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The socioeconomic characteristics of the community in the Bengawan Solo Hulu watershed allow the agribusiness MSMEs business process to occur in production and significantly impact aspects of socioeconomic life. The limited reliable sources of income will affect the community's tendency to repressive actions. The purpose of the study is (1) to determine the sociodemographic conditions of agribusiness MSME households, (2) to determine the effect of the season on the achievement of agribusiness MSME output, and (3) to find out the solutions of Agribusiness MSMEs. The research method used was a survey on Agribusiness MSMEs by taking locations in 2 Sub-watershed, Alangunggahan Sub-Watershed (Eramoko District) and Keduang Sub-Watershed (Jatipurno District and Jatisrono District) with a total sample of 60 MSMEs. The analysis used is the input-output analysis and Econometric analysis. The results showed that the R2 value was 87.14%, the F test was significant at 95%, and all sociodemographic variables were significant except the age factor of Agribusiness MSME actors. There is a significant seasonal difference in the achievement of agribusiness MSME output. This phenomenon indicates that post-Covid, efforts have risen from the Covid 19, and seasonal differences are considered in decision-making efforts to increase output achievements in the Agribusiness MSME.
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Objectives: Several attributes may be important in flu vaccine and since Covid-19, the role of health care professionals (HCPs) may have become more important in increasing flu vaccine uptake. We conducted a literature review to assess if previous preference research could inform future flu vaccination policies. Method(s): We conducted a literature review to assess the most common attributes used in stated-preference studies to determine seasonal flu vaccination preferences. PubMed with key terms such as "discrete choice", "stated preference" and "flu/vaccin*" was used to retrieve relevant research. Result(s): In total, twelve studies investigating consumer and HCP preferences for flu vaccines using a discrete-choice experiment were included. Six studies were conducted in vaccine-eligible populations, three were conducted with parents (specifically, two focused on older adults and one elicited preferences directly from HCPs in Hong Kong). Three studies were conducted in the Netherlands, two in Japan and four in China. Vaccine efficacy was most often framed in terms of percentage (n=7). Out of pocket cost and duration of immunity were common attributes. Source of recommendation for vaccination (i.e., regulatory or public health body) was assessed in 25% of the studies. In studies assessing parental preferences for their children influenza vaccination, risks of fewer side effects were, unsurprisingly, preferred. Finally, among HCPs, vaccine effectiveness and vaccination location (staff clinic/mobile vaccination center) were most important and could increase the probability of vaccination. Conclusion(s): Information incompleteness and asymmetry could play a role in vaccine hesitation and/or aversion. To increase vaccination rates, evidence on the attributes perceived to be important to both HCPs and the general population may help the design and delivery of vaccines that match consumers' preferences. Currently, there is a critical need for more stated-preference studies among HCPs to better understand the attributes likely to increase vaccination rates against seasonal influenza.Copyright © 2023
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Background: Approximately two years ago, COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), and through genomic surveillance, we have seen the emergence of variants of SARS-CoV-2. In the United States, over 78 million cases and >900,000 deaths attributable to COVID-19 have been reported. SCD was identified as a risk factor for severe COVID-19 disease in adults and pediatric patients. The emergence of novel SARs- CoV-2 variants has led to challenges in diagnosis, treatment, and prediction of long-term sequelae in individuals with SCD and COVID-19. Aim(s): We compare the overall seasonal variation of COVID-19 variants and patterns of healthcare utilization and clinical presentation over time in pediatric patients with SCD and COVID-19 at Children's National Hospital (CNH). Method(s): Our single-center, observational cohort study included 193 pediatric patients with SCD (0-21 years) with PCR-confirmed SARSCoV- 2 infection between March 31, 2020, and January 31, 2022. Per the SECURE SCD Registry definitions, clinical severity was classified as asymptomatic, mild, moderate, and severe. Result(s): A total of 193 unique patients with SCD and positive SARS-CoV-2 PCRs between March 2020-January 2022 were included in our registry. Most patients were female (51.8%), and the mean age was 11.2 years (SD 6.5 years). Most of the cohort resides in