Economic Evaluation of Decennial Pertussis Vaccination with Tetanus, Diphtheria and Acellular Pertussis (TDAP) Vaccine in Adult Populations with Asthma or Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) in Brazil

Objectives: Pertussis, a highly contagious respiratory disease caused by Bordetella pertussis, is endemic in Brazil, but is underdiagnosed in adults due to atypical symptomatology and limited diagnosis time window. Brazil's Ministry of Health recommends decennial boosters in adults against diphtheria and tetanus, but not pertussis. After the COVID-19 pandemic, infectious diseases surged worldwide due to lack of natural exposure and reduced immunization coverage. Asthma and COPD populations are at increased risk of pertussis infection. This study assessed the cost-utility of decennial pertussis vaccination with Tdap vaccine versus no pertussis vaccination in Brazil's adult asthma and COPD populations in a high-incidence context. Method(s): A static cross-sectional population-based cost-utility model of decennial Tdap boosters in asthma patients >=50 years and COPD patients >=40 years was developed from the payer's perspective. Pertussis incidence from Sao Paulo's state surveillance system in the peak year 2014 was adjusted for underdiagnosis and relative risk of pertussis in asthma and COPD populations. Vaccine efficacy and coverage, and costs and outcomes discounted at 5%, were obtained from the literature and public databases. Deterministic and probabilistic sensitivity analyses, and scenario analyses were run, including alternative annual incidence. Result(s): In the asthma population, Tdap boosters would incur 7,065,788 Brazilian reais (BRL) direct costs and save 32.85 Life Years (LYs) and 262.13 Quality-Adjusted LYs (QALYs). In the COPD population, Tdap boosters would incur 41,102,844 BRL direct costs and save 157.47 LYs and 1,078.26 QALYs. Discounted incremental cost-utility ratios were 26,956 and 38,120 BRL/QALY in asthma and COPD populations, respectively. At a cost-effectiveness threshold of 1 Gross Domestic Product (GDP)/capita, 85.8% and 49.7% of simulations were cost-effective in asthma and COPD populations, respectively, while all simulations were cost-effective at a threshold of 3 GDP/capita. Conclusion(s): Implementing decennial Tdap boosters for adult asthma and COPD patients should be considered, given the favorable cost-utility profile in peak-incidence years.Copyright © 2023

Cost Effectiveness of Nirmatrelvir/Ritonavir for Mild-Moderate Covid-19 in Spain

Background: A need exists for safe, affordable, and effective antiviral treatments for less severe COVID-19 outpatients that can prevent infection progression, hospitalization, and death;shorten the time to clinical recovery;and reduce transmission. In our best knowledge, there are not, so far, costeffectiveness analysis on oral antiviral COVID-19 drugs in Spain. In our study we aim to evaluate cost-effectiveness of oral nirmatrelvir plus ritonavir in COVID-19 mild to moderate outpatients with at least one risk factor for disease progression in Spain. Method(s): A simulation model was constructed in R, to assess the clinical consequences and costs associated with COVID-19 in a hypothetical cohort of non-hospitalized patients older than 65 years with mild-to-moderate COVID and at least one risk factor for progression in Spain. The intervention assessed was nirmatrelvir plus ritonavir 300 mg plus 100mg every 12 hours up to 5 days. The comparator was symptomatic treatment with no antiviral drugs against SARSCoV- 2. The study was contextualized in the Spanish National Health System and the perspective of the service provider was adopted. Quality of life adjusted life years (QALYs) was used as a measure of effectiveness. Drug effectiveness was obtained from a literature review. As a cost measure, the retail price of the drugs was used. As a threshold willing to pay, the Spanish Gross National Product per capita was used. A discount of 3% per year was applied on future health effects. We used a decisional tree model. A univariate sensitivity analysis and probabilistic sensitivity analysis was performed. Result(s): We found that nirmatrelvir/ritonavir yielded an extra 620.89 QALYs compared to a baseline scenario without it, at an increase in cost of 89,630,442 with an Incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of 144,356.4 /QALY gained. One way sensitivity analysis and probabilistic sensitivity analysis using Monte-Carlo simulations were undertaken and showed that the probability of not being costeffective was 1 at the current price and willingness to pay threshold. To meet our willingness to pay threshold, nirmatrelvir plus ritonavir 5-days treatment price should be lowered down to 70 . Conclusion(s): According to our analysis nirmatrelvir/ritonavir is not costeffective in in the Spanish National Health System for outpatients older than 65 years with at least one risk factor for COVID progression. A drug price of 70 per treatment would meet our willingness to pay threshold.

