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To summarize thepractice and experience of targeted food hygiene security measures in a major field activity of the army in order to provide references for diverse tasks. Considering the characteristics of heavy activity, field operations and the influence of COVID-19, a series of support measures related to food hygiene surveillance were strengthened. The first measure was review of recipes, health management and training of employees, procurement and storage of raw materials, warehouse management, processing and manufacturing management, disinfection of tableware, as well as food sample retention. Secondly, the control points that probably cause spread of COVID-19 in the phase of food service industry were analyzed, then relevant supervision and guidance were carried out from the aspects of employees and diners, foods of cold chain logistics, environment and emergency response plan. Finally, in order to assure the safety of food processing and crowd-gathered diet in the field, the following measures were guided to adopted including selecting the site of cooking and dining properly, cleaning the environment, making dishes using pure water and semi-manufactured foodstuff, keeping food sanitation in the course of transport and dinning, as well as supervising the robot machines for cooking automatically. The main experiences were listed as follows: promoting food safety awareness of the principal and the employees of the canteen, enhancing legal enforcement capacity and technical capacity of health supervisors, focusing on new risks related to food safety as well as reinforcing the management of health supervisors and employees in the field.
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The sustainable development goals (SDGs) provide an integrated framework of targets and indicators, including the elimination of stunting, to support better development planning. Indonesia faces a significant challenge as it ranks fourth globally in terms of stunting prevalence, exacerbated by disparities across regions, gender, and socioeconomic status, further compounded by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Given the interlinked nature of SDGs, this study provides empirical support for the prioritization of SDG indicators, primarily in the context of stunting elimination at the district level in Indonesia. This study employed a combination of economic complexity and network theory, utilizing data from a comprehensive set of 54 indicators spanning 28 targets within 13 SDG goals in 514 districts. The analysis is based on network metrics, including revealed comparative advantage (RCA), proximity, centrality, and density to establish the SDG interlinkage network and identify key priority indicators. The findings highlight the importance of prioritizing indicators such as civil registration, health facilities and services, access to basic facilities and housing, and access to ICT in efforts to reduce stunting, particularly among disadvantaged households. Given the unique resources and capacities of each region, our analysis offers district-specific prioritization strategies for stunting elimination.
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The novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) presents a difficult journey ahead for public health sectors and economies of African. This chapter analyses Africa's public service infrastructure deficits while considering the health and macroeconomic implications of coronavirus for the continent. To assess Africa's national and continental disease outbreak preparedness, the available COVID-19 data is analyzed against several risk factors like physician availability, access to basic sanitation, and drinking water services derived from the World Health Organization and World Bank. The macroeconomic impact of the pandemic on the economies of African countries is explored with a focus on sectors such as merchandise trade, agriculture, tourism, and oil with current data. The analysis indicates serious gaps in access to adequate public health and how this has negative implications for economic stability. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022.
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We retrospectively analyzed spatial factors for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-associated community deaths i.e., brought-in-dead (BID) in Lusaka, Zambia, between March and July 2020. A total of 127 cases of BID with geocoordinate data of their houses were identified during the study period. Median interquartile range (IQR) of the age of these cases was 49 (34-70) years old, and 47 cases (37.0%) were elderly individuals over 60 years old. Seventy-five cases (75%) of BID were identified in July 2020, when the total number of cases and deaths was largest in Zambia. Among those whose information regarding their underlying medical condition was available, hypertension was most common (22.9%, 8/35). Among Lusaka's 94 townships, the numbers (median, IQR) of cases were significantly larger in those characterized as unplanned residential areas compared to planned areas (1.0, 0.0-4.0 vs 0.0, 0.0-1.0;p=0.030). The proportion of individuals who require more than 30 minutes to obtain water was correlated with a larger number of BID cases per 105 population in each township (rho=0.28, p=0.006). The number of BID cases was larger in unplanned residential areas, which highlighted the importance of targeted public health interventions specifically to those areas to reduce the total number of COVID-19 associated community deaths in Lusaka. Brought-in-dead surveillance might be beneficial in monitoring epidemic conditions of COVID-19 in such high-risk areas. Furthermore, inadequate access to water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) might be associated with such distinct geographical distributions of COVID-19 associated community deaths in Lusaka, Zambia.Copyright © Amos Hamukale et al.
