scholarly journals COVIDentistry Combating Corona Virus Spread in Dental Setup Indian Prospective

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 94-106
Author(s):  
Amit Bhandari ◽  
Vanshika Jain ◽  
Rashi Bhandari

Making its first presence in humans in China in late 2019, SARS-CoV-2 has been identified as a highly contagious viral particle causing distress of lower respiratory system, named COVID-19. Since January 2020, there has been a worldwide increase in the number of COVID-19 cases and associated deaths. Owing to the contagious nature of the disease and socializing human culture, the disease has spanned over continents resulting in some countries being more severely affected than others. Since the first knowledge of the disease, interim guidelines have been constantly issued by competent authorities to safeguard the interest of masses and healthcare professionals. As and when new details are procured, these guidelines are adequately modified and circulated. As a standard measure, all individuals are expected to maintain social distancing, cover their face with a mask during any outdoor activity and practice hand hygiene and cough etiquettes. Respiratory droplet spread is the most potential source identified for this uncontrolled disease spread. Being of smaller size, aerosols produced during medical treatment too act a potential source of viral particle dissemination. Almost all dental procedures involve production of aerosols in some form or the other, irrespective of the kind of instrumentation used. Additionally, proximity to the oral cavity, one of the sources of droplet production, poses a high risk of disease contraction by dental healthcare workers and visiting patients. With consideration to dental practice, various guidelines have been issued to minimise and control the spread of COVID-19. This article is written with an aim of reviewing these guidelines and sensitizing and encouraging the dental fraternity to follow them and contribute in the current world health crisis.

Author(s):  
Grigoris Gerotziafas ◽  
Mariella Catalano ◽  
Ioannis Theodorou ◽  
Patrick van Dreden ◽  
Vincent Marechal ◽  
...  

One year after the declaration of the COVID-19 pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) and despite the implementation of mandatory physical barriers and social distancing, humanity remains challenged by a long-lasting and devastating public health crisis. Non-pharmacological interventions (NPI) are efficient mitigation strategies. The success of these intense NPI is dependent on the approval and commitment of the population. The launch of a mass vaccination program in many countries in late December 2020 with mRNA vaccines, adenovirus-based vaccines, and inactivated virus vaccines has generated hope for the end of the pandemic. Current issues: The continuous appearance of new pathogenic viral strains and the ability of vaccines to prevent infection and transmission raise important concerns as we try to achieve community immunity against SARS-CoV-2 and its variants. The need of a second and even third generation of vaccines and the possibility of potentially harmful side-effects of the vaccines (i.e. venous thromboembolism ) have already been acknowledged. Perspectives: There is a critical and urgent need for a balanced and integrated strategy for the management of the COVID-19 outbreaks organized on three axes: (1) Prevention of the SARS-CoV-2 infection, (2) Detection and early diagnosis of patients at risk of disease worsening, and (3) Anticipation of medical care (PDA). Conclusion: The “PDA strategy” integrated into state policy for the support and expansion of health systems and introduction of digital organization (i.e. telemedicine, artificial intelligence and machine learning technology) is of major importance for the preservation of citizens’ health and life world-wide.


2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nafisa Qibriya Khan ◽  
A. H. Farooqui ◽  
Syed Ayesha Fatima ◽  
Jalil Ahmad ◽  
Tausif S. Khan

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a pandemic disease of modern time with unique and rapid transmission rate and affected almost all the nations without respecting any border. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is arguably the biggest health crisis the world has faced in 21st century. It is an infectious disease and declared pandemic by the World Health Organization. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak, which originated in Wuhan, China, has now spread to 192 countries and administrative regions infecting nearly 800,000 individuals of all ages as of 31 March 2020. Though most infected individuals exhibit mild symptoms including fever, upper respiratory tract symptoms, shortness of breath, and diarrhoea, or are asymptomatic altogether, severe cases of infection can lead to pneumonia, multiple organ failure, and death. Globally, at least 7900 deaths have been directly attributed to COVID19, and this number is expected to rise with the ongoing epidemic. This is particularly crucial as the current outbreak involves a new pathogen (SARS-CoV-2), on which limited knowledge exists of its infectivity and clinical profile. Research is in progress on therapeutic efficacy of various agents including anti-malarials (Chloroquine and Hydroxychloroquine), antiviral drugs, and convalescent serum of recovered patients. Unani system of medicine is one of the traditional systems of medicine which is being explored for providing preventive, supportive and rehabilitative care to patients. Unani system of medicine has a detailed description of drugs that are utilized in many infectious diseases, including respiratory infections. Immune response is essential to eliminate virus and to preclude disease progression to severe stages. Therefore, it is important to summarize the evidence regarding the preventive measures, control options such as immune-stimulator and prophylactic treatment in Unani medicine against Covid19. This review summarizes various pharmacological actions of Unani formulation Tiryaq-e-Arba in Unani literature and various reported pharmacological activities which can possibly provide prevention, control and reduction of complications of this deadly disease.


