E. coli--sporadic case or an outbreak?
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Disease Notification↗
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Results for “Disease Notification”
Explore indexed PubMed citations for clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health research. Read source abstracts and follow each citation to its original PubMed record.
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C. difficile: will lessons be learned?
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Clostridioides difficile↗
[Dengue fever: a post-epidemic sero-epidemiological survey in an urban area setting at a northwestern county of São Paulo State, Brazil].
OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to evaluate the real size of the epidemics registered in the urban area of the county of Santa Bárbara D'Oeste, SP, Brazil, from April to June, 1995. The measurement of the epidemiological validity of the official surveillance system criteria and its positive predicted value were adopted as specific goals. METHODS: A sero-epidemiological survey was carried out over a sample of 1,113 sera from citizens of Santa Barbara D'Oeste, through a systematic random sampling of houses, five months after the end of the epidemics. Infection rates were compared with the infestation indexes by Aedes aegipty and the notified cases amongst the county sections. The importance of submitting patients with clinical suspicion of dengue to laboratory tests was discussed. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: It was found that infection rates by dengue virus varied in the same direction and proportion as the presence of Aedes aegipty larvae reported by the "Breteau Index", as well as the number of cases reported by the official notifiable diseases surveillance system during the epidemics. A prevalence of 630 by 100 thousand inhabitants was found, a 15-fold rate when compared to the laboratory positive sera from cases detected by the surveillance system during the epidemics. A retrospective comparison with the surveillance reports, using serological results as a gold standard, also showed that the majority of dengue specific serum-positive individuals were not detected during the epidemics, otherwise cases that did not present serological reaction were notified exhibiting a low positive predictive value of clinical diagnosis (15,6).
Adolescent↗
[The epidemic of dengue and hemorrhagic dengue fever in the city of Rio de Janeiro, 2001/2002].
The following study was intended to evaluate the occurrence of typical signs and symptoms in the cases of classic dengue and hemorrhagic dengue fever, during the 2001-2002 epidemic in the city of Rio de Janeiro. The authors reviewed 155,242 cases notified to the Information System of Notification Diseases, from January/2001 to June/2002: 81,327 cases were classified as classic dengue and 958 as hemorrhagic dengue fever, with a total of 60 deaths. Common symptoms, such as fever, headache, prostration, myalgia, nausea and retro-orbital pain, had a high incidence in both classic and hemorrhagic dengue fever. On the other hand, hemorrhagic signs and other signs of severe disease, such as shock, gastrointestinal bleeding, petechiae, epistaxis, abdominal pain and pleural effusion, were strongly associated to hemorrhagic dengue fever. Besides, the occurrence of death was 34.8 times higher in hemorrhagic dengue fever than in classic dengue (OR = 34.8; CI 19.7-61.3).
Brazil↗
Global surveillance of emerging diseases: the ProMED-mail perspective.
The Internet is changing the way global disease surveillance is conducted. Countries and international organizations are increasingly placing their outbreak reports on the Internet, which speeds up distribution and therefore prevention and control. The World Health Organization (WHO) has recognized the value of nongovernmental organizations and the media in reporting outbreaks, which it then attempts to verify through its country offices. However, WHO and other official sources are constrained in their reporting by the need for bureaucratic clearance. ProMED-mail has no such constraints, and posts outbreak reports 7 days a week. It is moderated by infectious disease specialists who add relevant comments. Thus, ProMED-mail complements official sources and provides early warning of outbreaks. Its network is more than 20,000 people in over 150 countries, who place their computers and time at the network's disposal and report on outbreaks of which they have knowledge. Regions and countries could benefit from adopting the ProMED-mail approach to complement their own disease surveillance systems.
Animals↗
[Impact of antiretroviral therapy on the magnitude of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Brazil: various scenarios].
We applied the back-calculation method to estimate the magnitude of the HIV epidemic in Brazil, using the EM and EMS algorithms. Under certain assumptions regarding the behavior of infected patients towards combined antiretroviral therapy, we discuss five different scenarios applied to the Brazilian epidemic. Our objective was to illustrate the impact of combined antiretroviral treatment on the incubation period and thus on estimates of the size of the HIV-infected population, based on reported AIDS cases.
Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
[Distribution of AIDS cases in women in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 1982-1997: a spatial analysis].
The AIDS epidemic has spread and reached various population groups differently. The epidemic's dynamics have also differed according to the characteristics of different areas within cities, related to the principal modes of spread. This study analyzes the AIDS epidemic in women in the city of Rio de Janeiro using the space referential. The epidemic is on the rise among women, particularly in the Northern and Western Zones of the city. In this group it constitutes a "sub-epidemic", to the extent that it displays different characteristics in terms of clinical presentation, access to health services, and knowledge of risks. There was a high proportion of unknown transmission category among the women, thus revealing ignorance of their own risk situation. In addition, the high proportion of unknown level of schooling emphasizes the implications of the investigative system on quality of data recorded for women.
Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
[Reliability of the final dengue diagnosis in the epidemic occurring in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 2001-2002].
This study analyzed the reliability of the final diagnosis in the 155,242 dengue reports during the 2001-2002 epidemic in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, using the official information system on communicable diseases (SINAN). The system allows the following options for the final diagnosis: classic dengue, dengue hemorrhagic fever, discarded, inconclusive, and unknown. We built a classification routine in Epi Info to compare the final diagnosis from SINAN with Ministry of Health criteria. According to the final diagnosis, the case breakdown was: 52.4% classic dengue; 0.6% dengue hemorrhagic fever; 0.9% discarded; 46% inconclusive and unknown. The revised diagnosis showed that 78% of classic dengue, 69% of dengue hemorrhagic fever, and 21.1% of discarded cases met the classification criteria. Although the reliability of the SINAN final diagnosis was generally satisfactory (kappa = 0.681; 95%CI: 0.685-0.677), it was worse for fatal cases (kappa = 0.152; 95%CI: 0.046-0.258). Considering the epidemic's magnitude, the final diagnosis of classic dengue and dengue hemorrhagic fever was satisfactory, but the high proportion of inconclusive or unknown cases and the poor quality of information for fatal cases limit the usefulness of SINAN in this context.
Brazil↗
[Stratification of a hyperendemic city in hemorrhagic dengue].
Any effort to control dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) faces a number of challenges. Among these are the great environmental heterogeneity of homes and neighborhoods in urban centers where the primary dengue vector, Aedes aegypti, breeds, as well as shortages of resources and of personnel trained in mosquito control. Adequate epidemiological surveillance could serve as a basis to begin to stratify urban communities and identify the areas in them where control efforts should be focused. In this study we stratified Maracay, Venezuela, a city with hyperendemic dengue hemorrhagic fever, using a geographic information system and analyzing the persistence, incidence, and prevalence of dengue, by means of clinical diagnoses reported from 1993 through 1998. Maracay has around one million inhabitants living in some 349 neighborhoods in the six communities that make up the greater Maracay metropolitan area. During that 1993-1998 period the Maracay area reported 10,576 cases of dengue, 2,593 cases of DHF, and 8 deaths. The incidence of DHF was related to the incidence of dengue, the number of inhabitants in an area, and population density. The spatial pattern of dengue incidence was stable over the years that were studied, and significant, positive relationships were found between pairs of years and the incidence of dengue by neighborhood. The persistence of dengue was related directly to monthly incidence by neighborhood. These spatial patterns helped to divide the city into three strata: 68 neighborhoods without apparent dengue, 226 neighborhoods with low persistence and prevalence, and 55 neighborhoods with high persistence and prevalence. We recommend giving the highest priority for control efforts to these 55 neighborhoods, which make up just 35% of the Maracay urban area but had 70% of all the reported dengue cases.
Aedes↗
Control of rabbit myxomatosis in Poland.
The authors present an epizootiological analysis of myxomatosis in Poland. The biological, physical and chemical properties of virus strains used for the production and control of 'Myxovac M' vaccine are discussed. The long-term stability, safety and efficacy of the vaccine are demonstrated. Laboratory experiments were confirmed in large-scale field observations.
Animals↗
Bovine spongiform encephalopathy.
Early epidemiological studies identified bovine spongiform encephalopathy as a feed-borne infection associated with infected meat-and-bone meal in animal feed. The infection may have derived from scrapie in sheep, a spontaneous genetic mutation in cattle, or a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy in another mammalian species. Experimental work on the risk of transmission has necessarily tried to identify risk materials and their infectivity levels, the nature and size of species barriers, the infectious dose, the route of infection, the strain of the agent and the genotype of the animals at risk. The identification of levels of infection in cattle tissues has aided the removal of risk materials from the human and animal food chains. Maternally associated transmission is unlikely to maintain an outbreak, but the offspring of clinical cases appear to be at greater risk when the rate of food-borne exposure is high. Studies of embryo transfer have not shown infection to be transmitted by this means. While the control measures appeared to be straightforward, compliance has at times proved difficult to enforce and quantify. This has necessitated more extensive prohibitions, aggressive enforcement and thorough auditing of compliance levels.
Animal Feed↗
Making better use of technological advances to meet stakeholder needs.
Controlling transboundary diseases requires an inclusive and collaborative international approach. Decisions should be taken (and seen to be taken) on advice from multidisciplinary teams of scientists and representatives from all groups significantly affected by the disease (the 'stakeholders'). Changes in trade and travel mean that, unless a new model is developed for disease prevention, there is a real possibility that transboundary animal diseases will become increasingly difficult to control. The traditional government approach of dealing almost exclusively with the commercial sector of the livestock industry is no longer sufficient, and new ways must be found to include all sectors, including 'grey' husbandry (fragmented, disparate groups whose involvement with animals may range from the legal and responsible to the unsanctioned and/or illegal). The increasing convergence of human and animal health issues makes it imperative to make the best possible use of new tools. The particular challenges confronting veterinary science are: preventing the introduction of disease, rapidly identifying disease and controlling epidemics. This paper focuses on the United Kingdom to investigate the inadequacies of current approaches, identify needs, offer recommendations and propose a new approach to disease control, which emphasises global considerations. The objectives are: better participation across the entire sector, better communication, better science and better decision-making, all of which should lead to better security from disease.
