Flashback and lessons learnt from history of pandemics before COVID-19

Violence against healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional survey at Cairo University Hospital

Introduction

Healthcare workers have a significant chance of experiencing violence, with physical violence impacting anywhere from 8 to 38% of healthcare professionals throughout their careers. Besides physical abuse, many healthcare workers are subject to verbal aggression or threats, with patients and visitors being the most frequent sources of such incidents.

Methods

This research examines the work atmosphere of healthcare professionals at Kasr Al-Aini University Hospital in Cairo, Egypt, during the pandemic. The study aims to evaluate the frequency of violence toward healthcare workers and health professionals training through a cross-sectional survey conducted among them. The research was conducted on Egyptian healthcare workers over 6 months, from November 2020 until the end of January 2021, using convenience sampling in a cross-sectional study. Over half of the respondents reported experiencing violence.

Results

Among those who experienced violence, 93% reported verbal aggression, 43% reported physical and verbal abuse, and 59% claimed that violence increased during the pandemic. Additionally, 97% of those who experienced violence reported it occurring within the 4 months following the survey. About 42.5% of the respondents were female, and nearly 65% were over 30. 82% of the respondents did not receive training on handling violence while performing their job.

Conclusion

This study highlights the high prevalence of verbal assaults in healthcare settings, primarily by patients' families or acquaintances. Despite reporting such incidents, most respondents did not see any significant government action. Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic did not significantly change the frequency of violent incidents, indicating that the root causes of violence are systemic and extend beyond the pandemic. These findings underscore the need for systemic changes in healthcare organizations to address and prevent violence against healthcare workers.

Psittacosis contagion in 1930: an old story in a new era of zoonotic disease

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has highlighted the importance of zoonotic diseases. Psittacosis, a human disease resulting from infection spill-over from Chlamydia psittaci-infected birds, is a lesser-known example of a zoonosis. Psittacosis was responsible for numerous outbreaks in the 1930s, characterised by significant human mortality and disruption to the global trade in parrots. This paper describes the epidemiological and clinical details of one family group impacted by the purchase of an infected, imported parrot. Findings are discussed in the context of a growing awareness of the health risks of global disease outbreaks, as well as social and economic impacts. Health information recorded for cases of psittacosis associated with the 1930 cluster was reviewed using contemporary knowledge of disease symptoms and epidemiology. Case details and autopsy reports were examined. Public health investigation deduced that the cluster of infections was chronologically and physically connected to the purchase and subsequent death of an imported parrot. Disease symptoms were consistent with C. psittaci infection. Epidemiological data supported the diagnoses and causes of death, despite the presenting symptoms sharing significant overlap with other common respiratory diseases. There is growing awareness of the risks of epidemiological bridges in transmitting animal diseases to humans. Historical cases are a strong reminder of the fundamental role of scientific and public health responses in the face of such contagion.

Manifestaciones psiquiátricas en pacientes atendidos en un hospital universitario durante el confinamiento obligatorio por la pandemia de COVID 19

Introducción: no es la primera vez que la humanidad enfrenta las consecuencias catastróficas de una pandemia, hace un siglo fue la de la gripe española. La causada por COVID-19 en un mundo globalizado y conectado logró su rápida propagación, un alto impacto en el número de fallecidos y en la economía, y secuelas importantes sobre la salud mental. Objetivo: caracterizar las principales manifestaciones psiquiátricas en adultos evaluados por el servicio de psiquiatría de un hospital universitario de Bogotá, durante el confinamiento obligatorio por la pandemia de COVID-19 (20-03 a 01-06/2020). Materiales y métodos: estudio observacional retrospectivo de corte transversal que analizó las manifestaciones psiquiátricas más frecuentes en 122 pacientes. Resultados y discusión: hubo una notable reducción (47,7%) de las interconsultas, comparadas con el periodo prepandemia. El promedio de edad fue 51,7 ± 22 años, la mayoría fueron hombres (60,7%), 42,6% estaban desempleados y 92,6% eran contribuyentes del régimen de aseguramiento. Los hallazgos más frecuentes fueron ansiedad (35,2%), trastornos depresivos (32%) y delirium 23,7%; el intento suicida (12,3%) fue mayor que en un estudio previo en el servicio de urgencias. Ninguno de los pacientes presentó infección por COVID-19. Conclusiones: el confinamiento por la pandemia de COVID-19 disminuyó la demanda del servicio de psiquiatría, los trastornos de ansiedad, depresión y el intento suicida fueron los más frecuentes, siguiendo las tendencias esperadas. Es necesario desarrollar servicios de telepsiquiatría para afrontar emergencias futuras.

Education-related inequalities in beliefs and behaviors pertaining to COVID-19 non-pharmaceutical interventions

BACKGROUND

The coronavirus pandemic has exposed existing social inequalities in relation to disease preventive behaviors, risk of exposure, testing and healthcare access, and consequences as a result of illness and containment measures across different population groups. However, due to a lack of data, to date there has been limited evidence of the extent of such within-country inequalities globally.

METHODS

We examined education-related inequalities in four COVID-19 prevention and testing indicators within 90 countries, using data from the University of Maryland Social Data Science Center Global COVID-19 Trends and Impact Survey, in partnership with Facebook, over the period 1 June 2021 to 31 December 2021. The overall level of education-related inequalities, as well as how they differ across country income groups and how they have changed over time were analyzed using the Slope Index of Inequality (SII) and the Relative Index of Inequality (RII). We also assessed whether these education-related inequalities were associated with government policies and responses.

RESULTS

Education-related inequalities in beliefs, mask wearing, social distancing and testing varied across the study countries. Mask wearing and beliefs in the effectiveness of social distancing and mask wearing were overall more common among people with a higher level of education. Even after controlling for other sociodemographic and health-related factors, social distancing practice was higher among the most educated in low/lower middle income countries, but was higher overall among the least educated in high income countries. Overall there were low education-related inequalities in COVID-19 testing, though there was variation across countries.

CONCLUSIONS

The study highlights important within-country education-related differences in COVID-19 beliefs, preventive behaviors and testing, as well as differing trends across country income groups. This has implications for considering and targeting specific population groups when designing public health interventions and messaging during the COVID-19 pandemic and future health emergencies.