World Youth Day Research Articles

Influenza outbreaks during World Youth Day 2008 mass gathering.

Influenza outbreaks during mass gatherings have been rarely described, and detailed virologic assessment is lacking. An influenza outbreak occurred during World Youth Day in Sydney, Australia, July 2008 (WYD2008). We assessed epidemiologic data and respiratory samples collected from attendees who sought treatment for influenza-like illness at emergency clinics in Sydney during this outbreak. Isolated influenza viruses were compared with seasonal influenza viruses from the 2008 influenza season. From 100 infected attendees, numerous strains were identified: oseltamivir-resistant influenza A (H1N1) viruses, oseltamivir-sensitive influenza A (H1N1) viruses, influenza A (H3N2) viruses, and strains from both influenza B lineages (B/Florida/4/2006-like and B/Malaysia/2506/2004-like). Novel viruses were introduced, and pre-WYD2008 seasonal viruses were amplified. Viruses isolated at mass gatherings can have substantial, complex, and unpredictable effects on community influenza activity. Greater flexibility by public health authorities and hospitals is required to appropriately manage and contain these outbreaks.

Guest Editorial: Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 influenza in NSW

In April 2009, a new influenza A virus, pandemic (H1N1) 2009 influenza, was identified in Mexico and the United States of America. The NSW response was co-ordinated by the Public Health Emergency Operations Centre through an incident control structure that included planning, operations and logistics teams with designated roles and responsibilities for the public health response. The emphasis of public health action changed as the pandemic moved through three response phases: DELAY, CONTAIN and PROTECT. This article describes the NSW public health response to the 2009 influenza pandemic from the perspective of the NSW Department of Health. Paula J. SpokesA,C, Michelle A. CretikosA and John G. WardA ACommunicable Diseases Branch, NSW Department of Health BAIDS/Infectious Diseases Branch, NSW Department of Health CCorresponding author. Email: pspok@doh.health.nsw.gov.au community. The public health response used the framework described in the Australian Health Management Plan for Pandemic Influenza 2008.3 Management of the pandemic moved through three phases: DELAY (of the virus into Australia); CONTAIN (early identification of cases and contacts to contain transmission in the community); and PROTECT (identification of high-risk groups to protect those most at risk of severe illness) (Table 1). The public health response was co-ordinated through an incident management system that included an incident controller and separation of activities into three areas: planning, operations and logistics (Figure 1).4 DELAY and CONTAIN phases The first case of pandemic (H1N1) 2009 influenza in Australia was reported from Queensland on 8 May.5 The first NSW case was not identified until 20 May in a traveller returning from the USA.6 This case was considered non-infectious. Australia moved to the next response phase, CONTAIN, on 22 May in response to the identification of suspected community transmission in Victoria.7,8 Planning Planning for an influenza pandemic had been in progress in NSW since at least 2005. The NSW Interim Influenza Pandemic Action Plan 20059 and the Australian Health Management Plan for Pandemic Influenza 20083 formed the basis of the public health response to the pandemic. The National Action Plan for a Human Influenza Pandemic10 and the NSW Human Influenza Pandemic Plan11 described the inter-government and inter-agency responsibilities to this situation. A number of recent public health emergencies (including severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and equine influenza) and events such as World Youth Day 2008 and exercises also contributed to NSW planning and preparedness for an influenza pandemic.12–17 The planning team co-ordinated a number of aspects of the public health response, including: • forward planning and forecasting • communication (web-based, media and written updates) • preparation and dissemination of situation reports on the progress and impact of the epidemic • surveillance

Associations of the Faithful in the Antepreparatory and Preparatory Phases of Vatican II