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (SPL1) ◽  
pp. 94-102
Author(s):  
Prasaath Sastha K R ◽  
Balasubramanian Arul ◽  
Ramalingam Kothai

It all started in December 2019, a seafood market in Wuhan, China, with a series of pneumonia alike cases admitted with severe acute respiratory depression. Since they were unable to detect the precise cause, they named it "Pneumonia of unknown etiology". Later it was identified as SARS COV 2 (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome – coronavirus 2). At first, the disease spread locally affecting the people of Wuhan, and then started spreading throughout China, creating a worldwide panic. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 in China as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) from China and local healthcare units organized an intensive outbreak investigation program. The causative organism of this infection is a new virus that belongs to the “coronavirus (CoV)” family. After which the disease was called nCoV-19 (Novel coronavirus – 19). On February 11, 2020, the WHO Director General, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, renamed the disease as "COVID-19," which is the acronym of "coronavirus disease 2019". Viral epidemics like SARS-CoV in 2002, H1N1 influenza in 2009, and the most recent one the MERS-CoV Middle East Respiratory Distress Syndrome Coronavirus (first identified in Saudi Arabia) in 2012 threatened the health of mankind in the past two decades. All of these were successfully prevented by systematically approaching the problem to solve it. Healthcare professionals around the world are well trained to manage any type of health crisis. On March 11, 2020, the WHO declared COVID-19 as a "PANDEMIC" pointing to over 118,000 cases and 80,000 dead in 110 countries or more. In a media briefing, the WHO Director General said: "This is not just a public health crisis, it is a crisis that will touch every sector, so every sector and every individual must be involved in the fight."


2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel A Taylor ◽  
Erin Mordecai ◽  
Christopher A Gilligan ◽  
Jason R Rohr ◽  
Leah R Johnson

Huanglongbing, or citrus greening, is a global citrus disease occurring in almost all citrus growing regions and causing substantial economic burdens to individual growers, citrus industries and governments. Successful management strategies to reduce disease burden are desperately needed but with so many possible interventions and combinations thereof, it is difficult to know which are worthwhile or cost-effective. We review how mathematical models have yielded useful insights into controlling disease spread for other vector-borne plant diseases, and the small number of mathematical models of Huanglongbing. We adapt a malaria model to Huanglongbing, by including temperature-dependent psyllid traits and economic costs, to show how models can be used to highlight which parameters require more data collection or which should be targeted for intervention. We analyze the most common intervention strategy, insecticide spraying, to determine the most cost-effective spraying strategy. We found that fecundity and feeding rate of the vector require more experimental data collection, for wider temperatures ranges. The best strategy for insecticide intervention was to spray for more days rather than pay extra for a more efficient spray. We conclude that mathematical models are able to provide useful recommendations for managing Huanglongbing spread.


Author(s):  
Vilma Andia-Choquepuma ◽  
Daniza Juana Leon-Escobedo ◽  
Himer Avila-George ◽  
orge Sánchez-Garcés ◽  
Ruth Elizabeth Villafuerte-Alcántara ◽  
...  

After the World Health Organization declared the outbreak of Coronavirus (COVID-19) a pandemic, the Peruvian government took preventive measures to counteract the spread of the virus by issuing Supreme Decree No. 008-2020-SA. This decree contains prevention and control measures aimed at ports, airports, land entry points, educational centers, transportation and workplaces.


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (10) ◽  
pp. 1319-1324
Author(s):  
Rajesh Kumar Routray ◽  
◽  
Kamal Kanta Satapathy ◽  
J. Nitin Samuel ◽  
Ajay Reddy Palle ◽  
...  

COVID-19 global pandemic has become the biggest challenge by causing health crisis across the world due to its contagious nature. Salivary gland acts as a reservoir of virus due to which contaminated saliva plays a pivotal role in COVID-19 transmission among humans. Infection transmission from symptomatic patients as well as asymptomatic carriers is inevitable while performing aerosol generating procedures because contaminated aerosols have potential to float in the air for a considerable amount of time and be inhaled by dentist, dental auxiliary and other patients. Hence, it is a matter of utmost importance to keep upgrading the strategies for prevention of transmission as the outbreak of SARS-COV 2 has clearly placed the health care professionals at highest risk. As excess salivary secretion results in more aerosol contamination in dental procedures, leading to higher risk of transmission antisialogogues can be used to reduce salivary production. This new strategy will be helpful towards reducing aerosol transmission inorder to prevent and control the spread of this highly infectious disease. The aim of this present review is to propose the possible use of antisialogogues (glycopyrrolates) as an adjunct aid in reducing the risk of transmission from contaminated aerosols.