Maryland (N=135), and HbSS was the dominant genotype (69.4%). During the alpha dominant variant of the COVID-19 pandemic (March 2020- June 2021) there were 70 cases, followed by 40 cases during the Delta variant (July 2021- December 19, 2021), and 83 cases during the Omicron variant dominance (from December 20, 2021-January 31,2022). There were 149 patients (77%) that presented to the emergency department (ED) or were hospitalized. There were a total of 80 hospitalizations (41.5%), and a relative comparison showed that the percentage of hospitalizations was highest during the delta wave (47.5%) and lowest during the omicron wave (36.1%) (p= 0.407). ED-only utilization was highest in the era of omicron (43.4%, N=36), followed by delta (32.5%, N=13), and then alpha (30%, N=21)(p=0.197). The most common SCD-related complication was vaso-occlusive (VOC) pain (33%, N=64) which accounted for half of all hospital admissions (51%, N=41 of 80). Acute chest syndrome (ACS) was reported in 40% (N=32) of admitted patients and was highest in the alpha era (54.8%, N=17). The use of blood transfusion therapy was highest in the alpha (N=17) and delta (N=14) variants, while Remdesivir use was highest in omicron (N=15). A total of 6 patients received monoclonal antibodies (Delta, N=4;omicron, N=2). Throughout all the variants, there was a significant difference in COVID-19 clinical severity (p>0.005). Of the patients classified as asymptomatic (13%, N=25), seventy-two percent (n=18) were diagnosed during the alpha variant. Mild severity was the most prevalent (69%, N=134), with the omicron variant having the highest cases (51.5%, N=69). Severe cases were observed in all variants (6.7%, N=13) but were most prevalent during the alpha variant (46.2%, N=6). Summary - Conclusion(s): Interestingly, while the relative percentage of hospitalizations was lowest during the omicron wave, it saw the highest percentages of ER utilization. Overall, COVID-19 remains mild in pediatric patients with SCD, and notably, there was higher health care utilization in the omicron era.
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BackgroundIgA vasculitis (IgAV) is a rare autoimmune disease affecting small vessels. It is well established that the incidence is higher in children (3 to 26 per 100,000 children/year,) [1] than in adults (0.1 to 1.8 per 100,000 individuals/year) [1]. However others epidemiological data and impact of the COVID-19 on IgAV remain overlooked [2].ObjectivesTo collect and analyze epidemiological data on IgAV in both adults and children in France.MethodsWe conducted an observational study using a national database called "BNDMR” [3] (Banque Nationale de Données Maladies Rares) on IgA vasculitis (code ORPHA761), which gathered patients managed in the French rare disease expert network. The incidence was estimated from the date of diagnosis, and we calculated the median annual incidence over the period 2010-2022. We specifically assessed the north/south gradient (latitude of the residence higher/lower than the median of the latitudes), the seasonality, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic compared to other patients reported within the same period and addressed in the same expert centers used as controls.ResultsDuring this 12-year period, 1988 patients with IgAV were reported (1498 children;490 adults). The male to female ratio was 1.57 for adults and 1.05 for children. The median IgAV annual incidence was 15 cases/year [IQR 9-30] and 82 cases/year [IQR 72-86] for adult and children cases respectively. Time to diagnosis was less than 1 month for both. Compared with other patients reported in the same expert centers, IgAV was more frequently reported in the southern part of France than in the north (OR 4.88 [95% confidence intervals: 4.17 - 5.74] in adults and OR 1.51 [1.35 - 1.68] in children). IgAV was also more frequently observed in winter than during the rest of the year in both adults (OR 1.60 [1.39 - 1.82]) and children (OR 1.22 [1.01 - 1.48]). The incidence of IgAV decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic period (from March 2020 to September 2022) in children (OR 0.62 [0.47 - 0.81]) but not in the adult population (OR 0.90 [0.76 - 1.06]).ConclusionOur study confirms the winter seasonality and sex ratio in IgAV [4,5], but suggests that the incidence or the reporting of IgAV decreased in children during the COVID19 pandemia, possibly due to barrier measures [6]. The observed north/south gradient need confirmation. The main limitation of this study is a possible IgAV under-reporting as this study rely only on cases addressed in expert centers.References[1]Audemard-Verger A, Pillebout E, Guillevin L, Thervet E, Terrier B. IgA vasculitis (Henoch-Shönlein purpura) in adults: Diagnostic and therapeutic aspects. Autoimmun Rev. 2015;14(7):579-585. doi:10.1016/j.autrev.2015.02.003[2]Deshayes S, Moulis G, Pillebout E, Aouba A, Audemard-Verger A. Positive predictive value of hospital discharge diagnosis code to identify immunoglobulin A vasculitis in France: A validation study. Eur J Intern Med. 2017;43:e18-e19. doi:10.1016/j.ejim.2017.05.025[3]Jannot AS, Messiaen C, Khatim A, Pichon T, Sandrin A, BNDMR infrastructure team. The ongoing French BaMaRa-BNDMR cohort: implementation and deployment of a nationwide information system on rare disease. J Am Med Inform Assoc. 