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Msellemu D, Tanner M, Yadav R, Moore SJ. Occupational exposure to malaria, leishmaniasis and arbovirus vectors in endemic regions: A systematic review. CURRENT RESEARCH IN PARASITOLOGY & VECTOR-BORNE DISEASES 2024; 6:100185. [PMID: 39027087 PMCID: PMC11252614 DOI: 10.1016/j.crpvbd.2024.100185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2024] [Revised: 04/26/2024] [Accepted: 06/01/2024] [Indexed: 07/20/2024]
Abstract
Vector-borne diseases, including dengue, leishmaniasis and malaria, may be more common among individuals whose occupations or behaviours bring them into frequent contact with these disease vectors outside of their homes. A systematic review was conducted to ascertain at-risk occupations and situations that put individuals at increased risk of exposure to these disease vectors in endemic regions and identify the most suitable interventions for each exposure. The review was conducted in accordance with PRISMA guidelines on articles published between 1945 and October 2021, searched in 16 online databases. The primary outcome was incidence or prevalence of dengue, leishmaniasis or malaria. The review excluded ecological and qualitative studies, abstracts only, letters, commentaries, reviews, and studies of laboratory-acquired infections. Studies were appraised, data extracted, and a descriptive analysis conducted. Bite interventions for each risk group were assessed. A total of 1170 articles were screened and 99 included. Malaria, leishmaniasis and dengue were presented in 47, 41 and 24 articles, respectively; some articles presented multiple conditions. The most represented populations were soldiers, 38% (43 of 112 studies); refugees and travellers, 15% (17) each; migrant workers, 12.5% (14); miners, 9% (10); farmers, 5% (6); rubber tappers and missionaries, 1.8% (2) each; and forest workers, 0.9% (1). Risk of exposure was categorised into round-the-clock or specific times of day/night dependent on occupation. Exposure to these vectors presents a critical and understudied concern for outdoor workers and mobile populations. When devising interventions to provide round-the-clock vector bite protection, two populations are considered. First, mobile populations, characterized by their high mobility, may find potential benefits in insecticide-treated clothing, though more research and optimization are essential. Treated clothing offers personal vector protection and holds promise for economically disadvantaged individuals, especially when enabling them to self-treat their clothing to repel vectors. Secondly, semi-permanent and permanent settlement populations can receive a combination of interventions that offer both personal and community protection, including spatial repellents, suitable for extended stays. Existing research is heavily biased towards tourism and the military, diverting attention and resources from vulnerable populations where these interventions are most required like refugee populations as well as those residing in sub-Saharan Africa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Msellemu
- Vector Control Product Testing Unit, Environmental Health and Ecological Sciences Department, Ifakara Health Institute, Tanzania
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Kreuzstrasse 2, 4123, Allschwil, Switzerland
- University of Basel, Petersplatz 1, 4003, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Marcel Tanner
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Kreuzstrasse 2, 4123, Allschwil, Switzerland
- University of Basel, Petersplatz 1, 4003, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Rajpal Yadav
- Department of Control of Neglected Tropical Diseases, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
- Academy of Public Health Entomology, Udaipur, 313 002, India
| | - Sarah J. Moore
- Vector Control Product Testing Unit, Environmental Health and Ecological Sciences Department, Ifakara Health Institute, Tanzania
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Kreuzstrasse 2, 4123, Allschwil, Switzerland
- University of Basel, Petersplatz 1, 4003, Basel, Switzerland
- The Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology (NM-AIST), P.O. Box 447, Tengeru, Arusha, Tanzania
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Marou V, Vardavas CI, Aslanoglou K, Nikitara K, Plyta Z, Leonardi-Bee J, Atkins K, Condell O, Lamb F, Suk JE. The impact of conflict on infectious disease: a systematic literature review. Confl Health 2024; 18:27. [PMID: 38584269 PMCID: PMC11000310 DOI: 10.1186/s13031-023-00568-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2023] [Accepted: 12/28/2023] [Indexed: 04/09/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Conflict situations, armed or not, have been associated with emergence and transmission of infectious diseases. This review aims to identify the pathways through which infectious diseases emerge within conflict situations and to outline appropriate infectious disease preparedness and response strategies. METHODS A systematic review was performed representing published evidence from January 2000 to October 2023. Ovid Medline and Embase were utilised to obtain literature on infectious diseases in any conflict settings. The systematic review adhered to PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis). No geographical restrictions were imposed. FINDINGS Our review identified 51 studies covering AIDS, Hepatitis B, Tuberculosis, Cholera, Coronavirus 2, Ebola, Poliomyelitis, Malaria, Leishmaniasis, Measles, Diphtheria, Dengue and Acute Bacterial Meningitis within conflict settings in Europe, Middle East, Asia, and Africa since October 2023. Key factors contributing to disease emergence and transmission in conflict situations included population displacement, destruction of vital infrastructure, reduction in functioning healthcare systems and healthcare personnel, disruption of disease control programmes (including reduced surveillance, diagnostic delays, and interrupted vaccinations), reduced access by healthcare providers to populations within areas of active conflict, increased population vulnerability due to limited access to healthcare services, and disruptions in the supply chain of safe water, food, and medication. To mitigate these infectious disease risks reported preparedness and response strategies included both disease-specific intervention strategies as well as broader concepts such as the education of conflict-affected populations through infectious disease awareness programmes, investing in and enabling health care in locations with displaced populations, intensifying immunisation campaigns, and ensuring political commitment and intersectoral collaborations between governments and international organisations. CONCLUSION Conflict plays a direct and indirect role in the transmission and propagation of infectious diseases. The findings from this review can assist decision-makers in the development of evidence-based preparedness and response strategies for the timely and effective containment of infectious disease outbreaks in conflict zones and amongst conflict-driven displaced populations. FUNDING European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control under specific contract No. 22 ECD.13,154 within Framework contract ECDC/2019/001 Lot 1B.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valia Marou
- School of Medicine, University of Crete, Heraklion, Crete, Greece
| | - Constantine I Vardavas
- School of Medicine, University of Crete, Heraklion, Crete, Greece
- Department of Oral Health Policy and Epidemiology, Harvard School of Dental Medicine, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | | | - Zinovia Plyta
- School of Medicine, University of Crete, Heraklion, Crete, Greece
| | - Jo Leonardi-Bee
- Centre for Evidence Based Healthcare, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Kirsty Atkins
- Centre for Evidence Based Healthcare, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Orla Condell
- Emergency Preparedness and Response Support, European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, Solna, Sweden
| | - Favelle Lamb
- Emergency Preparedness and Response Support, European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, Solna, Sweden
| | - Jonathan E Suk
- Emergency Preparedness and Response Support, European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, Solna, Sweden.
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Tarnas MC, Almhawish N, Karah N, Sullivan R, Abbara A. Communicable diseases in northwest Syria in the context of protracted armed conflict and earthquakes. THE LANCET. INFECTIOUS DISEASES 2023; 23:e477-e481. [PMID: 37419130 DOI: 10.1016/s1473-3099(23)00201-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2023] [Revised: 03/21/2023] [Accepted: 03/22/2023] [Indexed: 07/09/2023]
Abstract
The earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria in February, 2023, have caused further devastation in northwest Syria-an area already affected by protracted armed conflict, mass forced displacement, and inadequate health and humanitarian provision. The earthquake damaged infrastructure supporting water, sanitation, and hygiene, and health-care facilities. The disruptions to epidemiological surveillance and ongoing disease control measures resulting from the earthquake will accelerate and expand ongoing and new outbreaks of many communicable diseases including measles, cholera, tuberculosis, and leishmaniasis. Investing in existing early warning and response network activities in the area is essential. Antimicrobial resistance, which had already been an increasing concern in Syria before the earthquake, will also be exacerbated given the high number of traumatic injuries and breakdown of antimicrobial stewardship, and the collapse of infection prevention and control measures. Tackling communicable diseases in this setting requires multisectoral collaboration at the human-animal-environment nexus given the effect of the earthquakes on all these sectors. Without this collaboration, communicable disease outbreaks will further strain the already overburdened health system and cause further harm to the population.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Nabil Karah
- Department of Molecular Biology. Umea University, Umea, Sweden
| | - Richard Sullivan
- Institute of Cancer Policy and the Centre for Conflict & Health Research, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Aula Abbara
- Syria Public Health Network, London, UK; Department of Infectious Diseases, St Marys Hospital, Imperial College London, London, UK.
