COVID-19 Prevention Strategies for Victoria Students within Educational Facilities: An AI-Based Modelling Study.

Educational institutions play a significant role in the community spread of SARS-CoV-2 in Victoria. Despite a series of social restrictions and preventive measures in educational institutions implemented by the Victorian Government, confirmed cases among people under 20 years of age accounted for more than a quarter of the total infections in the state. In this study, we investigated the risk factors associated with COVID-19 infection within Victoria educational institutions using an incremental deep learning recurrent neural network-gated recurrent unit (RNN-GRU) model. The RNN-GRU model simulation was built based on three risk dimensions: (1) school-related risk factors, (2) student-related community risk factors, and (3) general population risk factors. Our data analysis showed that COVID-19 infection cases among people aged 10-19 years were higher than those aged 0-9 years in the Victorian region in 2020-2022. Within the three dimensions, a significant association was identified between school-initiated contact tracing (0.6110), vaccination policy for students and teachers (0.6100), testing policy (0.6109), and face covering (0.6071) and prevention of COVID-19 infection in educational settings. Furthermore, the study showed that different risk factors have varying degrees of effectiveness in preventing COVID-19 infection for the 0-9 and 10-19 age groups, such as state travel control (0.2743 vs. 0.3390), international travel control (0.2757 vs. 0.3357) and school closure (0.2738 vs. 0.3323), etc. More preventive support is suggested for the younger generation, especially for the 10-19 age group.

Burden of infectious disease studies in Europe and the United Kingdom: a review of methodological design choices.

This systematic literature review aimed to provide an overview of the characteristics and methods used in studies applying the disability-adjusted life years (DALY) concept for infectious diseases within European Union (EU)/European Economic Area (EEA)/European Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries and the United Kingdom. Electronic databases and grey literature were searched for articles reporting the assessment of DALY and its components. We considered studies in which researchers performed DALY calculations using primary epidemiological data input sources. We screened 3053 studies of which 2948 were excluded and 105 studies met our inclusion criteria. Of these studies, 22 were multi-country and 83 were single-country studies, of which 46 were from the Netherlands. Food- and water-borne diseases were the most frequently studied infectious diseases. Between 2015 and 2022, the number of burden of infectious disease studies was 1.6 times higher compared to that published between 2000 and 2014. Almost all studies (97%) estimated DALYs based on the incidence- and pathogen-based approach and without social weighting functions; however, there was less methodological consensus with regards to the disability weights and life tables that were applied. The number of burden of infectious disease studies undertaken across Europe has increased over time. Development and use of guidelines will promote performing burden of infectious disease studies and facilitate comparability of the results.

Human Respiratory Infections in Nigeria: Influenza and the Emergence of SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic.

The increasing outbreak of zoonotic diseases presents challenging times for nations and calls for a renewed effort to disrupt the chain of events that precede it. Nigeria's response to the 2006 bird flu provided a platform for outbreak response, yet it was not its first experience with Influenza. This study describes the impact of SARS-CoV-2 on Influenza surveillance and, conversely, while the 1918 Influenza pandemic remains the most devastating (500,000 deaths in 18 million population) in Nigeria, the emergence of SARS CoV-2 presented renewed opportunities for the development of vaccines with novel technology, co-infection studies outcome, and challenges globally. Although the public health Intervention and strategies left some positive outcomes for other viruses, Nigeria and Africa's preparation against the next pandemic may involve prioritizing a combination of technology, socioeconomic growth, and active surveillance in the spirit of One Health.

Travel-Related Monkeypox Outbreaks in the Era of COVID-19 Pandemic: Are We Prepared?

Several neglected infectious pathogens, such as the monkeypox virus (MPXV), have re-emerged in the last few decades, becoming a global health burden. Despite the incipient vaccine against MPXV infection, the global incidence of travel-related outbreaks continues to rise. About 472 confirmed cases have been reported in 27 countries as of 31 May 2022, the largest recorded number of cases outside Africa since the disease was discovered in the early 1970s.

Time taken by individuals with respiratory symptoms to present to primary care: a descriptive study of assessments at Australian General Practitioner-led respiratory clinics.

Effective control of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been challenging, in part due to significant asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic transmission of disease. Reducing the time between symptom onset and COVID-19 testing and isolation allows enhanced outbreak control. The purpose of this study is to describe the time taken by participants to present to general practitioner-led (GP) respiratory clinics for assessment following the development of symptoms, and to explore associations between demographic and geographic characteristics and the time to presentation. A total of 314,148 participants, who were assessed in GP respiratory clinics between 1 February and 31 August 2021, were included in the analysis. The median age of participants at presentation was 33 years (interquartile range, IQR: 15-49). The median time from development of symptoms to presentation for assessment at GP respiratory clinics was 2 days (IQR: 1-3). Participants were more likely to present within one day of symptom onset if they were aged between 15 and 64 years (43.4%), lived in urban areas (40.9%) or were non-Indigenous (40.2%). Participants in New South Wales and Victoria had twice the odds (OR 2.01; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.95, 2.08) of presenting at a GP respiratory clinic within one day of symptom onset in August 2021, when there was a COVID-19 outbreak in those states, than they did in March 2021, when there was no COVID-19 outbreak in Australia. The number of days from symptom onset to presentation at a GP respiratory clinic was strongly associated with the presence of a COVID-19 outbreak. Participant age, location of the clinic, and Indigenous status of participants were also associated with the time to presentation. This study highlights the importance of recognising COVID-19 as a potential cause of symptoms, as well as the importance of providing easily accessible, and culturally appropriate, testing facilities for the population.

