Disaster risk reduction and G20: A major step forward

Disaster risks are increasing and changing their nature. The global risk landscape is evolving as new risks – many of them arising from cascading and inter-connected hazards – are arising. While significant achievements have been made to reduce loss of lives, economic and asset damages are still on the increasing trend. G20, which started as the major economic group meeting, has emerged over years as an influential political forum. While there have been several attempts to bring disaster risk reduction agenda to G20, the issue has not been addressed in a comprehensive and sustained manner. A new working group on Disaster Risk Reduction has been established under India's Presidency. This paper analyzes G20 and DRR risk reduction agenda's evolution, provides insights on India's contribution to the thematic area, and suggest future interventions required at G20. While Indian Prime Minister's 10-points agenda sets the future DRR interventions targets, India's leadership in DRR can be seen in terms of local level risk management framework, resilient infrastructure, financing of disaster risk management, social protection, people's engagement, and resource management. In addition to that, response to COVID-19 through the Disaster Management Act has set up a new milestone for multi hazards and all hazards risk management, including complex and cascading risks. Five specific areas that are urgently required are: 1) investment in resilient infrastructure, 2) digital infra and data management protocol, including open data, open governance, 3) use of disruptive and emerging technologies, 4) enhancement of technology transfer and market creation through private sector involvement, and 5) fostering youth innovation and entrepreneurship in DRR. This will help not only the G20 nations, but also contribute to other vulnerable countries and communities. © 2023 The Authors

COVID-19: Reducing the risk via diet and lifestyle.

This review shows that relatively simple changes to diet and lifestyle can significantly, and rapidly, reduce the risks associated with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in terms of infection risk, severity of disease, and even disease-related mortality. A wide range of interventions including regular exercise, adequate sleep, plant-based diets, maintenance of healthy weight, dietary supplementation, and time in nature have each been shown to have beneficial effects for supporting more positive health outcomes with COVID-19, in addition to promoting better overall health. This paper brings together literature from these areas and presents the argument that non-pharmaceutical approaches should not be overlooked in our response to COVID-19. It is noted that, in several cases, interventions discussed result in risk reductions equivalent to, or even greater than, those associated with currently available vaccines. Where the balance of evidence suggests benefits, and the risk is minimal to none, it is suggested that communicating the power of individual actions to the public becomes morally imperative. Further, many lives could be saved, and many harms from the vaccine mandates avoided, if we were willing to embrace this lifestyle-centred approach in our efforts to deal with COVID-19.

A real opportunity to modify cardiovascular risk through primary care and prevention: A pilot study.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) represent a major threat to health and primary prevention outstands as the most effective instrument to face this issue, addressing multiple risk factors at a time and influencing behavioral patterns. Community nurses have been involved in many interdisciplinary prevention activities, resulting in effective control of CV risk factors. We conducted a pilot study aiming at describing the impact on the CV risk profile of an 18-month interdisciplinary intervention on lifestyle habits. From September 2018 to May 2020, four general practitioners (GPs) working in the Roman neighborhood of Torresina recruited patients having a cardiovascular risk score (CRS) equal to or higher than 3% and lower than 20%; those patients were included in a nutritional, physical, and psychological counseling program. Assessments of patients' health status were led at baseline, 6, 12, and 18 months by a nutritionist, a physiotherapist, a psychologist, their GPs, and a community nurse. The CRS was estimated at every examination, based on the Italian Progetto Cuore algorithm. A total of 76 patients were included (mean age of 54.6 years; 33 men and 43 women). Mean CRS showed a significant reduction between baseline and 12 months (from 4.9 to 3.8); both total cholesterol and systolic blood pressure (SBP) significantly decreased at 6 months of follow-up (respectively, from 211.1 to 192 and from 133.1 to 123.1). Nonetheless, the reduction was later maintained only for SBP. However, during the last 6 months of the intervention, the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, thus, it is not possible to know how much the results achieved at 18 months were influenced by the restrictive measures introduced by the Italian government. When stratifying according to the presence of hypertension/diabetes and physical activity, no differences in the CRS could be highlighted between the two groups. Our pilot study proved that an interdisciplinary counseling intervention program can improve CV risk profile and could be further spread to people that, according to their CRS, would benefit more from changes in lifestyles.

'Some of my patients only come to renew their prescriptions. They are not interested in any additional advice or support'. Physicians' perceptions on their roles in cardiovascular diseases risk reduction and management in Fiji.