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Panarese R, Moore R, Page AP, McDonald M, MacDonald E, Weir W. The long-distance relationship between Dirofilaria and the UK: case report and literature review. Front Vet Sci 2023; 10:1128188. [PMID: 37180057 PMCID: PMC10172649 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2023.1128188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2022] [Accepted: 04/06/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Over the last two decades, vector-borne pathogens (VBPs) have changed their distribution across the globe as a consequence of a variety of environmental, socioeconomic and geopolitical factors. Dirofilaria immitis and Dirofilaria repens are perfect exemplars of European VBPs of One Health concern that have undergone profound changes in their distribution, with new hotspots of infection appearing in previously non-endemic countries. Some areas, such as the United Kingdom, are still considered non-endemic. However, a combination of climate change and the potential spread of invasive mosquito species may change this scenario, exposing the country to the risk of outbreaks of filarial infections. Only a limited number of non-autochthonous cases have been recorded in the United Kingdom to date. These infections remain a diagnostic challenge for clinicians unfamiliar with these "exotic" parasites, which in turn complicates the approach to treatment and management. Therefore, this review aims to (i) describe the first case of D. repens infection in a dog currently resident in Scotland, (ii) summarise the available literature on Dirofilaria spp. infections in both humans and animals in the United Kingdom and (iii) assess the suitability of the United Kingdom for the establishment of these new VBPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rossella Panarese
- School of Biodiversity, One Health and Veterinary Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
- *Correspondence: Rossella Panarese,
| | - Rhiannon Moore
- Dundas Veterinary Group Limited, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Antony P. Page
- School of Biodiversity, One Health and Veterinary Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Mike McDonald
- School of Biodiversity, One Health and Veterinary Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Emma MacDonald
- School of Biodiversity, One Health and Veterinary Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - William Weir
- School of Biodiversity, One Health and Veterinary Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
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Tarnas MC, Desai AN, Parker DM, Almhawish N, Zakieh O, Rayes D, Whalen-Browne M, Abbara A. Syndromic surveillance of respiratory infections during protracted conflict: experiences from northern Syria 2016-2021. Int J Infect Dis 2022; 122:337-344. [PMID: 35688310 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijid.2022.06.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2022] [Revised: 05/30/2022] [Accepted: 06/03/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Northern Syria faces a large burden of influenza-like illness (ILI) and severe acute respiratory illness (SARI). This study aimed to investigate the trends of Early Warning and Response Network (EWARN) reported ILI and SARI in northern Syria between 2016 and 2021 and the potential impact of SARS-CoV-2. METHODS We extracted weekly EWARN data on ILI/ SARI and aggregated cases and consultations into 4-week intervals to calculate case positivity. We conducted a seasonal-trend decomposition to assess case trends in the presence of seasonal fluctuations. RESULTS It was observed that 4-week aggregates of ILI cases (n = 5,942,012), SARI cases (n = 114,939), ILI case positivity, and SARI case positivity exhibited seasonal fluctuations with peaks in the winter months. ILI and SARI cases in individuals aged ≥5 years surpassed those in individuals aged <5 years in late 2019. ILI cases clustered primarily in Aleppo and Idlib, whereas SARI cases clustered in Aleppo, Idlib, Deir Ezzor, and Hassakeh. SARI cases increased sharply in 2021, corresponding with a severe SARS-CoV-2 wave, compared with the steady increase in ILI cases over time. CONCLUSION Respiratory infections cause widespread morbidity and mortality throughout northern Syria, particularly with the emergence of SARS-CoV-2. Strengthened surveillance and access to testing and treatment are critical to manage outbreaks among conflict-affected populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maia C Tarnas
- University of California, Population Health and Disease Prevention, Irvine, CA, USA.
| | - Angel N Desai
- University of California, Davis Medical Center, Sacramento, CA, USA
| | - Daniel M Parker
- University of California, Population Health and Disease Prevention, Irvine, CA, USA
| | | | - Omar Zakieh
- Imperial College, Department of Infection, London, UK
| | - Diana Rayes
- Syria Public Health Network, London, UK; Johns Hopkins University, Department of International Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | | | - Aula Abbara
- Imperial College, Department of Infection, London, UK; Syria Public Health Network, London, UK
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Predictive Model of Lyme Disease Epidemic Process Using Machine Learning Approach. APPLIED SCIENCES-BASEL 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/app12094282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Lyme disease is the most prevalent tick-borne disease in Eastern Europe. This study focuses on the development of a machine learning model based on a neural network for predicting the dynamics of the Lyme disease epidemic process. A retrospective analysis of the Lyme disease cases reported in the Kharkiv region, East Ukraine, between 2010 and 2017 was performed. To develop the neural network model of the Lyme disease epidemic process, a multilayered neural network was used, and the backpropagation algorithm or the generalized delta rule was used for its learning. The adequacy of the constructed forecast was tested on real statistical data on the incidence of Lyme disease. The learning of the model took 22.14 s, and the mean absolute percentage error is 3.79%. A software package for prediction of the Lyme disease incidence on the basis of machine learning has been developed. Results of the simulation have shown an unstable epidemiological situation of Lyme disease, which requires preventive measures at both the population level and individual protection. Forecasting is of particular importance in the conditions of hostilities that are currently taking place in Ukraine, including endemic territories.
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Chang YC, Chiu YW, Chuang TW. Linguistic Pattern-infused Dual-channel BiLSTM with Attention for Dengue Case Summary Generation from ProMED-mail database (Preprint). JMIR Public Health Surveill 2021; 8:e34583. [PMID: 35830225 PMCID: PMC9491834 DOI: 10.2196/34583] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2021] [Revised: 04/15/2022] [Accepted: 05/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Yung-Chun Chang
- Graduate Institute of Data Science, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
- Clinical Big Data Research Center, Taipei Medical University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Wen Chiu
- Graduate Institute of Data Science, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
- Department of Molecular Parasitology and Tropical Diseases, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Ting-Wu Chuang
- Department of Molecular Parasitology and Tropical Diseases, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
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