Study on the contribution of coastal tourism to marine economic development

Since the reform and opening up, coastal tourism has been rising and developing, and it has become one of the important marine industries. This paper selected the added value and gross marine product of coastal tourism industry from 2001 to 2020, constructed direct contribution rate, indirect contribution rate and marginal contribution rate model, and calculated the contribution degree of coastal tourism to marine economic development. The results showed that the direct contribution rate of coastal tourism was on the rise, and the indirect contribution rate was mostly about 2%~4%.In the selected study period, the marginal contribution rate of coastal tourism to GROSS marine product was 40.44%. The study found that the overall development level of coastal tourism was good, and the coastal tourism made a great contribution to the development of marine economy, but it was difficult to take accurate measures in the face of sudden crises such as COVID-19, and sometimes it took a lot of time to recover to the normal level. Based on the above situation, suggestions were proposed to increase policy support for the post-epidemic era, promote the supply-side reform of coastal tourism and build coastal tourism products with characteristics in the post-epidemic era, increase the publicity and marketing of coastal tourism, and train and introduce high-quality tourism talents, etc..

Learning from the Future of Kuwait: Scenarios as a Learning Tool to Build Consensus for Actions Needed to Realize Vision 2035

This perspective is a qualitative meta-analysis study using a critical interpretive synthesis that narrates three future and equally plausible scenarios of social and economic development in the State of Kuwait over the next 15 years. The first scenario follows what we call the ‘Sustainable Growth' model as defined by the United Nations Development Goals and the Kuwait Vision 2035 presented by the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. As a polar opposite, the next scenario is what we call the ‘Mismanaged Resourced-Based Autocracy' model, a negative reflection of the worst-case scenario. The third scenario is in between these two, and we call it the ‘Equality of Outcome Between Societal Groups' model. So as not to lay blame for past actions or point fingers, which could prove counterproductive to a consensus-building process for needed actions, we chose to use the pasts of other countries for future projections for the State of Kuwait. Our search through recent socio-economic pasts revealed that Singapore was the best fit for the first scenario, Venezuela for the second, and Lebanon for the third. All these countries became fully independent at approximately the same time as the State of Kuwait and share many other similarities. The three future projections were used as input variables to the outcome, which was a bottom-up and top-down consensus-making process regarding utilitarian action for Kuwait to be used by Non-Government Organizations (NGOs), Think-Tanks, Development Agencies, the government and the parliament.

Occupational stress and its influencing factors of primary health care workers during COVID-19.

[Background] Since the outbreak of COVID-19, primary health care workers have been facing un-precedented work pressure, and their occupational stress should be taken seriously. [Objective] To analyze the occupational stress situation and its influencing factors of primary health care workers in Guangdong Province, and to propose targeted interventions. [Methods] Using a multi-stage stratified random sampling method, each prefecture-level city in Guangdong Province was classified into "good", "medium", or "poor" category based on its gross domestic product (GDP) in 2019 released by the Guangdong Provincial Bureau of Statistics. In September 2021, four primary health care institutions were randomly selected from each stra-tum, and a total of 1 327 staff members were selected for the study. The Core Occupational Stress Scale (COSS) and a basic information questionnaire designed by the authors were used. Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare the means between two groups, and Kruskal-Walis H test was used to compare the means among multiple groups. The comparison of categorical data was performed by trend chi2 test or Pearson chi2 test;the analysis of factors influencing occupational stress was performed by dichotomous multiple logistic regression analysis. [Results] There were 365 health care workers reporting occupational stress in this survey, and the positive rate of occupational stress was 27.5%. The total occupational stress score in M (P25, P75) and the scores of social support, organization and reward, demand and effort, and control were 45.0 (40.0, 50.0), 20.0 (17.0, 21.0), 14.0 (12.0, 17.0), 12.0 (10.0, 15.0), and 5.0 (4.0, 6.0), re-spectively. The results of dichotomous multiple logistic regression analysis showed that high education, low income, doctor positions, long working hours in a day, and shift work were associated with the occurrence of reporting occupational stress (P < 0.05). [Conclusion] Education, average monthly income, job category, daily working hours, and shifts are factors influencing the occurrence of reporting occupational stress in primary health care workers;targeted interventions should be implemented to reduce their occupational stress levels.Copyright © 2023, Shanghai Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention. All rights reserved.

