Results and Strategies for a Diversity-Oriented Public Health Monitoring in Germany

Germany is a country of immigration; 27% of the population are people with a migration background (PMB). As other countries, Germany faces difficulties in adequately including hard-to-survey populations like PMB into national public health monitoring. The IMIRA project was initiated to develop strategies to adequately include PMB into public health monitoring and to represent diversity in public health reporting. Here, we aim to synthesize the lessons learned for diversity-oriented public health monitoring and reporting in Germany. We also aim to derive recommendations for further research on migration and health. We conducted two feasibility studies (interview and examination surveys) to improve the inclusion of PMB. Study materials were developed in focus groups with PMB. A systematic review investigated the usability of the concept of acculturation. A scoping review was conducted on discrimination as a health determinant. Furthermore, core indicators were defined for public health reporting on PMB. The translated questionnaires were well accepted among the different migrant groups. Home visits increased the participation of hard-to-survey populations. In examination surveys, multilingual explanation videos and video-interpretation services were effective. Instead of using the concept of acculturation, we derived several dimensions to capture the effects of migration status on health, which were more differentiated. We also developed an instrument to measure subjectively perceived discrimination. For future public health reporting, a set of 25 core indicators was defined to report on the health of PMB. A diversity-oriented public health monitoring should include the following: (1) multilingual, diversity-sensitive materials, and tools; (2) different modes of administration; (3) diversity-sensitive concepts; (4) increase the participation of PMB; and (5) continuous public health reporting, including constant reflection and development of concepts and methods.

ECONOMIC EVALUATION FOR HEALTH ADVOCACY AND INFORMED POLICY

Background: Healthcare resources are limited therefore, adequate, appropriate and timely allocation of resources are important. Decision to invest on health care program can be made from the analysis of the information obtained on the cost and consequences of the various alternative health programs, often known as economic evaluation of health interventions.Aims: This write-up emphasizes on the importance of evidence driven policy of health intervention whereby economic evaluation should be performed to indicate whether investment on health intervention would benefit the country.Methods: Literature review on economic evaluation studies conducted by the first author during her 14 years tenure as academician had been performed. Various studies which applied the cost-effectiveness analysis tools to economically evaluate health interventions and programs in Malaysia and other countries are shared.Results: The economic evaluation studies cut across different programs such as disease prevention and treatment, public health monitoring and control, and implications of health issues to the healthcare system. Many of the findings have been used for advocacy to shape the delivery of more effective health intervention programs in the country.Conclusion: The country will benefit from economic evaluation studies which could provide evidence to assist in policy making on health programs for the country.Keywords: economic evaluation, health programs, policy making

A review of the role of digitalization in health risk management in extractive industries – a study motivated by COVID-19

Purpose While disruptions as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the failure of some companies, others embraced innovative digital technologies to face the challenge posed by COVID-19. The COVID-19 crisis is also an opportunity for the extractive industry (EI) sectors to review their digitalization processes. The purpose of this paper is to conduct a systematic review of infectious disease mitigation in EI and to evaluate the resilience of these industries as they address pandemic prevention and control. Design/methodology/approach Multi-case studies including digital and organizational responses to COVID-19 were analyzed to evaluate the readiness of health risk management (HRM) and resilience of EIs against the pandemic. The evaluation uses Google Scholar and Trends searches to compare the level of relevant activity in EIs with other industries. Findings Although EI sectors have various plans for minimizing pandemic impacts, unexpected disruptions and delays of the COVID-19 responses revealed many limitations of the existing HRM system. Digital technologies (e.g. artificial intelligence-based public health monitoring, digital collaboration, wearable health tracking and 3D printing) demonstrated their remarkable benefits in the pandemic responses and nontechnical elements affecting technology adoption (TA). Originality/value Lessons learned from the deployment of digital technologies against the pandemic help to improve the organizational capacity to deal effectively with future outbreaks and suggest lessons for the future trajectory of TA in these industries.

Operationalizing a routine wastewater monitoring laboratory for SARS-CoV-2

Wastewater-based testing for SARS-CoV-2 is a novel tool for public health monitoring, but additional laboratory capacity is needed to provide routine monitoring at all locations where it has the potential to be useful. Few standardization practices for SARS-CoV-2 wastewater analysis currently exist, and quality assurance/quality control procedures may vary across laboratories. Alongside counterparts at many academic institutions, we built out a laboratory for routine monitoring of wastewater at the University of California, Berkeley. Here, we detail our group's establishment of a wastewater testing laboratory including standard operating procedures, laboratory buildout and workflow, and a quality assurance plan. We present a complete data analysis pipeline and quality scoring framework and discuss the data reporting process. We hope that this information will aid others at research institutions, public health departments, and wastewater agencies in developing programs to support wastewater monitoring for public health decision-making.

Proliferation of household waste irregular dumpsites in Niger Delta region (Nigeria): unsustainable public health monitoring and future restitution

Inadequate collection and improper disposal of municipal waste have a direct negative impact on cities. Disease occurrence in Obio-Akpor (Port Harcourt metropolis, Nigeria) was suspected and linked to the proliferation of dumpsites and proximity to residential households. Evidence showed frequent incidence of diseases outbreak coupled with the topographic coastal nature and the morphological propelling dynamics of sediments transport in the area assisting the situation. The main objective of this study was to assess how the spatial distribution of irregular dumpsites is linked to the disease occurrence (cholera, diarrhoea and malaria) in the community. The data used for the study was obtained through questionnaires administrated at the hospitals, use of GPS for locating disease incidences and waste dumps, interviews and observations. Point pattern analysis using the G-function and the K-function was employed in analyzing the spatial distribution of dumpsites and disease incidences. Correlation tests were performed to test for the relationship between disease incidences and presence of dumpsites. The results showed that there was a significant relationship (p < 0.05) between disease incidences and presence of dumpsites. It was also observed that diseases could occur in areas where dumpsites were not present as cholera and diarrhoea are contagious but malaria is not, though it spreads. The study will be beneficial to governmental agencies, waste managers, institutions, environmentalists, health, social workers and future researchers.

Comparative analysis of China’s Health Code, Australia’s COVIDSafe and New Zealand’s COVID Tracer Surveillance Apps: a new corona of public health governmentality?

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown of cities worldwide generated a dramatic increase in the use of public health trac(k)ing technologies. This article presents an empirical analysis of China’s Health Code on WeChat and Alipay, Australia’s COVIDSafe and New Zealand’s COVID Tracer. We ask: how does app-based public health monitoring differ from prior forms of state tracking and corporate surveillance, and interface with public and private ideals of health and citizenship? Based on a comparative analysis of the selected apps and the political economy that surrounds their code and implementation, we argue that there is a new corona of surveillance to address COVID-19 crises by intensifying the diffusion of national surveillance technologies and framing these into justifiable moral practice. In conclusion, we identify a new ‘corona’ of public health governmentality during COVID-19 pandemic through an intensification of top-down institutional data extraction from human bodies.