ABSTRACT
Antimicrobial resistance is caused by and exacerbates social and health inequalities. Human and animal antimicrobial use is contributing as much as societal failures to dispose of and manage our waste and respect our environment. A multisector, multidisciplinary approach is required to resolve these issues.Copyright © ERS 2023.
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The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the inadequacies of local authorities' planning frameworks and systems in the provision of potable water, sanitation and waste management in cities. Cities have been hotspots of COVID-19 due to rapid urbanisation and rising informal activities. Zimbabwean cities have struggled with water shortages evidenced by water shedding, incapacitation to acquire chemicals for water treatment, burst sewer outbreaks and blockages and inconsistent municipal waste disposal. Yet, the new normal apart from social distancing and wearing of masks calls for constant washing of hands and efficient waste management systems which help mitigate further spread of the virus. This chapter seeks to provide an overview of the impacts of COVID-19 on water provision, sanitation and waste management in Bulawayo, Masvingo and Mutare. This was a qualitative study which involved interviews with local authority officials, Department of Physical Planning officials, Environmental Management Agency (EMA) and Zimbabwe National Water Authority (ZINWA). The impacts of shortcomings on the provision of quality water, sanitation and waste management give a wakeup call to the local authorities on the need to adopt more environmentally friendly and sustainable management strategies. The chapter recommends improvement in water provision through adopting other sources such as water harvesting on a larger scale, recycling of waste water, centralised waste management strategies, conversion of waste into energy as well as improved urban planning and design approaches towards sanitation and waste management. The chapter further anticipates high lighting that COVID-19 crisis is instead an opportunity for planners, designers, engineers, policy makers and other stakeholders to transform Zimbabwean cities towards resilient, sustainable and smart cities. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023.
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In this chapter, we use the concept of everyday practice to highlight the plight of urban residents and what it means/takes to survive the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in a water-insecure city. We use data from four Wards on differentiated locations relative to storage tanks supplying water and different water rationing zones. The data was collected from 2020 to 2021 (2 years). A stratified random sampling technique was used to select a study sample of 303 respondents. Of these, 200 household heads were interviewed at their place of residency, while the remaining 103 respondents gave interviews while waiting to draw water from boreholes dotted around the four residential areas. Our results suggest that the policies for managing the pandemic paid less attention to everyday practices of getting around the more than two-decade-old water challenges in the urban areas. The water challenges in the urban areas further exposed the residents to COVID-19 infection, and the pandemic widened the gendered and spatial inequalities to access to water. We conclude that the search for and concerted efforts to access water to manage and prevent COVID-19 infection were equally associated with high chances of being infected and/or spreading COVID-19. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is not the last water-demanding crisis we will experience. This calls for a paradigm shift in urban water and sanitation access planning to include alternative water sources - groundwater - at the initial stages of residential planning. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023.
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This chapter presents the key findings from the book and outlines the key policy interventions recommended. Issues examined in the book include the ramifications of the COVID-19 pandemic on agricultural production, food systems, nutrition, informality, water, education, sanitation and livelihoods. The Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) framework was used in the analysis of impacts. The findings show that the pandemic had mostly negative impacts on the systems studied and the most vulnerable members of society got the biggest knock on their livelihoods especially those in the informal sector. Access to key resources like water, municipal services and food was not equal, and the gap in deprivation widened during this period. Post COVID-19 recovery needs to be guided by how well it addresses progress towards SDG indicators. Government stimulus packages for recovery need to consider increasing social safety nets and the most vulnerable members of society. There is a need to support local food systems and vulnerable livelihoods to build back better and become resilient to future shocks that are similar to the COVID-19 pandemic. Authorities need to improve their communication with communities during disaster periods and strengthen their resilience. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023.