A business retrieval model using scenario planning and analytics for life during and after the pandemic crisis

The COVID-19 pandemic crisis has fundamentally changed the way we live and work forever. The business sector is forecasting and formulating different scenarios associated with the impact of the pandemic on its employees, customers, and suppliers. Various business retrieval models are under construction to cope with life after the COVID-19 Pandemic Crisis. However, the proposed plans and scenarios are static and cannot address the dynamic pandemic changes worldwide. They also have not considered the peripheral in-between scenarios to propel the shifting paradigm of businesses from the existing condition to the new one. Furthermore, the scenario drivers in the current studies are generally centered on the economic aspects of the pandemic with little attention to the social facets. This study aims to fill this gap by proposing scenario planning and analytics to study the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic on large-scale information technology-led Companies. The primary and peripheral scenarios are constructed based on a balanced set of business continuity and employee health drivers. Practical action plans are formulated for each scenario to devise plausible responses. Finally, a damage management framework is developed to cope with the mental disorders of the employees amid the disease.Copyright © 2021 The Author(s)

Adapting Gravity Model for Predicting the Risk of COVID -19 in Nigeria

Background: It is against the background of the emerging incidence of coronavirus pandemic in Nigeria and the need for its management that this study adapts the gravity model for predicting the risk of the disease across states of the country. Method(s): The paper relied on published government data on population and gross domestic product, while the distance of town to the nearest international airport was also obtained. These data were log-transformed and further used in the calculation of gravity scores for each state of the federation. Result(s): The study discovered that with the gravity score ranging from 2.942 to 4.437, all the states of the federation have the risk of being infected with the pandemic. Meanwhile, Ogun State (4.837) has a very high risk of being infected with the disease. Other states with high risks are Oyo (4.312), Jigawa (4.235), Niger (4.148), and Katsina (4.083). However, Taraba State has the least infection risk of pandemic in Nigeria. Factors influencing the risk level of the pandemic are proximity, the porous boundary between states, and elitism. Conclusion(s): The paper advocates border settlement planning, review of housing standards, and advocacy for sanitation in different states. It, therefore, concludes that adequate urban planning in unison with economic and epidemiology techniques will provide a strong strategy for the management of the disease.Copyright © 2021 Bentham Science Publishers.

A New Age for Religious Demand: Spiritual Care and Mental Well-Being

Faced with this new need for an enhanced spirituality, it is only natural that religions are called to play a vital role, but the target may be somewhat different from a more traditional emphasis on grand or Big Questions: creation, life and death, sin and atonement, recognition of the Absolute, heaven and hell, and so on. Since the last phase of the 20th century, an opposing philosophy has been advanced under the term "Postmodernism," which is characterized by pluralism and relativism, rejecting the universal validity of stable identity and hierarchy, emphasizing the rights of minor and weaker segments of the population, and calling for social participation of women, for example. Many problems caused by COVID-19 physically and mentally have been handled by medical doctors together with clerics, though of course the situation was unprecedented for all involved. [...]COVID-19 has intensified and highlighted the seriousness of these small and individual questions. Let us start with the development of new fields of academic research, followed by discussion of actual practices on the ground. a.Study of Death and Grief Care Study of Death (thanatology) entails the description or investigation of death and dying and people's psychological coping mechanisms, hence, it aims to contribute to alleviating sorrow and stress experienced by the dying and to the treatment of mental pain of all those who suffer in the last stage of life.

Exploring the tourism development strategies of Gulf Cooperation Council countries: commonalities, contrasts and clusters

PurposeThis study aims to examine the commonalities and contrasts in the tourism objectives and strategies of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, thereby revealing the foundations and pillars underlying the strategic initiatives implemented.Design/methodology/approachThis exploratory study applied the resource-based view (RBV) lens to the country level. A comparative analysis of the tourism strategy in each GCC country was undertaken to determine commonalities and contrasts between the different strategies and to classify them into clusters. In the next stage, in-depth interviews were carried out to validate the findings.FindingsFour distinct clusters were identified in this paper: lifestyle glamor, emerging giant, sports-induced country branding and eco-friendly regional-based strategies.Practical implicationsThe findings and cluster classification are pertinent to policymakers and industry marketers in crafting tourism development plans.Originality/valueThis study analyzed the economic diversification strategies adopted by GCC countries as new entrants in the tourism sector and classified them into four clusters.

