Epidemiological Review of Francisella Tularensis: A Case Study in the Complications of Dual Diagnoses
Discussion
This case study illustrated not only the veracity of the maxim “chance favors the prepared mind” exquisitely because of the judicious, albeit auspicious, identification of the assiduous bacterium by the owner’s veterinarian, but also the high level of patient care that can potentially be achieved when veterinary personnel actively foster working relationships with their local public health counterparts. In this case, the owner was prophylactically treated with doxycycline for F. tularensis exposure within 24 hours of being bitten and given the rabies post-exposure prophylaxis (human rabies immune globuli...
Source: PLOS Currents Outbreaks - January 18, 2018 Category: Epidemiology Authors: tonystidham Source Type: research
Incidence Prediction for the 2017-2018 Influenza Season in the United States with an Evolution-informed Model
Incidence prediction for the 2017-2018 influenza season in the United States
Human infections caused by the seasonal influenza virus impose a large burden on public health in the United States and worldwide. Advanced forecasts of the severity of the upcoming influenza season can contribute to timely preparation for the season, including resource allocation and vaccination campaigns. Existing computational methods have already been developed for this purpose, which can be largely classified into two main classes: the first one focuses on within-season forecasting and relies on updated incidence information as the season dev...
Source: PLOS Currents Outbreaks - January 17, 2018 Category: Epidemiology Authors: Xiangjun Du Source Type: research
A Possible Link Between Pyriproxyfen and Microcephaly
This study was based upon a small number of cases and ultrasound detection rather than births. Seven cases of microcephaly were reported above background, but only one of them was a birth; the others were detected by ultrasound. The high rate of ultrasound detection is not consistent with observations by ultrasound of microcephaly in other countries, including Colombia. We use the model for French Polynesia as a reference model for comparison with other data in order to clarify which data is or is not consistent with that model. We note that this rate is about 100 times larger than the minimum reported background rate for ...
Source: PLOS Currents Outbreaks - November 27, 2017 Category: Epidemiology Authors: rparen01 Source Type: research
Detecting Local Zika Virus Transmission in the Continental United States: A Comparison of Surveillance Strategies
Discussion
In areas of the US and Hawaii where there is potential risk of ZIKV transmission, detecting transmission should it occur is a key public health objective17. This poses a challenge for surveillance systems: to balance the probability of detecting ZIKV transmission with the resources needed to carry out surveillance when infections may be rare. An efficient surveillance system should have high sensitivity (a relatively high probability of detecting infections) and high specificity (a low probability of a positive test result in an individual without infection).
Comparing three general surveillance systems, we fo...
Source: PLOS Currents Outbreaks - November 22, 2017 Category: Epidemiology Authors: Steven Russell Source Type: research
Excess Mortality Related to Chikungunya Epidemics in the Context of Co-circulation of Other Arboviruses in Brazil
The objective of this study was to assess the mortality associated with chikungunya epidemics in Brazil by comparing the mortality of pre-chikungunya with mortality during chikungunya epidemics2,3.
Methods
We studied the 3 Brazilian states with higher chikungunya incidence rates (IR), Pernambuco (9,410,772 inhabitants), Rio Grande do Norte (3,474,998 inhabitants), and Bahia (15,498,733 inhabitants)5. Bahia is the largest and most populated state, with a heterogeneous incidence of chikungunya, and therefore we analyzed separately each one of 9 administrative regions of Bahia. We retrospectively analyzed anonymous, publicly...
Source: PLOS Currents Outbreaks - November 13, 2017 Category: Epidemiology Authors: André Ricardo Ribas Freitas Source Type: research
Enhancing Ebola Virus Disease Surveillance and Prevention in Counties Without Confirmed Cases in Rural Liberia: Experiences from Sinoe County During the Flare-up in Monrovia, April to June, 2016
In conclusion, as part of outbreak preparedness, community engagement may contribute to the reporting of community-based events, specifically community deaths for EVD surveillance. The mentoring of the staff at health facilities, combined with the assessment of IPC, would lead to behavioral change among the health workers, thereby increasing IPC compliance and improving outbreak surveillance. The low attrition among the personnel trained in outbreak response, and presence of supplies at health facilities made easier, faster, and affordable to achieve the reactivation of the response structures.
We recommend a periodic re...
Source: PLOS Currents Outbreaks - November 9, 2017 Category: Epidemiology Authors: Jeremias Naiene Source Type: research
An Outbreak of Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Infection Linked to a “Black Friday” Piercing Event
We report on a large outbreak of Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection linked to a relatively new type of cosmetic piercing (scaffold piercing) conducted during a busy “Black Friday” event. Based on molecular subtyping of isolates from cases and from water samples taken from taps in the affected premises, the source of the outbreak was most likely to be contaminated plastic plumbing pipes. All cases occurred among clients who had scaffold-piercing done by the newly-appointed trainee, whilst no individuals pierced by the more experienced practitioner or who did not have scaffold piercing, was infected. We therefore hypothesi...