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This paper presents the results of an investigation that aimed to analyze the challenges and opportunities of community water management in the rural area of the Upper Basin of River Cauca during the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on collaborative research, the regulatory framework for dealing with the COVID-19 emergency in the water and sanitation sector in Colombia and the problems faced by Community Water and Sanitation Management Organizations (CWSMOs) during the pandemic are analyzed. The main findings are: the regulatory framework issued general guidelines for water service providers, however there were few specific provisions for CWSMOs, ignoring their particularities. The identified problems affected CWSMOs with more than 500 subscribers differently than CWSMOs with under 500 subscribers, with the first group being the most impacted. Likewise, it was concluded that these problems are related to a structural context and not only to the global health emergency. The results of the research show the need to generate a specific public policy for CWSMOs that recognizes their particular characteristics, so that they continue to guarantee access to water in rural and peripheral areas of the country.
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Wastewater surveillance has been widely used as a supplemental method to track the community infection levels of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. A gap exists in standardized reporting for fecal indicator concentrations, which can be used to calibrate the primary outcome concentrations from wastewater monitoring for use in epidemiological models. To address this, measurements of fecal indicator concentration among wastewater samples collected from sewers and treatment centers in four counties of Kentucky (N = 650) were examined. Results from the untransformed wastewater data over 4 months of sampling indicated that the fecal indicator concentration of human ribonuclease P (RNase P) ranged from 5.1 × 101 to 1.15 × 106 copies/ml, pepper mild mottle virus (PMMoV) ranged from 7.23 × 103 to 3.53 × 107 copies/ml, and cross-assembly phage (CrAssphage) ranged from 9.69 × 103 to 1.85 × 108 copies/ml. The results showed both regional and temporal variability. If fecal indicators are used as normalization factors, knowing the daily sewer system flow of the sample location may matter more than rainfall. RNase P, while it may be suitable as an internal amplification and sample adequacy control, has less utility than PMMoV and CrAssphage as a fecal indicator in wastewater samples when working at different sizes of catchment area. The choice of fecal indicator will impact the results of surveillance studies using this indicator to represent fecal load. Our results contribute broadly to an applicable standard normalization factor and assist in interpreting wastewater data in epidemiological modeling and monitoring.
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Introduction: Interventions that try to alter behaviour in order to promote health and disease management are typically time and resource-consuming. At the moment, boosting maternal and child nutrition is the main focus of nutrition programs in India. This paper discusses the most effective methods to change eating habits, hygiene, and sanitisation particularly the significance of contemporary Information Technology (IT) in health education.Aim: To determine the pre education knowledge level and create awareness regarding maternal nutrition, hygiene and sanitation through the developed education video on personal hygiene and sanitation among maternal-aged group women.Materials and Methods: The community-based prospective interventional study was conducted from October 2019 to April 2021 by using the prospective intervention study design. Based on the Socio-demographic profile, anthropometric measurement, and clinical assessment, specific questions regarding dietary knowledge and personal hygiene were recorded by using the questionnaire. By using the recorded data through a questionnaire, 100 respondents were selected through stratified random sampling and divided into the control group (n=50) and experimental group (n=50) involved in the intervention study. The experimental group which consisted of 50 respondents was grouped into two groups E1 (n=25) and E2 (n=25) and educated separately (due to COVID-19 restriction on mass gatherings) three times a month at 15 days intervals. The nutrition education intervention was given through an educational video in the Hindi language. The effects of the intervention were studied among the participants of the experimental group. The control group did not receive any nutritional awareness sessions. Knowledge level before and after the education intervention was recorded by using the self-structured questionnaire consisting of 15 multiple questions. The data was analysed by using Analysis of variance (ANOVA) technique.Results: Analysis was done for the complete data collected from 100 participants (15-35 years of age, 50 in each control and experimental group) included in the present study. The mean age of maternal age group women was 22 years. No significant difference was found between the knowledge of the control and experimental group at baseline (p-value >0.05). However, the post-intervention, there was significant gain in knowledge in the experimental group (p-value <0.001).Conclusion: It was found that providing the nutrition education through the developed information and communication technology proved effective by increasing knowledge level among the maternal aged group women.