How Health Systems Can Survive: The Case of Musculoskeletal Care

Healthcare represents 19.7% of the gross national product, making it one of the largest expenses for all U.S. companies. It crowds out investment for growth and is generally considered unsustainable. And the biggest cost is hospitals. Every manager has a vested interest in lowering the cost of care and increasing the viability of hospitals in their community. More than 10% of U.S. hospitals are at immediate risk of closing because of financial losses and lack of financial reserves. Over 70% of 900 hospitals surveyed reported a decrease in operating revenue over the last year. The COVID-19 pandemic provided momentum toward developing alternative deliveries of care, including virtual health, home, and outpatient care. This has created a rapid, massive shift away from hospital-based care. Perhaps the greatest risk is the largest opportunity-to find solutions to this financial crisis in the rapidly changing revenue dynamic of subspecialties, with musculoskeletal care being the prime example. Alternative sites of care and innovative care delivery are being financed by capital market investment. One solution to this crisis is for hospitals to collaborate with capital market-backed companies creating a novel business model.

Kidney Replacement Therapy in Latin America, 2020 Data

Introduction: The Latin American Dialysis and Renal Transplantation Registry (LADRTR), founded in 1991, has collected data and reports on patients receiving kidney replacement therapy (KRT) since 1993. The main goals of the LADRTR is to promote the development of national registries, consolidate a data system for KRT in Latin America (LA), return the data provided by nephrologist to the different stakeholders that participate in the decision making process, while contributing to the universal knowledge of prevention, incidence and evolution of the disease in the region. This summarizes the registry data for 2020. Method(s): Participating countries complete an annual survey collecting aggregated data on incident and prevalent patients on KRT in all modalities. The different treatment modalities considered were hemodialysis (HD), peritoneal dialysis (PD) and living functioning kidney graft (LFG). National gross domestic product per capita (GDP, expressed in US dollars) and life expectancy at birth (LEB) corresponding to the year 2020 were collected from the World Bank Data Bank. Prevalence and incidence were compared with previous years and were also correlated with GDP and LEB. Result(s): On 31 December 2020 the prevalence of KRT in LA was 848 per million population (pmp), which shows a drop in the rate compared to the previous year (Figure 1). The prevalence ranged from 2129 pmp in Puerto Rico to 111 pmp in Nicaragua. Eight countries had a rate >700 pmp (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, Puerto Rico and Uruguay). The states of Mexico, Jalisco and Aguas Calientes, also had a rate >700 pmp (Figure 2). Regarding treatment modality, 67,0% of the prevalent patients were treated with HD (n= 290 099) and 9.3% with PD (n= 40 450) while 23,6% of the patients had an LFG (n= 102772). The total unadjusted incidence rate of patients that started KRT was 158 pmp. The majority of the patients started KRT with HD modality, while only 6,08% used PD, varying the rate of incidence from 477 pmp in Jalisco and Aguas Calientes to 2 pmp in Bolivia. The kidney transplant rate in the region was 15 pmp, showing a drop from the previous year, and 89% of KT were from a deceased donor (Figure 3). The total prevalence of KRT correlated positively with GDP per capita (r 2 = 0.6, P < 0.01) and LEB (r 2 = 0.27, P < 0.05). The overall unadjusted mortality rate was 18%, cardiac disease was the leading cause of death (31%), followed by infectious diseases (21%) and other causes (16%). [Formula presented] [Formula presented] [Formula presented] Conclusion(s): For the first time in the last decade the overall prevalence and kidney transplant rate decreased, being this associated with COVID-19 pandemic. Although the incidence and prevalence of KRT in the LA region have increased over the years, there is still a need to improve accessibility to KRT, develop programs that facilitate better control of risk factors, early diagnosis and the treatment of chronic kidney disease, as well as the implementation of an effective kidney transplant program, to reduce the gap that exists between the countries of LA. No conflict of interestCopyright © 2023

Indian agriculture sector: impacts from COVID-19

The livelihood of around 70% of the Indian rural population depends on the agriculture sector. In India, even the earnings of the non-agriculture sectors in terms of backward and forward linkage for agro-based businesses also get impacted by the production of agricultural products. However, issues like cereal-centric, regionally-biased, and resource-intensive production are still about the agriculture sector of India. The present study attempts to provide an insight into the present scenario of the Indian agriculture sector after providing a brief review of the agricultural literature. Through empirical analysis using multiple regression technique, it tries to find out the factors responsible for the growth of the Indian agriculture sector. The study also explores the potential impact of COVID-19 on the agriculture sector of India based on various secondary sources. The result shows that agriculture trade, level of rainfall, and infrastructure development is significantly and positively, while life expectancy and employment in agriculture are significantly and negatively impacting the agricultural contribution to the GDP of India.

