Leveraging International Influenza Surveillance Systems and Programs during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

A network of global respiratory disease surveillance systems and partnerships has been built over decades as a direct response to the persistent threat of seasonal, zoonotic, and pandemic influenza. These efforts have been spearheaded by the World Health Organization, country ministries of health, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nongovernmental organizations, academic groups, and others. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention worked closely with ministries of health in partner countries and the World Health Organization to leverage influenza surveillance systems and programs to respond to SARS-CoV-2 transmission. Countries used existing surveillance systems for severe acute respiratory infection and influenza-like illness, respiratory virus laboratory resources, pandemic influenza preparedness plans, and ongoing population-based influenza studies to track, study, and respond to SARS-CoV-2 infections. The incorporation of COVID-19 surveillance into existing influenza sentinel surveillance systems can support continued global surveillance for respiratory viruses with pandemic potential.

"It Stays with You for Life": The Everyday Nature and Impact of Police Violence in Toronto's Inner-City.

In recent years, police violence has amassed notable international attention from the public, practitioners, and academics alike. This paper explores experiences and perceptions of police violence in Canada, documenting the impacts of direct and vicarious experiences of police violence on inner-city residents. The study employed semi-structured interviews with 45 community members across three Toronto inner-city neighbourhoods. Using a general interview prompt guide, participants were asked a range of questions about their experiences with and perceptions of police, and particularly, of police violence in their community. The interviews were audio recorded, transcribed, thematically coded, and analyzed. All participants reported direct and/or vicarious experiences of police violence, and most described experiencing long-standing, and continual fear that police contact would result in harm to them. Further, participants described a variety of serious and negative outcomes associated with experiencing and/or witnessing police violence. Police violence in Canada is a public health issue that requires an integrated public health policy approach to address the negative outcomes associated with direct and vicarious police violence exposure.

Web-Based Problem-solving Training With and Without Peer Support in Veterans With Unmet Mental Health Needs: Pilot Study of Feasibility, User Acceptability, and Participant Engagement.

BACKGROUND: eHealth tools have the potential to meet the mental health needs of individuals who experience barriers to accessing in-person treatment. However, most users have less than optimal engagement with eHealth tools. Coaching from peer specialists may increase their engagement with eHealth. OBJECTIVE: This pilot study aims to test the feasibility and acceptability of a novel, completely automated web-based system to recruit, screen, enroll, assess, randomize, and then deliver an intervention to a national sample of military veterans with unmet mental health needs; investigate whether phone-based peer support increases the use of web-based problem-solving training compared with self-directed use; and generate hypotheses about potential mechanisms of action for problem-solving and peer support for future full-scale research. METHODS: Veterans (N=81) with unmet mental health needs were recruited via social media advertising and enrolled and randomized to the self-directed use of a web-based problem-solving training called Moving Forward (28/81, 35%), peer-supported Moving Forward (27/81, 33%), or waitlist control (26/81, 32%). The objective use of Moving Forward was measured with the number of log-ins. Participants completed pre- and poststudy measures of mental health symptoms and problem-solving confidence. Satisfaction was also assessed post treatment. RESULTS: Automated recruitment, enrollment, and initial assessment methods were feasible and resulted in a diverse sample of veterans with unmet mental health needs from 38 states. Automated follow-up methods resulted in 46% (37/81) of participants completing follow-up assessments. Peer support was delivered with high fidelity and was associated with favorable participant satisfaction. Participants randomized to receive peer support had significantly more Moving Forward log-ins than those of self-directed Moving Forward participants, and those who received peer support had a greater decrease in depression. Problem-solving confidence was associated with greater Moving Forward use and improvements in mental health symptoms among participants both with and without peer support. CONCLUSIONS: Enrolling and assessing individuals in eHealth studies without human contact is feasible; however, different methods or designs are necessary to achieve acceptable participant engagement and follow-up rates. Peer support shows potential for increasing engagement in web-based interventions and reducing symptoms. Future research should investigate when and for whom peer support for eHealth is helpful. Problem-solving confidence should be further investigated as a mechanism of action for web-based problem-solving training. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03555435; http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03555435.