2022;29(3):553-558. doi:10.1093/jamia/ocab237[4]Piram M, Maldini C, Biscardi S, et al. Incidence of IgA vasculitis in children estimated by four-source capture-recapture analysis: a population-based study. Rheumatology (Oxford). 2017;56(8):1358-1366. doi:10.1093/rheumatology/kex158[5]Gardner-Medwin JMM, Dolezalova P, Cummins C, Southwood TR. Incidence of Henoch-Schönlein purpura, Kawasaki disease, and rare vasculitides in children of different ethnic origins. Lancet. 2002;360(9341):1197-1202. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(02)11279-7[6]Kaya Akca U, Atalay E, Cuceoglu MK, et al. Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the frequency of the pediatric rheumatic diseases. Rheumatol Int. 2022;42(1):51-57. doi:10.1007/s00296-021-05027-7Figure.Acknowledgements:NIL.Disclosure of InterestsNone Declared.
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The additional impact of emission-reduction measures in North China (NC) during autumn and winter on the air quality of downwind regions is an interesting but less addressed topic. The mass concentrations of routine air pollutants, the chemical compositions, and sources of fine particles (PM2.5) for January 2018, 2019, and 2020 at a megacity of Central China were identified, and meteorology-isolated by a machine-learning technique. Their variations were classified according to air mass direction. An unexpectedly sharp increase in emission-related PM2.5 by 22.7% (18.0 mug m-3) and 25.7% (19.4 mug m-3) for air masses from local and NC in 2019 was observed compared to those of 2018. Organic materials exhibited the highest increase in PM2.5 compositions by 6.90 mug m-3 and 6.23 mug m-3 for the air masses from local and NC. PM2.5 source contributions related to emission showed an upsurge from 1.39 mug m-3 (biomass burning) to 24.9 mug m-3 (secondary inorganic aerosol) in 2019 except for industrial processes, while all reduced in 2020. From 2018 to 2020, the emission-related contribution of coal combustion to PM2.5 increased from 10.0% to 19.0% for air masses from the local area. To support the priority natural gas quotas in northern China, additional coal in cities of southern China was consumed, raising related emissions from transportation activities and road dust in urban regions, as well as additional biofuel consumption in suburban or rural regions. All these activities could explain the increased primary PM2.5 and related precursor NO2. This study gave substantial evidence of air pollution control measures impacting the downwind regions and promote the necessity of air pollution joint control across the administration.Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd
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One of the leading causes of the increase in the intensity of dengue fever transmission is thought to be climate change. Examining panel data from January 2000 to December 2021, this study discovered the nonlinear relationship between climate variables and dengue fever cases in Bangladesh. To determine this relationship, in this study, the monthly total rainfall in different years has been divided into two thresholds: (90 to 360 mm) and (<90 or >360 mm), and the daily average temperature in different months of the different years has been divided into four thresholds: (16degreeC to <=20degreeC), (>20degreeC to <=25degreeC), (>25degreeC to <=28degreeC), and (>28degreeC to <=30degreeC). Then, quasi-Poisson and zero-inflated Poisson regression models were applied to assess the relationship. This study found a positive correlation between temperature and dengue incidence and furthermore discovered that, among those four average temperature thresholds, the total number of dengue cases is maximum if the average temperature falls into the threshold (>28degreeC to <=30degreeC) and minimum if the average temperature falls into the threshold (16degreeC to <=20degreeC). This study also discovered that between the two thresholds of monthly total rainfall, the risk of a dengue fever outbreak is approximately two times higher when the monthly total rainfall falls into the thresholds (90 mm to 360 mm) compared to the other threshold. This study concluded that dengue fever incidence rates would be significantly more affected by climate change in regions with warmer temperatures. The number of dengue cases rises rapidly when the temperature rises in the context of moderate to low rainfall. This study highlights the significance of establishing potential temperature and rainfall thresholds for using risk prediction and public health programs to prevent and control dengue fever.Copyright © 2023 Shamima Hossain.