Analysing the factors affecting medical waste generation in China

Medical waste deserves particular attention due to its potential for causing serious damage to people and the environment. Although the factors influencing the generation of medical waste are critical for designing policies aimed at effectively reducing medical waste and improving medical waste management, they have not been extensively studied. The rapid development of China's medical and health services and the sudden outbreak of Covid-19 have brought significant challenges to managing medical waste in China. Therefore, based on panel data from eight cities in China from 2013 to 2019, this study used a fixed-effects model to investigate the influencing factors of medical waste generation (MWG) in China, and tested the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis. The results show that there is a non-linear N-shaped curve relationship between MWG and per capita gross domestic product (GDP);MWG will continue to increase with economic growth, but the growth rate will slow down from fast to slow, and then from slow to fast with economic growth. The analysis also reveals that implementing a tiered diagnosis and treatment policy may negatively affect MWG by reducing the waste of medical resources and thus reducing the generation of medical waste. The positive effect of population size on MWG is also highly significant, so when the aging of the population increases, the generation of medical waste also increases. The three policy suggestions are provided: 1) improve the disposal capacity and efficiency of medical waste;2) give full play to the advantages of hierarchical diagnosis and treatment policy;3) improve the management level of medical waste in primary medical institutions. © 2023

Interprofessional collaboration (IPC): A comparative analysis of global standards for pharmacy practice

Introduction: Globally, disparities exist in healthcare quality, accessibility and regulation (Das, & Gertler, 2007). Consequently, few countries have governing bodies overlooking healthcare-professional (HCP) practice (Epstein, & Bing, 2011). Research has suggested that HCP regulation depended on nations' human development index (HDI), gross domestic product (GDP), and safety (Ozturk, & Topcu, 2014). IPC enables partnership working between HCPs to ensure patient-centred care (Gregory, & Austin, 2016). This study thematically analysed pharmacy professional standards' documents of various countries and investigated whether nations' developmental parameters influenced pharmacy regulation. Objectives * To compare global pharmacy professional standards on IPC. * To synthesise a thematic framework to evaluate literature on IPC. * To iInvestigate the relationship between HDI, GDP, global peace index (GPI), and pharmacy regulation. Method(s): A group (N = 8) of countries were studied based on 2018 HDI classification;(N = 4) 'very high' (Australia, Hong Kong, Canada, United Kingdom) and (N = 4) 'low' (Solomon Islands, Haiti, Yemen, South Sudan). Pharmacy professional standards' documents were screened to extract IPC-related themes via a constant comparative method. This facilitated thematic framework synthesis;'pharmacists' attitudes' and 'patient outcomes' were measures of IPC. Using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA), (N = 17) peer-reviewed journal articles from 2010-2019 studying pharmacists in sample countries were selected. Key terms searched on Medline/PubMed databases were: 'IPC', 'pharmacist' and 'professional standards'. Literature was then reviewed with reference to the thematic framework and development metrics (HDI/GDP/GPI). This study did not require ethics approval. Result(s): Of the countries (N = 8) studied, only HDI-classified 'very high' had professional standards' documents, frequently incorporating IPC. Key themes were: 'shared decision-making', 'continuity-of-care', and 'effective communication'. Seven studies referred to these themes and confirmed IPC benefits: fewer medication-related errors4. The number of IPC standards and HDI-rank for 'very high' countries, except Hong Kong, were positively correlated, suggesting possible economic impact on pharmacy sector progress. Two studies found cultural influences on Hong Kong pharmacists' attitudes as contributory to a hierarchical than IPC-approach to healthcare provision5. HDI and GPI had a strong negative correlation (r = -0.83), potentially explaining low pharmacist density and GDP healthcare expenditure in HDI-classified low. Conclusion(s): Results denote that IPC improved patient safety (Gregory, & Austin, 2016). Global differences existed in pharmacists' attitudes and IPC training. These correlated with growing gaps in HDI and GPI between HDI-classified 'very high' and 'low' countries. Qualitative analysis highlighted the need for elaboration of 'continuity-of-care' and inclusion of 'understanding roles/responsibilities of team members' in the United Kingdom's professional standards set by the General Pharmaceutical Council. Future work could study 2021/inequality-adjusted HDI data, 'high'/'medium' HDI countries to improve validity alongside COVID19 impact on GDP and pharmacy practice.