The Jurist 70 (2010) 86–113 86 * St. John’s Seminary, Brighton, MA 1 In Christifideles laici Pope John Paul II observed that “we can speak of a new era of group endeavors of the lay faithful . . . so great is the richness and the versatility of resources that the Holy Spirit nourishes in the ecclesial community, and so great is the capacity of initiative and the generosity of our lay people.” Pope John Paul II, post-synodal apostolic exhortation Christifideles laici, December 30, 1988, n. 29: AAS 81 (1989) 444. English translation in Origins (1988–89) 575. 2 Joseph Ratzinger, “The Ecclesial Movements: A Theological Reflection on Their Place in the Church,” in Movements in the Church: Proceedings of the World Congress of the Ecclesial Movements, ed. Pontifical Council for the Laity (Vatican City: Typis Polyglottis Vaticanis, 1999) 23–51. This talk was also published as “The Theological Locus of Ecclesial Movements,” Communio 25 (1998) 480–504 3 Pope Benedict XVI, “Encounter with the German Bishops,” L’Osservatore Romano (August 26, 2005) 15. ASSOCIATIONS OF THE FAITHFUL IN THE ANTEPREPARATORY AND PREPARATORY PHASES OF VATICAN II Robert W. Oliver* As the integration of associations of the faithful into the life and mission of local churches continues to be debated in the Church, many observers have been watching carefully for signs of the course Pope Benedict XVI intends to take. As is well known, Pope John Paul II gave much encouragement to the new ecclesial communities and movements.1 Pope Benedict has also expressed support, as evidenced by his detailed reflection on the theological locus of new associations at the 1998 Pentecost gathering of ecclesial movements.2 At the closing of WorldYouth Day in Cologne inAugust 2005, the pontiff encouraged the German bishops that “the Church must value these realities, while guiding them with pastoral wisdom, so that they might contribute their own gifts to the building up of the community in the best way possible.”3 Questions advanced today concerning the relation of associations and particular churches are rooted in a broad range of theological and canonical debates over the past one hundred years. This article analyzes several issues in these debates as they were raised during the antepreparatory and preparatory phases of the Second Vatican Council. The former provides a fascinating panorama of the situation of associations in local churches on the eve of the council. This situation is examined in the first section of this study through the lens of the letters sent to the Antepreparatory Commission by bishops, pontifical faculties of theology and canon law, Roman dicasteries, and several episcopal conferences. The second section analyzes how the material on associations was developed during the preparatory phase, particularly in the work of the two preparatory commissions that received a synthesis of the antepreparatory material on associations, the commission “On the Discipline of the Clergy and the Laity” and the commission “On the Apostolate of the Laity in Everything that concerns Catholic Action, Religious and Social Action.” These examinations provide a basis for interpreting the development of these issues during the subsequent work of the council. The Antepreparatory Phase of Vatican II Shortly after announcing the convocation of an ecumenical council, Pope John XXIII appointed theAntepreparatory Commission to conduct a worldwide consultation of bishops, major superiors of religious institutes , pontifical faculties of theology and canon law, and dicasteries of the Roman Curia.4 The president of the commission, Secretary of State Domenico Cardinal Tardini, sent letters inviting proposals and suggestions concerning areas of doctrine, discipline of the clergy and the Christian people, “matters of greater importance” (negotia maioris momenti), and any other areas which the respondents thought needed to be expounded or clarified by the council.5 Responses to this invitation began to arrive in July 1960 and, by early 1961, soon stretched to more than 1500 pages.6 The responses also included letters from several conferences of bishops, which had not been on associations of the faithful 87 4 Pope John XXIII, “Ad E.mos Cardinales in Urbe praesentes habita,” January 25, 1959: AAS 51 (1959) 65–69. For a critical text of this allocution, see Alberto Melloni, ‘Questa festa ricorrenza.’ Prodromi e preparazione del discorso di annuncio...

Idolatry versus authenticity: A lexical and systemic-functional analysis of the coverage of the World Youth Day 2005 in the Flemish press

This article investigates the way (catholic) religion and youth are represented in different Flemish newspapers. The case of World Youth Day (WYD) 2005 offers a well-defined corpus, which is very suitable for an analysis of the discourse on religion, youth and media. Based on a linguistic analysis of the corpus, we have been able to describe the representation given to the WYD, of the presence of the pope and of the young participants. It turns out that, although the coverage is on the whole very precise, it shows remarkable patterns of inconsistency. On the one hand, most newspapers overemphasize the meaning of the presence of the pope at the WYD in relation to the overall meaning of the event. But this idolatry does not correspond with the view of the Flemish participants, who also get a lot of attention and who are represented in an authentic way. Furthermore, in a number of cases, the journalists revert to presuppositions and stereotypes in their representation of the event.

Evaluating the influential factors in mass gathering casualty presentation characteristics—World Youth Day, Sydney, Australia 2008

Evaluating the influential factors in mass gathering casualty presentation characteristics—World Youth Day, Sydney, Australia 2008

Laboratory test performance in young adults during influenza outbreaks at World Youth Day 2008