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Background: The new novel Coronavirus 2019 (nCOV-19 or COVID-19) has caused an unprecedented pandemic in humans. All nations have heightened their surveillances after the quick diagnosis of potential cases of the COVID-19. Objective(s): Recent statistics have mentioned that virus outbreak in tropical countries is relatively low compared to cold nations. To support this conclusion, we considered the six main tropical regions to investigate the pandemic distribution at the initial phase. Method(s): Chi-square test was applied to understand the correlation between outbreak and temperature changes. Significant probability P-value was set to P<0.01. P-values were calculated to both positive and death cases. Result(s): Out of 1211562 infected cases, 41776 cases (3.45%) were registered at hightemperature countries (P<0.0001) and 1161786 cases (96.55%) at other countries like European countries or the USA. Moreover, only 1433 mortality cases (2.2%) happened, and the remaining 97.8% of mortality happened among other nations. Conclusion(s): Similar to other respiratory viruses like flu and influenza, there is a low outbreak of COVID-19 in tropical nations compared to the other countries. Apart from weather conditions, it is also recommended to follow the serious preventive measures imposed by governments to survive this novel epidemic.Copyright © 2020
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Background:Antenatal care (ANC) is a form of preventive medicine, pregnancy-specific, and general health advice effectively given in the antenatal period. ANC is conducted by healthcare personnel on pregnant women at regular intervals to protect and improve maternal and neonatal health. Objectives: The study aimed to know if the COVID-19 pandemic affects the coverage rate of ANC visits of pregnant women. Materials and methods: This is a retrospective cross-sectional study conducted at Al-Andalus Primary Healthcare Center which is located in the center of Al-Ramadi city, Iraq. We reviewed the records of all ANC first, second, and total visits of the months February, May, and October during the years 2019, 2020, and 2021. Results: The study showed the coverage rate of ANC visits was statistically significantly declined with the restrictions imposed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. At the end of 2021, there are some elevation in the coverage rate of ANC visits.. Conclusion: The study concluded that the lockdown period in the pandemic state due to COVID-19 led to a significant decline in the coverage rate of ANC visits. © 2022, Al-Anbar Medical Journal.
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The seasonal human coronaviruses (HCoVs) have zoonotic origins, repeated infections, and global transmission. The objectives of this study are to elaborate the epidemiological and evolutionary characteristics of HCoVs from patients with acute respiratory illness. We conducted a multicenter surveillance at 36 sentinel hospitals of Beijing Metropolis, China, during 2016-2019. Patients with influenza-like illness (ILI) and severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) were included, and submitted respiratory samples for screening HCoVs by multiplex real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction assays. All the positive samples were used for metatranscriptomic sequencing to get whole genomes of HCoVs for genetical and evolutionary analyses. Totally, 321 of 15 677 patients with ILI or SARI were found to be positive for HCoVs, with an infection rate of 2.0% (95% confidence interval, 1.8%-2.3%). HCoV-229E, HCoV-NL63, HCoV-OC43, and HCoV-HKU1 infections accounted for 18.7%, 38.3%, 40.5%, and 2.5%, respectively. In comparison to ILI cases, SARI cases were significantly older, more likely caused by HCoV-229E and HCoV-OC43, and more often co-infected with other respiratory pathogens. A total of 179 full genome sequences of HCoVs were obtained from 321 positive patients. The phylogenetical analyses revealed that HCoV-229E, HCoV-NL63 and HCoV-OC43 continuously yielded novel lineages, respectively. The nonsynonymous to synonymous ratio of all key genes in each HCoV was less than one, indicating that all four HCoVs were under negative selection pressure. Multiple substitution modes were observed in spike glycoprotein among the four HCoVs. Our findings highlight the importance of enhancing surveillance on HCoVs, and imply that more variants might occur in the future.