Use of telemedicine for rheumatology practice in Queensland, Australia: experiences before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: In Australia there is a shortage of rheumatologists potentially translating to poorer outcomes. A possible solution in this setting is telemedicine (TM). AIMS: To examine the utilisation and provider perceptions of TM in rheumatology in Queensland and explore the challenges faced when using TM before and during COVID-19. METHODS: A sequential mixed-methods study design was used. Rheumatologists completed a questionnaire on demographics, clinical practice, TM uptake, models of care and clinician perceptions of TM. The qualitative phase utilised purposeful sampling of active users of TM through in-depth semi-structured interviews. RESULTS: Thirty rheumatologists participated, with 76.7% identifying as active TM users. Use of TM was limited prior to COVID-19 with 80.9% examining less than five patients per week. Patient populations served by TM included capital city (53.3%), regional (63.3%) and rural/remote (23.3%). Most rheumatologists prescribed conventional or biological disease modifying agents (90% and 55%) through TM consultations. Barriers to TM use included low confidence in joint assessments, limited distribution of technology, access to administrative and peripheral clinical staff and lack of financial incentives. During the COVID-19 pandemic, a significant expansion of TM via telephone calls occurred and rheumatologists reported low confidence and satisfaction with this model. CONCLUSIONS: Familiarity with TM exists in this rheumatologist cohort; however, its use in routine practice is limited due to multiple barriers. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted low confidence in telephone calls as a form of TM underlining the need for appropriate TM models of care for rheumatology practice.

Australian School Stakeholders' Perceived Strategies for Preventing Adolescent Obesity.

Adolescent obesity is a complex multifactorial disease with a combination of environmental, behavioral, psychosocial, biological, cultural and genetic determinants. It remains a global public health issue that presents a major challenge to chronic disease prevention and health into adulthood. Schools have a rich opportunity to improve youth health and tackle obesity, yet they face barriers in fulfilling this function. This study investigated school stakeholders' beliefs and perceptions of the barriers and enablers currently experienced by schools, as well as their recommendations towards preventing adolescent obesity. A sequential explanatory mixed-methods study design was utilised with surveys administered for the quantitative phase and individual interviews for the qualitative phase. Descriptive statistics and inductive thematic analyses were utilised for the survey and interview data, respectively. Triangulation of findings from the quantitative and qualitative phases aided in the better understanding and integration of the overall results. In total, 60 school stakeholders (52 subject teachers, 3 senior teachers and 5 heads of department) from both independent and public high schools in Queensland, Australia responded to the survey, while 14 respondents participated in the interviews. The main perceived causes of obesity were poor eating habits and sedentary lifestyle. Highlighted barriers were busy timetables, shortage of trained staff and funding, lack of robustness in the introduction and implementation of school interventions and insufficient motivation of learners to participate in obesity prevention programs. Enabling factors included parental support, easy access to fitness equipment during recess, supportive government policies, provision of healthier school tuck shop menu options and elimination of sugary drinks from vending machines. A model for the prevention of adolescent obesity was developed based on participants' perceptions. Tripartite collaboration between the school, government and parents was perceived as fundamental to preventing adolescent obesity. Strategies targeting nutrition, physical activity and overall health, including parental education on health, formal health talks in schools by health professionals and better-targeted advertisement encouraging healthy lifestyle choices, were identified as essential for improved adolescent health outcomes.

Evaluation of the effect of border closure on COVID-19 incidence rates across nine African countries: an interrupted time series study.

BACKGROUND: Border closure is one of the policy changes implemented to mitigate against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). We evaluated the effect of border closure on the incidence rate of COVID-19 across nine African countries. METHODS: An interrupted time series analysis was used to assess COVID-19 incidence rates in Egypt, Tunisia, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal and South Africa (SA). Data were collected between 14 February and 19 July 2020 from online data repositories. The linear trend and magnitude of change were evaluated using the itsa function with ordinary least-squares regression in Stata with a 7-d deferred interruption point, which allows a period of diffusion post-border closure. RESULTS: Overall, the countries recorded an increase in the incidence rate of COVID-19 after border closure. However, when compared with matched control groups, SA, Nigeria, Ghana, Egypt and Kenya showed a higher incidence rate trend. In contrast, Ethiopia, DRC and Tunisia showed a lower trend compared with their controls. CONCLUSIONS: The implementation of border closures within African countries had minimal effect on the incidence of COVID-19. The inclusion of other control measures such as enhanced testing capacity and improved surveillance activities will reveal the effectiveness of border closure measures.

The Efficacy of School-Based Interventions in Preventing Adolescent Obesity in Australia.

Current trends suggest that adolescent obesity is an on-going and recurrent decimal that is still on the rise in Australia and the social burden associated with it can significantly cause low self-esteem and lack of confidence in personal body image in adulthood. Nonetheless, evidence-based prevention programs are not widely implemented in schools, even though they are commonplace for easy access to adolescents. The primary objective of this systematic review was to assess the scope and efficacy of adolescent obesity intervention strategies in Australian schools, to guide future research. Seven electronic databases were searched for peer-reviewed school-based intervention articles written in the English language and targeting 12-18-year-old adolescents. Intervention characteristics were extracted, and quality, efficacy and outcome measures were assessed utilizing thirteen studies that met the inclusion criteria for this review. Most of the Australian adolescent obesity research emanated from the State of New South Wales and none were nationwide. Five studies successfully met all the requirements in all measured outcomes, four met at least one measured outcome and the remaining four were unsuccessful. Despite the weak evidence of intervention efficacy for most of the reviewed studies, school-based interventions with multi-component combinations of physical activity, nutrition and alignment to a theory yielded promising results. Our findings point to the need for future research to assess the perceptions of school stakeholders in relation to the barriers and enablers to establishing school-based prevention and intervention programs for adolescents.