Background The performance of influenza laboratory diagnostics in young adults and in the setting of outbreaks during mass gatherings has not been well studied. Objectives We compare the performance of point-of-care tests (POCTs) and immunofluorescence assays (IFAs) with nucleic acid tests (NATs) and viral culture in pilgrims attending influenza clinics established during a large influenza outbreak (World Youth Day, Sydney, Australia, 2008) to assess their performance under the real-life pressures of a mass influenza outbreak. Study design Patients with an influenza-like illness (ILI) underwent respiratory specimen sampling. Combined deep nares and throat swabs were collected for POCT by trained or untrained clinic staff; type-specific IFA; NAT and viral culture. Laboratory-confirmed influenza occurred if viral culture and/or NAT were positive; the performance of laboratory tests was calculated against this ‘gold standard’. Results A total of 230 samples were collected from 227 patients (median age, 20 years; interquartile range, 18–28 years), with 95 samples (41.3%) having laboratory-confirmed influenza infection (influenza A, 57; influenza B, 38). IFA and POCT sensitivities were 74.5% and 55%, respectively. Four of 51 (8%) culture-positive specimens were negative by NAT, and several errors in influenza virus typing occurred with IFA, POCT and NAT. A non-significant trend towards better POCT performance with increased operator training was demonstrated. Conclusion Different environments, patient populations, operator experience, laboratory access and practicalities associated with performing tests during mass influenza outbreaks may affect performance of influenza-specific laboratory tests.

Influenza outbreak during Sydney World Youth Day 2008: the utility of laboratory testing and case definitions on mass gathering outbreak containment.

BackgroundInfluenza causes annual epidemics and often results in extensive outbreaks in closed communities. To minimize transmission, a range of interventions have been suggested. For these to be effective, an accurate and timely diagnosis of influenza is required. This is confirmed by a positive laboratory test result in an individual whose symptoms are consistent with a predefined clinical case definition. However, the utility of these clinical case definitions and laboratory testing in mass gathering outbreaks remains unknown.Methods and ResultsAn influenza outbreak was identified during World Youth Day 2008 in Sydney. From the data collected on pilgrims presenting to a single clinic, a Markov model was developed and validated against the actual epidemic curve. Simulations were performed to examine the utility of different clinical case definitions and laboratory testing strategies for containment of influenza outbreaks. Clinical case definitions were found to have the greatest impact on averting further cases with no added benefit when combined with any laboratory test. Although nucleic acid testing (NAT) demonstrated higher utility than indirect immunofluorescence antigen or on-site point-of-care testing, this effect was lost when laboratory NAT turnaround times was included. The main benefit of laboratory confirmation was limited to identification of true influenza cases amenable to interventions such as antiviral therapy.ConclusionsContinuous re-evaluation of case definitions and laboratory testing strategies are essential for effective management of influenza outbreaks during mass gatherings.

(F48) Improving Pandemic Response Strategies—Lessons from Responding to Multiple Seasonal Influenza Outbreaks at World Youth Day 2008

(F48) Improving Pandemic Response Strategies—Lessons from Responding to Multiple Seasonal Influenza Outbreaks at World Youth Day 2008

Who goes to World Youth Day? Some Data on Young Adult Australian Pilgrims

A key feature of the pontificate of Pope John Paul II was the staging of World Youth Days (WYD), a practice that has continued under his successor Benedict XVI. Beginning in 1985 these events, held internationally every two to three years, are amongst the largest international gatherings of young people. In 2000, for example, the WYD held in Rome attracted over three million pilgrims. WYD has become a significant social phenomenon, especially in an era where there is a sustained and widespread disaffiliation of young adults from mainstream Churches. Participants at WYD are mainly Catholics although the invitation to take part is extended to all. There has been little empirical work, however, on who attends WYD and their motivations for attending. This paper will report on research conducted on some Australian pilgrims who attended the 2005 WYD in Cologne. This research will use both quantitative and qualitative techniques to try and build up a profile of WYD pilgrims.

Bug Breakfast in theBulletin: Mass gatherings and public health: preparing for World Youth Day 2008

Bug Breakfast in the<i>Bulletin</i>: Mass gatherings and public health: preparing for World Youth Day 2008

Blessings in disguise: public health emergency preparedness for World Youth Day 2008

Mass gatherings, such as World Youth Day (WYD) 2008 in Sydney, provide an opportunity for public health workers to gain emergency management experience. Communicable disease (mainly influenza) among pilgrims was the major public health issue during WYD. Public health workers also identified environmental health issues, resulting in hazard reduction measures being made to reduce falls. Other public health issues highlighted include training, communication, surge capacity, and health education. Lessons learned from planning WYD mass accommodation could be applied to emergency accommodation in the case of evacuation.

World Youth Day 2008: did it stress Sydney hospitals?