Animal Diseases↗
Animal disease outbreak control: the use of crisis management tools.
In this era of globalisation the effective control of animal disease outbreaks requires powerful crisis management tools. In the 1990s software packages for different sectors of the government and agricultural industry began to be developed. In 2004, as a special application for tracking the movement of animals and animal products, the European Union developed the Trade Control and Expert System (TRACES) on the basis of its predecessor, the ANImal MOvement (ANIMO) project. The nationwide use of the ANIMO system by the veterinary authorities in Germany marked the beginning of the development in 1993 of a computerised national animal disease reporting system--the TierSeuchenNachrichten (TSN)--using the ANIMO hardware and software components. In addition to TRACES and TSN the third pillar for the management of animal disease outbreaks and crises in Germany is the national cattle and swine database--called Herkunftssicherungs- und Informationssystem für Tiere. A high degree of standardisation is necessary when integrating the different solutions at all levels of government and with the private sector. In this paper, the authors describe the use of these tools on the basis of their experience and in relation to what we can do now and what we should opt for in the future.
Animal Diseases↗
Outbreak of hepatitis A among homosexual men in Sydney.
OBJECTIVES: This study examined an outbreak of hepatitis A in eastern Sydney during 1991-1992. METHODS: Data were based on cases of hepatitis A in eastern Sydney residents reported from January 1991 to October 1992. RESULTS: Five hundred seventy cases of hepatitis A were reported. Of these, 515 (90%) occurred in male patients, of whom 330 were reported to be homosexual or bisexual. The highest attack rate (71/10,000) occurred in men aged 20 to 29 years of age. CONCLUSIONS: This outbreak affected large numbers of young homosexual men living in the inner eastern suburbs of Sydney. Hepatitis A vaccination should be considered for all susceptible homosexual men. Further research into the use of hepatitis A vaccine as an outbreak control measure is also recommended.
Adolescent↗
Implementing a syphilis elimination and importation control strategy in a low-incidence urban area: San Diego County, California, 1997-1998.
OBJECTIVES: This study assessed a strategy designed to contain imported cases of syphilis and prevent reestablishment of ongoing transmission. METHODS: Reported syphilis cases during an endemic period (1990-1992) and an elimination period (1997-1998) were compared in San Diego, Calif. The elimination strategy, which focuses on rapid reporting of infectious syphilis cases by clinicians, prompt partner and sexual network management, outreach to marginalized populations, and implementation of an outbreak containment plan, was evaluated. RESULTS: Infectious syphilis incidence rates declined from 18.3 per 100,000 in 1998 to 1.0 per 100,000 in 1998. Of the 46 cases involving probable infection during 1997-1998, 19 (41%) were imported, mostly (79%) from Mexico. Outbreak containment procedures were implemented successfully for 2 small clusters. Outreach workers provided sexually transmitted disease information to a large number of individuals; however, no cases of infectious syphilis were identified, suggesting that syphilis transmission was not occurring among marginalized groups. CONCLUSIONS: This syphilis elimination and importation control strategy will require monitoring and adjustments. Controlling syphilis along the US-Mexico border is a necessary component of syphilis elimination in the United States.
California↗
Validation of race/ethnicity and transmission mode in the US HIV/AIDS reporting system.
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Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
Perceptions of state public health officers and state veterinarians regarding risks of bioterrorism in the United States.
OBJECTIVE: To assess perceptions of state public health officers and state veterinarians in the United States regarding the risks of bioterrorism and determine the degree of support provided for activities related to bioterrorism. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey. SAMPLE POPULATION: State public health officers and state veterinarians. PROCEDURE: A questionnaire was sent between April and June 2001 to the state public health officer and state veterinarian in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia. RESULTS: Perceptions of the risk of bioterrorism attacks were similar for state public health officers and state veterinarians. Veterinarians perceived the risks associated with foot-and-mouth disease and Newcastle disease to be higher than did physicians. State veterinarians perceived the risks associated with an anthrax hoax, brucellosis, and ricin toxicosis to be lower than did state public health officers. Risk posed by agents that affected animals exclusively was perceived to be higher than risk posed by agents that affected humans exclusively and zoonotic agents. Number of full-time-equivalent positions devoted to bioterrorism surveillance and percentage of the budget devoted to bioterrorism activities were significantly lower for offices run by state veterinarians than for offices run by state public health officers. State veterinarians were significantly less likely to have knowledge of bioterrorism incidents within their state or district than were state public health officers. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Provision of additional resources to state veterinarians and explicit integration of their expertise and surveillance capabilities may be important to effectively mitigate the risk of bioterrorism.
Animals↗