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Coronavirus 229E, Human , Coronavirus NL63, Human , Coronavirus OC43, Human , Humans , Seasons , Betacoronavirus , China , Coronavirus OC43, Human/geneticsABSTRACT
The study was aimed to investigate the seasonal variation of hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) in adults with type 1 diabetes (T1D) and the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) by comparing 2019 and 2021 data and differences in treatment modes. This was a single-center retrospective observational study including 52 adult patients with T1D who regularly visited hospital in 2019 and 2021. Twenty-five patients used multiple daily injections (MDI)/self-measurement of blood glucose (SMBG), 16 used MDI/intermittently scanned continuous glucose monitoring (isCGM), 9 used sensor-augmented pump (SAP), and 2 used continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII)/isCGM. The mean HbA1c level was calculated for each month. The correlation between monthly means of temperature and HbA1c was investigated. Similar analyses were performed for the MDI/SMBG, MDI/isCGM, and SAP + CSII/isCGM groups. HbA1c levels in 2019 decreased in summer and increased in winter and showed a significant negative correlation with temperature (r = -0.652, p = 0.022). However, HbA1c in 2021 showed no seasonal variation and no correlation with temperature (r = -0.134, p = 0.678) and tended to decline after the three emergency declarations. HbA1c in the MDI/SMBG group showed the same trend as the whole group in 2019 and 2021. However, the effect of seasonal variation in HbA1c was lower in the MDI/isCGM group and the lowest in the SAP + CSII/isCGM group in 2019. The impact of emergency declaration on HbA1c level was small for the MDI/isCGM group and smaller for the SAP + CSII/isCGM group in 2021. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the seasonal variation of HbA1c levels in T1D; the variation differed according to the treatment mode.
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We report a case of an emmetropic woman with excessive daytime sleepiness in alternation with insomnia consistent with the diagnosis criteria of a non-24 h sleep-wake disorder. After being refractory to the usual non-pharmacologic and pharmacologic treatment, we detected a deficiency of vitamin B12, vitamin D3, and folic acid. Substitution of these treatments led to a return of a 24 h sleep-wake rhythm though this remained independent from the external light-dark cycle. The question arises whether the vitamin D deficiency could be regarded as an epiphenomenon or whether there is an up-to-date unknown connection to the inner zeitgeber.
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Introduction: Internal validation techniques alone do not guarantee the value of a model. This study aims to investigate the external validity of the Parental Attitude toward Childhood Vaccination (PACV) scale for assessing parents' attitude toward seasonal influenza vaccination. Methods: Using a snowball sampling approach, an anonymous online questionnaire was distributed in two languages (English and Arabic) across seven countries. To assess the internal validity of the model, the machine learning technique of "resampling methods" was used to repeatedly select various samples collected from Egypt and refit the model for each sample. The binary logistic regression model was used to identify the main determinants of parental intention to vaccinate their children against seasonal influenza. We adopted the original model developed and used its predictors to determine parents' intention to vaccinate their children in Libya, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Palestine, and Sudan. The area under the curve (AUC) indicated the model's ability to distinguish events from non-events. We visually compared the observed and predicted probabilities of parents' intention to vaccinate their children using a calibration plot. Results: A total of 430 parents were recruited from Egypt to internally validate the model, and responses from 2095 parents in the other six countries were used to externally validate the model. Multivariate regression analysis showed that the PACV score, child age (adolescence), and Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination in children were significantly associated with the intention to receive the vaccination. The AUC of the developed model was 0.845. Most of the predicted points were close to the diagonal line, demonstrating better calibration (the prediction error was 16.82%). The sensitivity and specificity of the externally validated model were 89.64 and 37.89%, respectively (AUC = 0.769). Conclusion: The PACV showed similar calibration and discrimination across the six countries. It is transportable and can be used to assess attitudes towards influenza vaccination among parents in different countries using either the Arabic or English version of the scale.