Author(s):  
Md Abdullah Al Jubayer Biswas ◽  
Md Zakiul Hassan ◽  
Mohammad Riashad Monjur ◽  
Md Saiful Islam ◽  
Aninda Rahman ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Baseline assessment of standard precaution relating to infection prevention and control (IPC) preparedness to fight health crisis within healthcare facilities at different levels and its associated factors in Bangladesh remains unknown. Methods: We analyzed the nationally representative Bangladesh health facility survey (BHFS) data conducted by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) during July–October 2017. We used the World Health Organization (WHO) Service Availability and Readiness Assessment (SARA) manual to determine the standard precautions related to the IPC readiness index. Using a conceptual framework and multivariable linear regression, we identified the factors associated with the readiness index. Results: We analyzed data for 1,524 surveyed healthcare facilities. On average, only 44% of the standard precaution elements were available in all facilities. Essential elements, such as guidelines for standard precautions (30%), hand-washing soap (29%), and pedal bins (38%), were not readily available in all facilities. The tuberculosis service area was least prepared, with 85% of elements required for standard precaution deficient in all facilities. Significantly lower readiness indexes were observed in the rural healthcare facilities (mean difference, −13.2), healthcare facilities administered by the MoHFW (mean difference, −7.8), and private facilities (mean difference, −10.1) compared to corresponding reference categories. Conclusions: Our study revealed a severe lack of standard precaution elements in most healthcare facilities, particularly in rural health centers. These data can provide a baseline from which to measure improvement in infection prevention and control (IPC) in these facilities and to identify areas of gaps for targeted interventions to improve IPC strategies that can improve the Bangladesh health system.


Dear Editor, Telehealth as described by the World Health Organization (WHO) is delivering healthcare to a patient by a doctor using media devices when both are far away from each other. Telemedicine has been discussed as a modality to provide better access to health from the early 1990s 1. The recent outbreak of Covid-19 has made this modality a good alternative keeping in mind the comfort and safety of the patient. It has also made it a much more common practice. Recent research has supported the notion that both the service providers and users are highly satisfied by this modality. Teledentistry does not contribute to the progress of disease and is much more cost-effective2. According to a study by Greenhalgh et al., that online video consultation was better suited to people with chronic ailments but surprisingly they played a pivotal role in managing acute conditions also in this Covid-19 pandemic3. Teledentistry has become an integral part of the healthcare system of developed countries such as Australia and the United States4. Teledentistry is a blessing for patients who are COVID positive and need some consultation. It is also fruitful for immunocompromised patients as it saves them from the exposure of the hospital. Also, almost all the dental procedures require close contact on the patient and the dentist so it ensures the safety of both individuals. Patient counseling can be done effectively and all non-invasive procedures can be instructed to the patient. It can also save patient from unnecessary follow up visits. The exchange of written, recorded voice messages and video conversations for the doubts of the patient about the diagnosis and management can also improve the quality of healthcare5.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (5-s) ◽  
pp. 205-208
Author(s):  
Asim Ali Khan ◽  
Zeba Afrin ◽  
Pradeep Kumar

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is arguably the biggest health crisis the world has faced in 21st century. It is an infectious disease and declared pandemic by the World Health Organization. It is a pandemic disease of modern time with unique and rapid transmission rate and affected almost all the nations without respecting any border. It’s a novel infection which is caused by SARS CoV-2 with Serious Clinical manifestation i.e. Fever, Cough, Cold, Respiratory distress further may result into Death. There is no definite therapeutic drug or vaccine available for COVID-19 so far despite numerous series of experimental and clinical research. Research is in progress on therapeutic efficacy of various agents including antimalarials (Chloroquine and Hydroxychloroquine), antiviral drugs, and convalescent serum of recovered patients. Unani system of medicine is one of the traditional systems of medicine which is being explored for providing preventive, supportive and rehabilitative care to patients. Unani system of medicine has a detailed description of drugs that are utilized in many infectious diseases, including respiratory infections. Immune response is essential to eliminate virus and to preclude disease progression to severe stages. Therefore, strategies to boost immune response are certainly important. Therefore, it is important to summarize the evidence regarding the preventive measures, control options such as immunostimulator and prophylactic treatment in Unani medicine against Covid- 19. This review summarizes various pharmacological actions of Unani formulation Tiryaq e wabai in unani literature and various reported pharmacological activities which can possibly provide prevention, control and reduction of complications of this deadly disease.  Keywords: Unani medicine, Covid 19, immune response, Tiryaq e Wabai


PeerJ ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. e2642 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel A. Taylor ◽  
Erin A. Mordecai ◽  
Christopher A. Gilligan ◽  
Jason R. Rohr ◽  
Leah R. Johnson

Huanglongbing (HLB), or citrus greening, is a global citrus disease occurring in almost all citrus growing regions. It causes substantial economic burdens to individual growers, citrus industries and governments. Successful management strategies to reduce disease burden are desperately needed but with so many possible interventions and combinations thereof it is difficult to know which are worthwhile or cost-effective. We review how mathematical models have yielded useful insights into controlling disease spread for other vector-borne plant diseases, and the small number of mathematical models of HLB. We adapt a malaria model to HLB, by including temperature-dependent psyllid traits, “flushing” of trees, and economic costs, to show how models can be used to highlight the parameters that require more data collection or that should be targeted for intervention. We analyze the most common intervention strategy, insecticide spraying, to determine the most cost-effective spraying strategy. We find that fecundity and feeding rate of the vector require more experimental data collection, for wider temperatures ranges. Also, the best strategy for insecticide intervention is to spray for more days rather than pay extra for a more efficient spray. We conclude that mathematical models are able to provide useful recommendations for managing HLB spread.


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