To characterise the nature and impact of World Youth Day (WYD) 2008 on emergency department (ED) presentations at key hospitals. Retrospective analysis of WYD pilgrims presenting to the EDs of St Vincent's Hospital and Sydney Hospital, 9-23 July 2008. Frequency of pilgrim ED presentations; presenting complaint, Australasian Triage Scale category, diagnosis, admission to hospital and demographic characteristics. 191 pilgrims presented at the two EDs during the study period, comprising 7.8% of all visits to these EDs. Pilgrims had a median age of 22 years, and most were international visitors. The female-to-male ratio was 1.7 : 1. The most common diagnoses were lower limb strain or sprain, infections, and acute asthma. Pilgrims presented with less severe illnesses (with lower triage scores), and were less likely to be admitted to hospital than other patients. The pilgrim caseload was small, and these presentations were less acute and less likely to result in admission than non-pilgrim presentations. Thus, the overall impact on the hospitals was very small.

Who goes to World Youth Day? Some data on under‐18 Australian participants

World Youth Day (WYD) beginning in 1985 and held internationally every two or three years is amongst the largest gatherings of young people in the world. In 1995, for example, the WYD held in Manila attracted over four million pilgrims. With a high level of participation as well as longevity WYD has become a significant social phenomenon, especially in an era where there is a sustained and widespread disaffiliation of youth from mainstream Churches. Participants at WYD are mainly Catholics although the invitation to take part is extended to all. There has been little empirical work on who attends WYD and their motivations for attending. This paper will report on research conducted on Australian youth who attended the 2005 WYD in Cologne. This research will use both quantitative and qualitative techniques to try and build up a profile of WYD pilgrims and explore some of their motivations for attending.

Orthodoxie en beleving

This article explores the impact of the so-called ‘new movements’, such as Focolare and the Emmanuel Community, within the Roman Catholic Church. The author claims that these are not just restaurative movements for religious virtuosi, but also representatives of religion in late (or liquid) modernity. On one hand, these movements cherish traditional beliefs and values, ecclesiastical authority, and social solidarity. On the other, they are characterized by a positive evaluation of personal choice, interest in the self, international social networks, and the use of modern means of communication. Although probably only 10,000 people are active in these movements (including older movements), their impact is problably fairly large, because of its attractiveness for younger people, especially the younger generation of priests. This impact is focused on the personal level: on devotion and the proclamation of the Catholic faith. The spirituality of the ‘new movements’, however, tends to spread in the wider church, predominantly along individual lines. According to the author, the Roman Catholic Church, which functions as a service church for a large proportion of the Dutch population, will transform because of this tendency. This interesting development is illustrated by an analysis of the World Youth Days, where orthodoxy and experience-styled religion meet each other in an ambivalent marriage between the traditional church and late modern event culture.

Action and the New Evangelization: The Youthful Humanism of John Paul II

The theme of action was central to the papacy of John Paul II and formed the basis of his philosophical and anthropological work The Acting Person. John Paul II, Karol Wojtyla, was born in 1920 and, as a young man, experienced the dark days of the Second World War and the subsequent atrocities of the Stalinist and Communist regimes. This historical context set the scene for his interpretation and analysis of how human persons manifest themselves through their actions, and how persons either diminish or grow through their actions, a theme reiterated in Toronto during World Youth Day 2002. After being ordained priest in 1946, Karol Wojtyla did doctoral work, focusing on Aquinas and John of the Cross, as well as Martin Buber, Gabriel Marcel and Max Scheler. He intended to reconcile these various philosophical positions with that of Aquinas. In his second doctoral thesis (the first was entitled "On the Doctrine of Faith According to St. John of the Cross"), "The Possibilities of Building a System of Christian Ethics on the Basis of Max Scheler," Wojtyla saw a place for Scheler's method, though he did not accept his position. In 1956, Wojtyla was offered the Chair of Ethics at Lublin University and, by the age of thirty-six, he was a full professor and head of the Institute of Ethics in Lublin. He was consecrated Auxiliary Bishop of Krakow in 1958 and became Archbishop of that city in 1964. He was elevated to the College of Cardinals in 1967 and elected Pope in 1978.

Bourdieu in Canada: An Invitation for Debate

On 25 July 2002 a group of squatters, led by the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP), occupied an empty apartment building on King Street West in Toronto's Parkdale neighborhood. The date coincided with World Youth Day, a global mega-festival for young Catholics. The highlights of the one-week event were several pilgrimage spectacles, including a vigil and a mass in which Pope John Paul II participated. While the streets of Toronto had the world's attention, the OCAP squatters hoped to capture some of the spotlight with their protest action.

The Center out There: Pilgrim's Goal

The Center out There: Pilgrim's Goal