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COVID-19 , Influenza, Human , Child , Adolescent , Humans , Influenza, Human/prevention & control , Vaccination , Parents , IntentionABSTRACT
For best-informed decision-making to improve climate change adaptation and reduce present and future air pollution health hazards, it is essential to identify major trends in spatiotemporal air quality patterns of common air contaminants. This study examined the patterns and trends of SO2, NO2, CO, O3, and particulate matter (PM) air pollutants over 91 monitoring stations in Egypt during 93 months in the August (2013)-April (2021) period. In situ data with their monthly, seasonal, and yearly spatial trends are defined and used to validate the counterpart satellite reanalysis MERRA-2 data. The Mann-Kendall test characterized the seasonal monotonic trends and their Sen's slope, and annual change rate for both data series. Regression analysis of MERRA-2 against in situ concentrations of SO2 and PM10 revealed underestimation with RMSE values of 13.38 g m-3 and 69.46 g m-3, respectively. Local plumes with variable magnitudes characterized distinct industrial places clarified by patterns of in situ pollutants. As a result of the COVID-19 lockdown, the in situ air pollutants showed a considerable regional decline in the yearly average in 2020 compared to the years before. The in situ air pollutants showed annual trends far more significant than those seen in the MERRA-2 data. The shortcomings of the few and spatiotemporal discontinuities of the in situ contaminants are addressed by MERRA-2 air quality products. The in situ data made trends and magnitudes clear that were hidden in their MERRA-2 counterparts. The results clarified air pollution patterns, trends, and spatial variability over Egypt that are essential for climate risk management and for reducing environmental/health concerns. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11869-023-01357-6.
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Influenza infection is asymptomatic in up to 75% of cases, but outbreaks result in significant morbidity. Reports found that severe influenza complications tend to occur among the very young (<5 years) and very old (>65 years), especially those with underlying co-morbidities like diabetes mellitus and heart disease. Even with no co-morbidity, some older persons with severe influenza may require hospitalisation or intensive care, with increased risk of myocardial infarction and stroke. In South-East Asia, influenza was often seen as a mild problem and was not deemed notifiable until the appearance of the Influenza A(H1N1) pandemic in 2009. For decades the data made available were based on extrapolated estimates collected mainly from paediatric populations, resulting in inconsistent findings. Following expanded surveillance across the region using national surveillance systems for influenza-like illness (ILI) and severe acute respiratory illness (SARI), and better diagnostic methods, improved estimates of disease burden was achieved in South-East Asia. However, two studies conducted in 2008-2010 reported findings ranging from 2-3% to 11%. With regards to increased risk of complications, the estimated global annual attack rates for influenza were 5-10% in adults and 20-30% in children, resulting in 3-5 million cases of severe illness and 290,000-650,000 deaths. A study In Singapore reported that influenza is associated with annual excess mortality rates (EMR) of 11-14.8 per 100 000 person-years, especially affecting the elderly;these rates are comparable to that of the USA. As for hospitalisation rates of children under 5 years with seasonal influenza, the USA estimated a rate of 1.4 per 100,000. Comparable rates were reported in Singapore (0.7-0.9), Thailand (2.4), Viet Nam (3.9-4.7), and the Philippines (4.7). In 2018, an updated study reported a mean annual influenza-associated respiratory EMR of 4.0-8.8 per 100 000 individuals, with South-East Asia showing a high mortality rate of 3.5-9.2 per 100,000 individuals. It was already estimated in Thailand in 2004 that influenza resulted in USD23-63 million in economic costs, with the main contribution from lost productivity due to missed workdays. Thus, comparable to countries in temperate climate, the clinical and socioeconomic impact of influenza in South-East Asia appear to be just as substantial. With the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, global influenza incidence dropped dramatically. In South-East Asia, the trend in influenza detections was similar to the rest of the world, with numbers slightly higher than average in early 2020, followed by a quick drop-off by the end of April 2020. After April 2020, the detection rate remained low until late July 2020, when Influenza A(H3N2) predominated in Cambodia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Timor-Leste;influenza B in Lao People's Democratic Republic but with an upsurge in A(H3N2) activity. Following a two-year hiatus, influenza outbreaks began to re-emerge significantly since early 2022. From February through August 2022, influenza activity in the southern hemisphere remained lower than in pre-COVID-19 pandemic years, but was at the highest level compared to similar periods since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Reasons for the reduction during the COVID-19 pandemic include non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs), reduced population mixing and reduced travel, and possibly viral interference between SARS-CoV-2 and influenza virus in the same host. In general, the reduction in influenza detections however does not appear to be associated with lack of testing. The World Health Organisation (WHO) continues to recommend that vaccination is the most effective way to prevent infection and severe outcomes caused by influenza viruses. Although influenza vaccine is not commonly used in most countries in South-East Asia, its burden is similar in other parts of the world where influenza vaccine is now routinely used. Currently, the countries in South-East Asia that are providing free influenza vacc na ion for those at high risk include Thailand, Singapore, the Philippines and Lao People's Democratic Republic.Copyright © 2023
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This chapter provides some international case studies of responding to COVID-19 to mitigate risks to business surveys and economic statistics. The case studies include impacts on the statistical business register, maintaining response rates, the classification and statistical implementation of COVID-19 Government policies, seasonal adjustment, and trend estimation. © 2023 John Wiley and Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.