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Scenarios of scarcity, shortages, healthiness and scarcity are proposed to which HEIs would react, but with nuances according to the capacities of the areas of knowledge such as the case of health sciences and administrative economic sciences. [...]a Modeling is a mapping of the variables indicative of a behavior based on inclusion criteria such as the consensus of the literature regarding the SDG-6 and its observation in HEIs. [...]verifiability frameworks prevail in the biological and health sciences. [...]a comparison between different sources observing the same phenomenon generates the veracity of a data [9]. The IES only covers a few disciplines that respond to the development needs of the region, as well as the projected labor demand [10]. [...]the objective of this work is to contribute with empirical evidence to the SDG indicators: scarcity, drought, depletion, sanitation, purification, quality and floods [11].
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This study aims to analyze the development trend of municipal solid waste (MSW) treatment in China from 2011 to 2020, and provide insights into the challenges and opportunities of sustainable MSW management. Our analysis shows that MSW generation declined in 2020, which could be attributed to a combination of factors, including the low urban population growth rate, the implementation of the garbage classification policy, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. We also found that the shift from landfill to incineration is expected to increase significantly in the coming years, although there are still several structural problems, such as an imbalance in treatment capacity among regions and cities, and uncertainty about whether the increase in incineration treatment capacity can meet overall demand due to the high volume of MSW generation. Our analysis highlights the heavy dependence on government investment for MSW treatment mode change, which is difficult due to the expanding deficit between fiscal revenue and expenditure of local governments. Correlation coefficient analysis shows a significant positive correlation between the proportion of incineration and sanitation investment, and a significant negative correlation between the proportion of landfill treatment and sanitation investment. To address these challenges, we propose technological advancement and management optimization to reduce the cost of MSW treatment, as well as expansion of investment channels through green funds, taxation relief, and other means to promote high-quality and sustainable development of the MSW treatment industry. These changes could accelerate the transformation of China's MSW treatment industry from policy promotion-dependent to market-oriented sustainable operation.
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The Novel Coronavirus has hardly left any corner of the society and economy untouched. Apparently, response to the pandemic across the globe and its impact on society and economy are clearly dependent on the pre-existing social economic and cultural setup of the nation. Among others, the fear of the pandemic reversing the state of human security achieved in the past two decades, stays strong, specifically the one associated with gender. In this context, the chapter taking the case of women working in the formal sector and those living in slums of informal settlement attempts to locate the gender response to human security in the urban setup of Bengaluru, India. The analysis based on field insights backed by secondary literature helps us to argue that gender dimensions of pandemic and its response indeed need due acknowledgement of the situation and also sensitization to prevent its multiplier effect in due course of time. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer 2022.
