Aug 8, 2013
ISDS Webinar: Global Public Health Surveillanc, Governance and Viral Sovereignty
Presenters:
Affan Shaikh, M.P.H, Senior Epidemiologist, Public Health Practice, LLC
Scott JN McNabb, Ph.D., M.S., Research Professor, Emory University, Rollins School of Public Health | Managing Partner, Public Health Practice, LLC
Hosted by the ISDS Global Outreach Committee
Source: http://communityforum.syndromic.org/
Affan Shaikh, M.P.H, Senior Epidemiologist, Public Health Practice, LLC
Scott JN McNabb, Ph.D., M.S., Research Professor, Emory University, Rollins School of Public Health | Managing Partner, Public Health Practice, LLC
Qanta Ahmed, M.D., Attending Sleep Disorders
Medicine, Winthrop University Hospital | Associate Professor of
Medicine, State University of New York (SUNY) at Stony Brook, New York
Ziad Memish, M.D., Deputy
Minister of Public Health, Ministry of Health, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Date: Wednesday, August 14, 2013
Time: 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM EDT
Description: Microbes carry no national passports; neither do they recognize geo-political boundaries or state sovereignty. Yet claims of viral sovereignty brings up unresolved controversies that challenge ethical public health governance and add unnecessary risk of global pandemics. Viral sovereignty refers to a sovereign state's ownership rights over pathogens found within their border. It was first coined to describe tensions rising from the Indonesian government's decision to conditionally withholding samples of H5N1 avian influenza in early 2007.
Description: Microbes carry no national passports; neither do they recognize geo-political boundaries or state sovereignty. Yet claims of viral sovereignty brings up unresolved controversies that challenge ethical public health governance and add unnecessary risk of global pandemics. Viral sovereignty refers to a sovereign state's ownership rights over pathogens found within their border. It was first coined to describe tensions rising from the Indonesian government's decision to conditionally withholding samples of H5N1 avian influenza in early 2007.
While the World Health
Organization's (WHO) 2005 revised International Health Regulations (IHR [2005])
provide a global framework to prevent, protect against, control, and facilitate
a public health response to the international spread of disease, its success
firmly rests on mutual trust and transparency among parties. Claims of
viral sovereignty indicate the critical balance between respecting legitimate
national sovereignty and complying with responsible global transparency is far
from achieved.
This webinar reviews the origins of viral sovereignty as well as
the rights of global health security and responsibilities of transparency
required by the IHR (2005) for successful global public health surveillance
today. It points out the critical, current issues and weighs the pros and
cons of various options to move forward.
Hosted by the ISDS Global Outreach Committee
Source: http://communityforum.syndromic.org/
The Remarkable adaptability of syndromic surveillance to meet public health needs
Article accessed on August 8, 013
Journal:
Volume 3, Issue 1, March 2013, Pages 41–47
Authors
Abstract
The goal of syndromic surveillance is the earlier detection of epidemics, allowing a timelier public health response than is possible using traditional surveillance methods. Syndromic surveillance application for public health purposes has changed over time and reflects a dynamic evolution from the collection, interpretation of data with dissemination of data to those who need to act, to a more holistic approach that incorporates response as a core component of the surveillance system. Recent infectious disease threats, such as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), avian influenza (H5N1) and pandemic influenza (H1N1), have all highlighted the need for countries to be rapidly aware of the spread of infectious diseases within a region and across the globe. The International Health Regulations (IHR) obligation to report public health emergencies of international concern has raised the importance of early outbreak detection and response. The emphasis in syndromic surveillance is changing from automated, early alert and detection, to situational awareness and response. Published literature on syndromic surveillance reflects the changing nature of public health threats and responses. Syndromic surveillance has demonstrated a remarkable ability to adapt to rapidly shifting public health needs. This adaptability makes it a highly relevant public health tool.