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The sediments underneath Mexico City have unique mechanical properties that give rise to strong site effects. We investigated temporal changes in the seismic velocity at strong-motion and broadband seismic stations throughout Mexico City, including sites with different geologic characteristics ranging from city center locations situated on lacustrine clay to hillside locations on volcanic bedrock. We used autocorrelations of urban seismic noise, enhanced by waveform clustering, to extract subtle seismic velocity changes by coda wave interferometry. We observed and modeled seasonal, co- and post-seismic changes, as well as a long-term linear trend in seismic velocity. Seasonal variations can be explained by self-consistent models of thermoelastic and poroelastic changes in the subsurface shear wave velocity. Overall, sites on lacustrine clay-rich sediments appear to be more sensitive to seasonal surface temperature changes, whereas sites on alluvial and volcaniclastic sediments and on bedrock are sensitive to precipitation. The 2017 Mw 7.1 Puebla and 2020 Mw 7.4 Oaxaca earthquakes both caused a clear drop in seismic velocity, followed by a time-logarithmic recovery that may still be ongoing for the 2017 event at several sites or that may remain incomplete. The slope of the linear trend in seismic velocity is correlated with the downward vertical displacement of the ground measured by interferometric synthetic aperture radar, suggesting a causative relationship and supporting earlier studies on changes in the resonance frequency of sites in the Mexico City basin due to groundwater extraction. Our findings show how sensitively shallow seismic velocity and, in consequence, site effects react to environmental, tectonic and anthropogenic processes. They also demonstrate that urban strong-motion stations provide useful data for coda wave monitoring given sufficiently high-amplitude urban seismic noise.
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COVID-19 belongs to the group of acute respiratory infections and it is often complicated with pneumonia. This study aimed to investigate manifestations of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) epidemic process during the COVID-19 epidemic in the Russian Federation. We analyzed the official statistical data reporting the incidence of CAP in the Russian Federation in 2013-2020 and incidence of COVID-19 as registered in March-July 2020. The mean average annual CAP incidence rate that we calculated and the 2020 CAP incidence prediction allowed assessing the relationship between CAP and COVID-19. It is shown that the long-term dynamics of the incidence of CAP in the Russian Federation is characterized by a pronounced upward trend with an average annual growth rate of 6.4%. The share of adult population among the CAP cases is the largest;on average, it is 64.7% (95% CI [63.1;66.3]). In 2020, against the background of SARS-CoV-2 circulation, the discrepancy between the actual incidence of CAP and the predicted figures reached and exceeded 558% (in July 2020). As the COVID-19 epidemic developed, the incidence of CAP was registered to increase. There was established a direct and significant correlation between the incidence of CAP and COVID-19 (rxy = 0.932;p <0.01).Copyright © 2022 Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproduction. All rights reserved.
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We revisit the US weekly economic index (WEI) put forth by Lewis, Mertens, Stock and Trivedi (2021). In a narrow sense, we replicate their main results with data gathered from its original sources. In a wide sense, we apply the methodology established in Wegmüller, Glocker and Guggia (2023) to adjust the weekly input series for seasonal patterns, calendar day effects, and excess volatility. In a long sense, we show that our proposed data adjustment significantly improves the nowcasting performance of the WEI. © 2023 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.