain of transmission, and (4) to increase the resistance of the human host. These principles have varying degrees of application and of effectiveness. Eradication of the causative agent may theoretically be an ideal procedure, yet it is not generally feasible. At the present time the principle can be applied only to a limited extent, such as the use of a sulfonamide drug in a restricted population...Bibliography1. DingleBadgerFellerHodgesJordanRammelkamp JHGFAERGWSCH: A study of illness in a group of Cleveland families. I. Plan of study and certain general observations, Am. J. Hyg. 58: 16, 1953. MedlineGoogle Scholar2. BadgerDingleFellerHodgesJordanRammelkamp GFJHAERGWSCH: A study of illness in a group of Cleveland families. II. Incidence of common respiratory diseases, Am. J. Hyg. 58: 31, 1953. MedlineGoogle Scholar3. BadgerDingleFellerHodgesJordanRammelkamp GFJHAERGWSCH: A study of illness in a group of Cleveland families. III. Introduction of respiratory infections into families, Am. J. Hyg. 58: 41, 1953. MedlineGoogle Scholar4. BadgerDingleFellerHodgesJordanRammelkamp GFJHAERGWSCH: A study of illness in a group of Cleveland families. IV. The spread of respiratory infections within the home, Am. J. Hyg. 58: 174, 1953. 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Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: Cleveland, Ohio*From the Symposium on Preventive Medicine, presented at the Thirty-sixth Annual Session of The American College of Physicians, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, April 29, 1955.From the Departments of Preventive Medicine and Medicine, School of Medicine, Western Reserve University, and University Hospitals, Cleveland, Ohio.†Certain of the data included in this paper were derived from studies conducted under the sponsorship of the Commission on Acute Respiratory Diseases, Armed Forces Epidemiological Board, and supported in part by the Office of the Surgeon General, Department of the Army, and by grants from the Brush Foundation, the Robert Hamilton Bishop, Jr. Endowment Fund, Mr. Philip R. Mather, and the Republic Steel Corporation. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics Cited byClinical virologyEndemic Respiratory DiseasesAcute Respiratory Disease in University of Wisconsin Students 1 September 1955Volume 43, Issue 3Page: 518-525KeywordsInfectious disease controlInfectious diseasesMeaslesPreventive medicinePulmonary diseasesStreptococcal infectionsStreptococcal pharyngitisSulfonamideSurgeonsUpper respiratory tract infections ePublished: 1 December 2008 Issue Published: 1 September 1955 PDF downloadLoading ...

A study of illness in a group of Cleveland families. IV. The spread of respiratory infections within the home.

A study of illness in a group of Cleveland families. IV. The spread of respiratory infections within the home.