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Shausan A, Nazarathy Y, Dyda A. Emerging data inputs for infectious diseases surveillance and decision making. Front Digit Health 2023; 5:1131731. [PMID: 37082524 PMCID: PMC10111015 DOI: 10.3389/fdgth.2023.1131731] [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: 12/26/2022] [Accepted: 03/20/2023] [Indexed: 04/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Infectious diseases create a significant health and social burden globally and can lead to outbreaks and epidemics. Timely surveillance for infectious diseases is required to inform both short and long term public responses and health policies. Novel data inputs for infectious disease surveillance and public health decision making are emerging, accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. These include the use of technology-enabled physiological measurements, crowd sourcing, field experiments, and artificial intelligence (AI). These technologies may provide benefits in relation to improved timeliness and reduced resource requirements in comparison to traditional methods. In this review paper, we describe current and emerging data inputs being used for infectious disease surveillance and summarize key benefits and limitations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aminath Shausan
- School of Public Health, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
- School of Mathematics and Physics, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Yoni Nazarathy
- School of Mathematics and Physics, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Amalie Dyda
- School of Public Health, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
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Asanjarani A, Shausan A, Chew K, Graham T, Henderson SG, Jansen HM, Short KR, Taylor PG, Vuorinen A, Yadav Y, Ziedins I, Nazarathy Y. Emulation of epidemics via Bluetooth-based virtual safe virus spread: Experimental setup, software, and data. PLOS DIGITAL HEALTH 2022; 1:e0000142. [PMID: 36812628 PMCID: PMC9931351 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pdig.0000142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2022] [Accepted: 10/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
We describe an experimental setup and a currently running experiment for evaluating how physical interactions over time and between individuals affect the spread of epidemics. Our experiment involves the voluntary use of the Safe Blues Android app by participants at The University of Auckland (UoA) City Campus in New Zealand. The app spreads multiple virtual safe virus strands via Bluetooth depending on the physical proximity of the subjects. The evolution of the virtual epidemics is recorded as they spread through the population. The data is presented as a real-time (and historical) dashboard. A simulation model is applied to calibrate strand parameters. Participants' locations are not recorded, but participants are rewarded based on the duration of participation within a geofenced area, and aggregate participation numbers serve as part of the data. The 2021 experimental data is available as an open-source anonymized dataset, and once the experiment is complete, the remaining data will be made available. This paper outlines the experimental setup, software, subject-recruitment practices, ethical considerations, and dataset description. The paper also highlights current experimental results in view of the lockdown that started in New Zealand at 23:59 on August 17, 2021. The experiment was initially planned in the New Zealand environment, expected to be free of COVID and lockdowns after 2020. However, a COVID Delta strain lockdown shuffled the cards and the experiment is currently extended into 2022.
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Affiliation(s)
- Azam Asanjarani
- Department of Statistics, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Aminath Shausan
- School of Mathematics and Physics, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Keng Chew
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Thomas Graham
- School of Mathematics and Physics, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Shane G. Henderson
- School of Operations Research and Information Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States of America
| | - Hermanus M. Jansen
- Department of Engineering, University College Roosevelt, Middelburg, the Netherlands
| | - Kirsty R. Short
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Peter G. Taylor
- School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Aapeli Vuorinen
- Department of Industrial Engineering and Operations Research, Columbia University, New York, United States of America
| | - Yuvraj Yadav
- Mechanical Engineering Department, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi, Delhi, India
| | - Ilze Ziedins
- Department of Statistics, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Yoni Nazarathy
- School of Mathematics and Physics, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
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Walsh KA, Tyner B, Broderick N, Harrington P, O'Neill M, Fawsitt CG, Cardwell K, Smith SM, Connolly MA, Ryan M. Effectiveness of public health measures to prevent the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 at mass gatherings: A rapid review. Rev Med Virol 2021; 32:e2285. [PMID: 34390056 DOI: 10.1002/rmv.2285] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2021] [Revised: 07/30/2021] [Accepted: 08/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Mass gatherings play an important role in society, but since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, they have generally been restricted in order to mitigate transmission of SARS-CoV-2. The aim of this study was to summarise the evidence regarding the effectiveness of public health measures at preventing the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 at mass gatherings, and hence inform guidance on the organisation of these events. A rapid review was undertaken in Cochrane, Embase (OVID), Medline (OVID), Google, Web of Science and Europe PMC from 1 January 2020 to 3 June 2021. Of the identified 1,624 citations, 14 articles referring to 11 unique studies were included. This rapid review found evidence from 11 studies (involving approximately 30,482 participants) that implementing a range of measures may reduce the risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission at mass gatherings; however, it is unlikely that this risk can be eliminated entirely. All studies adopted a layered mitigation approach involving multiple measures, which may be more effective than relying on any single measure. The number and intensity of measures implemented varied across studies, with most implementing resource intense measures. Importantly, all included studies were only of 'fair' to 'poor' quality. In conclusion, there is currently limited evidence on the effectiveness of measures to prevent SARS-CoV-2 transmission at mass gatherings. As mass gatherings recommence, continued adoption of known mitigation measures is required to limit the risk of transmission, as well as ongoing research and surveillance to monitor the potential impact of these events on the wider population and healthcare system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kieran A Walsh
- Health Information and Quality Authority, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Barrie Tyner
- Health Information and Quality Authority, Dublin, Ireland
| | | | | | | | | | - Karen Cardwell
- Health Information and Quality Authority, Dublin, Ireland.,Department of General Practice, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Susan M Smith
- Department of General Practice, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Máire A Connolly
- School of Medicine, National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland
| | - Máirín Ryan
- Health Information and Quality Authority, Dublin, Ireland.,Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, Trinity Health Sciences, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
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