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Aim of the study was to evaluate the impact of anti-epidemic measures (CAM) complex on the dynamics of the epidemic process of COVID-19 in a controlled cohort of patients. Material and methods. Patients from 30 social long-term care institutions of the city were included in the study, including neuropsychiatric boarding schools, boarding houses for labor veterans, gerontological centers, and houses for stage veterans. A total of 8303 patients participated in the study, of which 4237 were men (mean age 53.6 years) and 4066 were women (mean age 62.0 years). Vaccination was carried out with Gam-Covid-Vac. Results and discussion. For the entire observation period from March 2020 to August 2021, 1619, cases of COVID-19 or 19.5% of the total number of patients were registered among patients. At the initial epidemic stage (spring-summer 2020), the incidence of COVID-19 among patients was explosive. At the same time, in the autumn-winter period of 2020, an increase in the incidence of COVID-19 was also observed. However, much less pronounced than in April 2020. Despite the progress, it was decided to strengthen the sanitary and anti-epidemic regime in institutions with the introduction of additional preventive measures. One of the most effective long-term algorithms for reducing the infectious disease incidence was vaccination. In this regard, the Moscow Department of Healthcare suggested the need for voluntary vaccination of 100% of patients in all institutions at the beginning of 2021. In the spring of 2021, the number of cases began to increase in the city. The increase in the incidence of COVID-19 was insignificant among the patients of institutions: the maximum number of cases detected in one month during this period was 13 people (in April), or 60.5 times less than in April 2020, and 2.5 times less than in October 2020. The incidence of COVID-19 has become sporadic rather than epidemic. Conclusion. The introduction of CAM in long-term care social institutions in the early stages of the epidemic contributed to a decrease in the incidence of COVID 19. 100% vaccination of patients in combination with other prevention measures reduced the incidence of COVID-19 by more than 28 times. At the same time, it was found that there is a trend of increasing incidence depending on the increase in the level of independent activity of patients.Copyright © 2023 The authors.
ABSTRACT
Antimicrobial resistance is a major threat to human health that is predicted to impact most heavily on sub-Saharan Africa, however there is a lack of clinical outcome data from drug-resistant infections in this setting. There are reasons to expect the COVID-19 pandemic to have both positive and negative impacts on AMR in Africa. We have recruited a series of prospective longitudinal cohorts from Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital (QECH), Blantyre, Malawi and the surrounding communities in the Southern Region of Malawi. The data from these cohorts has been used to describe the aetiology of febrile illness, the burden of antimicrobial resistance in this setting and the distribution of extended spectrum beta-lactamase producing bacteria in humans, animals and the environment. Amongst a cohort of patients presenting to QECH unwell with febrile illness, 67% were living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). We identified a diagnosis in 145 of 225 (64%) participants, most commonly tuberculosis (TB;34%) followed by invasive bacterial infections (17%), arboviral infections (13%), and malaria (9%). In a second cohort with drug resistant infection, resistance to third-generation cephalosporins was associated with an increased probability of in-hospital mortality (hazard ratio [HR] 1.44, 95% CI 1.02-2.04), longer hospital stays (1.5 days, 1.0-2.0) and decreased probability of discharge alive (HR 0.31, 0.22-0.45). In the community cohorts, a paucity of environmental health infrastructure and materials for safe sanitation was identified across all sites and ESBL-Enterobacterales were isolated from 41.8% of human stool, 29.8% of animal stool and 66.2% of river water samples and was associated with the wet season, living in urban areas, advanced age and in household-animal interactions. Life threatening febrile illness is common in Blantyre however, diagnostics are few, however the COVID-19 pandemic has led to rapid expansion of diagnostic capacity. We are, however frequently treating the wrong bugs with ceftriaxone, further there was significant expansion of azithromycin demand and usage during the pandemic. Current management of sepsis has not been optimised and ceftriaxone use is promoting carriage of ESBL bacteria out of the hospital and ESBL E. coli and K. pneumoniae are ubiquitous in the community, where environmental hygiene infrastructure and community antimicrobial stewardship are critically lacking.Copyright © 2023
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: An ectoparasitic disease, scabies, caused by the mite Sarcoptes scabiei var hominis. Some of the predisposing factors are overcrowding, unhygienic surroundings, immunocompromised status, dementia, homelessness, and sexual contact. In this study, we wanted to evaluate the changed distribution of lesions of scabies during pandemic. METHODS: A cross sectional study was performed on 600 patients attending the skin department of our tertiary care hospital over a period of 6 months. The sites of the scabies lesions were noted along with types of lesions. Demographic data and history of regular hand washing and sanitization were also documented. RESULTS: Our study revealed an important correlation between change in pattern of distribution of scabies lesions from being less frequent on finger webs (19%) to being more frequent on abdomen (periumbilical area) (73%) and groins (67%) due to regular hand washing and frequent sanitization, in this pandemic era. CONCLUSIONS: A significant change in distribution of skin lesions in scabies can be noticed during this COVID-19 pandemic.