Source: PLOS Currents Outbreaks - October 16, 2017 Category: Epidemiology Authors: petermacpherson Source Type: research
First Wave of the 2016-17 Cholera Outbreak in Hodeidah City, Yemen – Acf Experience and Lessons Learned
Discussion
Timeliness of the intervention
Our intervention started around two weeks after the first cholera cases were confirmed. However, this was already after the peak of the epicurve. This delay highlights the need to strengthen preparedness, including early detection and prompt response.
Case definition
Thanks to the Hodeidah central laboratory, eight cholera cases were officially confirmed in Al Hali, Al Hawak and Al Mina, during calendar week 42 in 2016.19 According to the WHO Standard case definition of cholera,20 all “AWD cases aged 5 years or more” should have been counted as suspected cases fro...
Source: PLOS Currents Outbreaks - October 13, 2017 Category: Epidemiology Authors: Mathias Altmann Source Type: research
Assessing the Prevalence of Risk Factors for Neglected Tropical Diseases in Brazos County, Texas
Conclusion
Although NTDs may increasingly pose a threat to health in the U.S., insufficient data exists to ascertain the prevalence and geographic distribution of risk factors relevant to these diseases. Concern over the potential for increasing rates of NTD infection and transmission in Texas led the Texas State Legislature to mandate the establishment of a surveillance program for NTDs. We tested one potential methodology for the surveillance of NTDs; the use of CASPER for assessing the prevalence of risk factors in Brazos County, Texas. Although Texas has a population of more than 25 million, the second largest in the U...
Source: PLOS Currents Outbreaks - October 4, 2017 Category: Epidemiology Authors: jenhorney Source Type: research
Fetal Zika Virus Infection in Vietnam
This report is one of the first documented cases of ZIKV infection in Vietnam, however it is likely that infection has been occurring for many years without detection or diagnosis. Since the increased awareness of the risk of ZIKV infection, three tourists have been identified who were infected while traveling in Veitnam and two local cases have been confirmed3. Based on this report it is important for countries in Southeast Asia to increase surveillance, vector control, and public health messaging and for the global public health system to consider increasing travelers’ awareness of infection risks not only in the Ameri...
Source: PLOS Currents Outbreaks - September 5, 2017 Category: Epidemiology Authors: leishan Source Type: research
Ecological Niche Modeling for Filoviruses: A Risk Map for Ebola and Marburg Virus Disease Outbreaks in Uganda
Conclusion
Ecological niche modeling techniques have been widely used in predicting where disease outbreaks are likely to occur, more specifically where species have suitable living conditions depending on their environmental factors. The MaxEnt modeling algorithm uses presence only occurrence data and has been useful to estimate species’ niche in environmental space where absence records for a species are not available as it is the case with filoviruses. Given the public and global importance of filoviruses, developing models that predict where they are likely to occur is very important, and efforts in this direction ...
Source: PLOS Currents Outbreaks - September 5, 2017 Category: Epidemiology Authors: Luke Nyakarahuka Source Type: research
Multi-provincial Salmonellosis Outbreak Related to Newly Hatched Chicks and Poults: A Genomics Perspective
Conclusions
This was the first outbreak in Canada to provide direct evidence of how genome sequencing can perform source attribution and provide improved data for targeted outbreak investigations salmonellosis. This multi-discipline, multi-jurisdictional, and collaborative investigation also highlighted the importance of timely integrated surveillance based on the farm-to-fork continuum and a One Health concept. While this outbreak investigation was completed without genome sequence analysis, SNV-based clustering was effective for source-tracking of SE during an outbreak associated with exposure to live chicks and poults, ...
Source: PLOS Currents Outbreaks - August 9, 2017 Category: Epidemiology Authors: mcroxen Source Type: research
Estimation of Time Period for Effective Human Inhalational Anthrax Treatment Including Antitoxin Therapy
Discussion
B. anthracis remains a bioterrorism threat, with the potential for thousands or tens of thousands to be exposed after spore release in a densely populated setting5,6,30,31. Such numbers of casualties would likely strain and possibly overwhelm the public health and medical care system and it is highly plausible that some patients may not receive immediate prophylaxis or treatment when symptoms are just beginning to manifest. With large numbers of patients presenting to emergency departments seeking care, it is crucial that emergency physicians, intensivists and other clinicians understand the importance of therap...
Source: PLOS Currents Outbreaks - July 28, 2017 Category: Epidemiology Authors: Lewis Rubinson Source Type: research
Genomic Characterization Helps Dissecting an Outbreak of Listeriosis in Northern Italy
This study was performed according to the guidelines of the IRCCS Foundation Policlinico San Matteo Hospital in Pavia Institutional Review Board of on the use of biological specimens for scientific purposes in keeping with Italian law (art.13 D.Lgs 196/2003). The work described here is a retrospective study performed on bacterial isolates from human samples that were obtained as part of hospital routine. No extra human samples were obtained for this research. Therefore, informed consent (either written or verbal) was not required.
Strain isolation
Blood and Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF) samples obtained from the six patien...
Source: PLOS Currents Outbreaks - July 6, 2017 Category: Epidemiology Authors: davidesassera Source Type: research