Keywords
- Syndromic surveillance;
- Outbreaks;
- International Health Regulations;
- Infectious diseases;
- Public health
Aug 5, 2013
Risk Map of Cholera Infection for Vaccine Deployment: The Eastern Kolkotta Case
Posted on 3
PLoS One
[Accessed 3 August 2013]
http://www.plosone.org/
Research Article
Risk Map of Cholera Infection for Vaccine Deployment: The Eastern Kolkata Case
Young Ae You, Mohammad Ali, Suman Kanungo, Binod Sah, Byomkesh Manna, Mahesh Puri, G. Balakrish Nair, Sujit Kumar Bhattacharya, Matteo Convertino, Jacqueline L. Deen, Anna Lena Lopez, Thomas F. Wierzba, John Clemens, Dipika Sur
http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0071173
Abstract
Background
Despite advancement of our knowledge, cholera remains a public health concern. During March-April 2010, a large cholera outbreak afflicted the eastern part of Kolkata, India. The quantification of importance of socio-environmental factors in the risk of cholera, and the calculation of the risk is fundamental for deploying vaccination strategies. Here we investigate socio-environmental characteristics between high and low risk areas as well as the potential impact of vaccination on the spatial occurrence of the disease.
Methods and Findings
The study area comprised three wards of Kolkata Municipal Corporation. A mass cholera vaccination campaign was conducted in mid-2006 as the part of a clinical trial. Cholera cases and data of the trial to identify high risk areas for cholera were analyzed. We used a generalized additive model (GAM) to detect risk areas, and to evaluate the importance of socio-environmental characteristics between high and low risk areas. During the one-year pre-vaccination and two-year post-vaccination periods, 95 and 183 cholera cases were detected in 111,882 and 121,827 study participants, respectively. The GAM model predicts that high risk areas in the west part of the study area where the outbreak largely occurred. High risk areas in both periods were characterized by poor people, use of unsafe water, and proximity to canals used as the main drainage for rain and waste water. Cholera vaccine uptake was significantly lower in the high risk areas compared to low risk areas.
Conclusion
The study shows that even a parsimonious model like GAM predicts high risk areas where cholera outbreaks largely occurred. This is useful for indicating where interventions would be effective in controlling the disease risk. Data showed that vaccination decreased the risk of infection. Overall, the GAM-based risk map is useful for policymakers, especially those from countries where cholera remains to be endemic with periodic outbreaks.
Citation: You YA, Ali M, Kanungo S, Sah B, Manna B, et al. (2013) Risk Map of Cholera Infection for Vaccine Deployment: The Eastern Kolkata Case. PLoS ONE 8(8): e71173. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0071173
Editor: Matteo Convertino, University of Florida, United States of America
Received: April 11, 2013; Accepted: June 25, 2013; Published: August 2, 2013
Funding: This study is supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation through the Diseases of the Most Impoverished Program and the Cholera Vaccine Initiative. Additional funding is provided by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency and the Governments of South Korea, Sweden, and Kuwait. No funding bodies had any role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
Competing interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
Aug 4, 2013
Measles like illness outbreak in Upper Mustang, Nepal
Science and
Technology Conference 2009, Huachiew Chalermprakiet University, Thailand;
10/2009
ABSTRACT
Background:
Since 2004, there have been increasing reports of rubella outbreaks in Nepal,
through the Vaccine Preventable Diseases (VPDs) surveillance network. This
report details an investigation of a suspected “measles-like illness” outbreak
in Mustang, a remote and hard to reach Himalayan district in the Western part
of Nepal.
Methods: The
Mustang District Rapid Response Team (RRT) investigated the outbreak in Chhonup
and Lomanthang villages in Mustang, beginning on the 17th of June 2008,
following the standard measles outbreak investigation guidelines. Blood samples
were collected from seven children within 4 to 28 days of rash onset. All the
samples were tested for both measles and rubella IgM antibodies in the National
Public Health Laboratory (NPHL) in Kathmandu, Nepal
Results:
Forty-eight cases were detected at the time of the investigation. There were
two waves in the outbreak. The first occurred at the beginning of April, and
the second from mid-May to mid-June. The primary attack rates were 1% and 4% in
Lomanthang and Chhonup respectively. The primary attack rates were highest in
the 1 – 9 year old population. No deaths in children with measles-like illness
were reported from either village during this investigation. All children found
with measles-like illness had been immunized against measles. All 7 serum
samples were confirmed to be IgM positive for anti-rubella. The remaining 41
cases with measles like illness were considered epidemiologically linked to
these laboratory-confirmed cases, and classified as rubella.
Conclusion:
Since there is no vaccination against rubella in Nepal, the number of rubella
susceptible individuals in the population has increased. Once the virus was
introduced into the community, it spread very quickly and affected many
susceptible individuals. It is highly recommended that rubella vaccinations be
included in the National Immunization Programme (NIP) of Nepal.
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| Chhonup Village |
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