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The objective of this work is to analyze the specific impacts of climate change in the Huasteca Hidalguense, an indigenous region of the state of Hidalgo that, according to the State Action Program for Climate Change (Otazo, 2011), will be the most affected in terms of temperature increase, water availability, food production and health in the decade 2020-2030. To obtain the information, a Participatory Action Research (PAR) process was carried out, culminating in the "Regional Forum on Water, Biodiversity and Climate Change in the Huasteca Hidalguense" and the workshop "Past, present and future of our territory". These activities showed that since the 1980s, a series of endogenous and exogenous impacts have been occurring in three ejidos in the municipality of Atlapexco that have impacted water availability, sanitation, deterioration of natural resources, and rising temperatures. The unexpected irruption of the Covid 19 pandemic implied difficulties in influencing the elaboration of collaborative measures among different actors to act in the face of the impacts of this phenomenon. Despite the above, we concluded that it is necessary to promote PRA processes to strengthen water infrastructure in indigenous territories highly vulnerable to climate change to build participatory solutions to the problems identified. (English) [ FROM AUTHOR] El objetivo de este trabajo es analizar los impactos específicos del cambio climático en la Huasteca hidalguense, una región indígena del estado de Hidalgo que, según el Programa Estatal de Acción para el Cambio Climático (Otazo, 2011), será la más afectada en los rubros de aumento de temperatura, disponibilidad de agua, producción de alimentos y salud en la década 2020-2030. Para obtener la información se llevó a cabo un proceso de Investigación Acción Participativa (IAP) que culminó con la realización del "Foro Regional Agua, Biodiversidad y Cambio Climático en la Huasteca Hidalguense" y del taller "Pasado, presente y futuro de nuestro territorio". A través de dichas actividades se comprobó que, desde los años 80 del siglo pasado, tres ejidos del municipio de Atlapexco han experimentado una serie de impactos endógenos y exógenos que impactan en la disponibilidad de agua, el saneamiento, el deterioro de los recursos naturales y el aumento de las temperaturas. La irrupción inesperada de la pandemia de Covid 19 implicó dificultades para incidir en la elaboración de medidas colaborativas entre distintos actores para actuar ante las incidencias de este fenómeno. A pesar de lo anterior, se concluye que es necesario impulsar procesos de IAP para fortalecer la infraestructura hídrica en territorios indígenas altamente vulnerables al cambio climático, con la finalidad de construir soluciones participativas a las problemáticas identificadas. (Spanish) [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Relaciones: Estudios de Historia y Sociedad is the property of El Colegio de Michoacan, A.C. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)
ABSTRACT
Outdoor food markets represent important locations where foodborne illnesses and other infectious diseases can spread. Countries in Africa face particular challenges given the importance of these markets in food supply and low rates of access to safely managed water and sanitation. We undertook a scoping review of evidence related to disease transmission in food markets in sub-Saharan Africa, North Africa and identified 46 papers for data extraction and synthesis. Vendor behaviour or awareness was reported in the majority of papers and about half reported on market infrastructure. Fewer studies have been reported on regulatory environments or food contamination. Studies on water supply, sanitation and handwashing facilities focused on the presence of services and did not evaluate quality, thus conclusions cannot be drawn on service adequacy. Studies of vendor behaviour were primarily based on self-reporting and subject to bias. Most studies reported high levels of vendor awareness of the need for hygiene, but where observations were also conducted, these showed lower levels of behaviours in practice. Our findings suggest that there are limited studies on environmental hygiene in outdoor food markets and this is an area warranting further research, including into the quality of services and addressing methodological weaknesses.