scholarly journals Developing an Online Infectious Disease Outbreak Database: Codifying the World Health Organization's Disease Outbreak News Reports

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Munir C Pavez ◽  
Colin J Carlson ◽  
Matthew R. Boyce ◽  
Jessica Lin ◽  
Max A Palys ◽  
...  
Author(s):  
A. O’Reilly ◽  
M. Tibbs ◽  
A. Booth ◽  
E. Doyle ◽  
B. McKeague ◽  
...  

Abstract Objectives: In March 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) officially declared the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) as a pandemic. Adolescence and early adulthood are peak times for the onset of mental health difficulties. Exposure to a pandemic during this vulnerable developmental period places young people at significant risk of negative psychological experiences. The objective of this research was to summarise existing evidence on the potential impact of a pandemic on the mental health of 12–25 year olds. Methods: A rapid review of the published peer-reviewed literature, published between 1985 and 2020, using PsycINFO (Proquest) and Medline (Proquest) was conducted. Narrative synthesis was used across studies to identify key themes and concepts. Results: This review found 3,359 papers, which was reduced to 12 papers for data extraction. Results regarding the prevalence of psychological difficulties in youth were mixed, with some studies finding this group experience heightened distress during an infectious disease outbreak, and others finding no age differences or higher distress among adults. Gender, coping, self-reported physical health and adoption of precautionary measures appear to play a role in moderating the psychological impact of an infectious disease outbreak. Most studies were conducted after the peak of an epidemic/pandemic or in the recovery period. Conclusions: More longitudinal research with young people, particularly adolescents in the general population, before and during the early stages of an infectious disease outbreak is needed to obtain a clear understanding of how best to support young people during these events.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca Katz ◽  
Colin J Carlson ◽  
Munir C Pavez ◽  
Jessica Lin ◽  
Max A Palys ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: The World Health Organization’s Disease Outbreak News (DONs) reports are the world’s primary source of official information on global disease outbreaks. Access to this information is crucial for informing research analyses, global health priorities, and decision making. However, in its current form, the utility of the DONs reports for research and analysis is limited as a result of their reporting format. To this end, we designed a standardized methodology for codifying the data contained in DONs reports and created an online, searchable database. Methods: We coded DONs reports published between the years 1996 and 2019, systematically collecting data from each individual report using a standardized methodology and tabulating data into a single spreadsheet. We created a Year-Pathogen-Country taxonomy to group related disease events and circumvent issues related to reporting inconsistencies in DONs reports.Results: In total, we reviewed 2,806 DONs reports corresponding to 1,105 unique infectious disease outbreaks from 1996-2019. Overall, H5N1 represented the most frequently reported disease, while China was the country with the most reports. We observed the DONs reports to contain numerous issues relating to the standardization, accuracy, and transparency of reporting procedures.Conclusions: Our database represents a new, accessible resource for research that improves the accessibility of the data contained in DONs reports. The World Health Organization should consider standardizing reporting practices, protocols, and procedures as a means of improving the reporting and transparency of infectious disease outbreaks.Trial Registration: N/A


2020 ◽  
Vol 89 ◽  
pp. 555-558 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ramdas Ransing ◽  
Rodrigo Ramalho ◽  
Renato de Filippis ◽  
Margaret Isioma Ojeahere ◽  
Ruta Karaliuniene ◽  
...  

2019 ◽  
Vol 147 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Mboussou ◽  
P. Ndumbi ◽  
R. Ngom ◽  
Z. Kassamali ◽  
O. Ogundiran ◽  
...  

Abstract The WHO African region is characterised by the largest infectious disease burden in the world. We conducted a retrospective descriptive analysis using records of all infectious disease outbreaks formally reported to the WHO in 2018 by Member States of the African region. We analysed the spatio-temporal distribution, the notification delay as well as the morbidity and mortality associated with these outbreaks. In 2018, 96 new disease outbreaks were reported across 36 of the 47 Member States. The most commonly reported disease outbreak was cholera which accounted for 20.8% (n = 20) of all events, followed by measles (n = 11, 11.5%) and Yellow fever (n = 7, 7.3%). About a quarter of the outbreaks (n = 23) were reported following signals detected through media monitoring conducted at the WHO regional office for Africa. The median delay between the disease onset and WHO notification was 16 days (range: 0–184). A total of 107 167 people were directly affected including 1221 deaths (mean case fatality ratio (CFR): 1.14% (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.07%–1.20%)). The highest CFR was observed for diseases targeted for eradication or elimination: 3.45% (95% CI 0.89%–10.45%). The African region remains prone to outbreaks of infectious diseases. It is therefore critical that Member States improve their capacities to rapidly detect, report and respond to public health events.


10.2196/17419 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. e17419 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gwen R Teesing ◽  
Vicki Erasmus ◽  
Mariska Petrignani ◽  
Marion P G Koopmans ◽  
Miranda de Graaf ◽  
...  

Background Hand hygiene compliance is considered the most (cost-)effective measure for preventing health care–associated infections. While hand hygiene interventions have frequently been implemented and assessed in hospitals, there is limited knowledge about hand hygiene compliance in other health care settings and which interventions and implementation methods are effective. Objective This study aims to evaluate the effect of a multimodal intervention to increase hand hygiene compliance of nurses in nursing homes through a cluster randomized controlled trial (HANDSOME study). Methods Nursing homes were randomly allocated to 1 of 3 trial arms: receiving the intervention at a predetermined date, receiving the identical intervention after an infectious disease outbreak, or serving as a control arm. Hand hygiene was evaluated in nursing homes by direct observation at 4 timepoints. We documented compliance with the World Health Organization’s 5 moments of hand hygiene, specifically before touching a patient, before a clean/aseptic procedure, after body fluid exposure risk, after touching a patient, and after touching patient surroundings. The primary outcome is hand hygiene compliance of the nurses to the standards of the World Health Organization. The secondary outcome is infectious disease incidence among residents. Infectious disease incidence was documented by a staff member at each nursing home unit. Outcomes will be compared with the presence of norovirus, rhinovirus, and Escherichia coli on surfaces in the nursing homes, as measured using quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Results The study was funded in September 2015. Data collection started in October 2016 and was completed in October 2017. Data analysis will be completed in 2020. Conclusions HANDSOME studies the effectiveness of a hand hygiene intervention specifically for the nursing home environment. Nurses were taught the World Health Organization’s 5 moments of hand hygiene guidelines using the slogan “Room In, Room Out, Before Clean, After Dirty,” which was developed for nursing staff to better understand and remember the hygiene guidelines. HANDSOME should contribute to improved hand hygiene practice and a reduction in infectious disease rates and related mortality. Trial Registration Netherlands Trial Register (NTR6188) NL6049; https://www.trialregister.nl/trial/6049 International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID) DERR1-10.2196/17419


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