Theological proposals to the welfare state theory: The contribution of the Evangelical Church in Germany

Establishing the aims and objectives of a welfare state is an integral part of the political, economic and cultural debate, in particular, the repercussions of a welfare state on economic systems and social institutions;the sociopsychological consequences of a welfare state;and the scope, conditions and definitions of welfare. Some discussions address a theological and religious approach to the issue, specifically the Churches' teaching on welfare and the Churches' influence on the birth and development of the welfare state. The Evangelical Church in Germany (Evangelische Kirche in Deutschland [EKD]) has also joined the global discussion. The EKD advocates the welfare institutions;moreover, it stresses the contribution of the Protestant theology and culture to the emergence of the social state in Germany. This article aims to outline the Protestant approach to welfare axiology. Following a brief sketch of the welfare theory, it examines the previous and current Protestant influences on the welfare state and system. It also presents significant attempts to distinguish crucial values and the most serious challenges of the welfare state. The primary sources of the reflection are the recently published documents of the EKD (Denkschrifts), and the source literature. Contribution: The theological proposals of the Evangelical Church in Germany contribute to the axiological and ethical debate on welfare and the social state. The research addresses the focus and scope of the journal of the promotion of multidisciplinary aspects of studies in the general theological area.

Investing in the Prevention of Infectious Disease Outbreaks: Fiscal Health Modelling for Assessing the Public Investment Case

Objectives: National strategies for preparedness on future outbreaks of COVID-19 often include the timely preparedness with available vaccines. Fiscal health modelling (FHM) has recently been brought forward as an additional analysis by defining the fiscal impact of a health condition from a governmental perspective. As governments are the main decision-makers on preparedness, this study assesses a FHM framework for a communicable disease. Method(s): Using data of the Dutch COVID-19 pandemic, two approaches for identifying the fiscal impact of COVID-19 were assessed: 1. modelling of future fiscal impact based on publicly available population counts;and 2. assessment of the extrapolated tax and benefit income and gross domestic product (GDP) in a particular time period with the respective realized values. The appropriateness of different modelling approaches was in line with the ISPOR FHM guidelines and extensively validated in an expert meeting. Result(s): Dutch publicly available data was the basis for the analysis performed, showing total counts of 2.36 million infections, 52,678 hospitalisations, 9,805 ICU admissions and 9,493 deaths in a period of 24 months following the start of COVID-19 in 2020. Consequences which can be causally linked to these counts influencing income tax collected and social benefits paid (approach 1) amounted to a fiscal loss of 158 million over 2 years. The total losses in terms of the fiscal income and GDP (approach 2), were estimated at respectively 13,582 million and 96.3 billion over 24 months. Conclusion(s): This study is a full integrated fiscal macro-economic orientation to analyse different aspects of an infectious disease outbreak and its influence on government public accounts. The suitability of the two presented approaches depends on the perspective of the analysis, time horizon of the analysis and availability of data. The consequence-linking approach is more suited to a prospective estimation and the extrapolating approach more to a retrospective one. Copyright © 2022

Disaster Management and Human Adaptation - Case Study

Disasters are a complex phenomenon that calls for a steady and multi-disciplinary approach to help create a multi-layered picture of the vulnerability of hazards and risks for the community. India is highly vulnerable to natural disasters, losing about 2 percent of the Gross Domestic Product annually (World Bank 2003). Almost every part of the country falls in at least one hazard zone or other. The socioeconomic vulnerability makes it difficult for people to cope with the impact of these hazards. Humans adapt in a variety of ways that may often remain unnoticed and unorganized. Further, in order to manage the effects of climate-change- induced disasters, autonomous adaptation is frequently overlooked - both at national and international levels. This chapter looks at various disasters across Indian subcontinent, in which the community has been affected badly and how human resilience and adaptation have revived the society and led to sustainable development. The case studies in this chapter would cover the reasons for the disaster and corrective actions taken for some repeated disasters such as cyclones, earthquakes and the COVID-19 pandemic. Copyright © 2022 Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications. All rights reserved.

ASSESSING TOURISM INDUSTRY DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the economy of all countries, putting the tourism industry under unprecedented pressure. The measures imposed by the governments of the countries, such as lockdown, quarantine, but also the changes in tourists ' behavior, as an effect of social distancing, have led to a significant decrease in tourism revenues, creating liquidity problems for companies operating in the tourism, hospitality, and leisure industries. In this context, the paper aims to analyze the effects of Covid-19 on tourism industry, as well as the perspectives of development of this economic sector on the short and medium term.