BACKGROUND: Primary health care (PHC) physicians' perceptions are vital to understand as they are the first-line health care providers in cardiovascular diseases (CVD) risk assessment and management. This study aims to explore PHC physicians' perceptions on their roles and their perceptions on management and risk reduction approaches on CVD risk reduction and management in Fiji. METHODS: This is a qualitative study conducted in the Suva Medical area among 7 health centers from 1 August to 31 September, 2021. Purposive sampling was used to recruit physicians who worked in the Suva medical area as PHC physicians with at least 6 months' experience in the Special Outpatients Department clinics. In-depth interview were conducted using a semi-structured questionnaire over the telephone and recorded on a tablet device application. The interview content was then transcribed, and thematic analysis was done. RESULTS: This study included 25 PHC physicians. From the thematic analysis, 2 major themes emerged with 6 subthemes. Theme 1 was CVD management skills with 3 subthemes including education, experience and trainings, beliefs and attitudes of physicians, self-confidence and effectiveness in CVD risk reduction and management. Theme 2 was roles and expectations with 3 subthemes including perceptions of effective treatment, perceptions of physicians' roles and perceptions of patients' expectations. Physicians generally see their role as central and imperative. They perceive to be important and leading toward combating CVDs. CONCLUSIONS: Physicians' perceptions on their commitment to prevention and management of CVDs through their skills and knowledge, beliefs and motivation should be acknowledged. It is recommended that the physicians are updated on the current evidence-based medicine. Limitations include results that may not be the reflection of the entire physician and multidisciplinary community and the difficulties in face-to-face interviews due to the coronavirus diseases of 2019 pandemic.

Employee associations with R&D investment, firm performance, disruption risk, and supply chain performance during the COVID-19 pandemic: A multiple mediational model

Purpose: Scholars have concentrated their efforts on COVID-19's impact on industries worldwide in order to manage timely supply chain disruptions. Epidemic outbursts are a unique supply chain risk that is distinguished by prolonged disruption propagation, disruption existence, and high uncertainty. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of R&D investment and firm performance in mediating the relationship between disruption risk and supply chain performance in Pakistani manufacturing industries and supply chain employees during the recovery phase of the COVID-19 pandemic via application of dynamic capability theory. Methodology: From July 21 to August 23, 2020, three hundred and eighteen employees from supply chains of manufacturing industries in Rawalpindi and Islamabad, Pakistan, participated in this cross-sectional online web-based survey. The four standard research scales were used to examine the research and development, disruption risk, firm, and supply chain performance. The response link was distributed to respondents via Facebook, WhatsApp, and email. The data was analyzed using structural equation modelling and a partial least squares technique in the study. Results: The study's findings suggest that disruption risk, research and development investment, and firm performance all improve supply chain performance, but the mediation effect is unsupported by the data. These measures help to plan a better supply chain in the face of disruption risk, and they provide one of the timely empirical conclusions on the role of R&D investment in mitigating risk disruptions and improving supply chain performance

Relationships between COVID-19 and disaster risk in Costa Rican municipalities

The COVID-19 pandemic has had far-reaching impacts on every aspect of human life since the first confirmed case in December 2019. Costa Rica reported its first case of COVID-19 in March 2020, coinciding with a notable correlation between the occurrence of disaster events at the municipal scale over the past five decades. In Costa Rica, over 90% of disasters are hydrometeorological in nature, while geological disasters have caused significant economic and human losses throughout the country's history. To analyze the relationship between COVID-19 cases and disaster events in Costa Rica, two Generalized Linear Models (GLMs) were used to statistically evaluate the influence of socio-environmental parameters such as population density, social development index, road density, and non-forested areas. The results showed that population and road density are the most critical factors in explaining the spread of COVID-19, while population density and social development index can provide insights into disaster events at the municipal level in Costa Rica. This study provides valuable information for understanding municipal vulnerability and exposure to disasters in Costa Rica and can serve as a model for other countries to assess disaster risk.

COVID-19 pandemic: What is known till June 2020 and what is yet to know?

Since first cluster of unknown pneumonia from China reported in December 2019 to World Health Organization, more than 10.5 million new cases and more than 0.513 million deaths have been reported till June 30, 2020 in six months' time. World got to know lot of facts about COVID-19 within short period of six months and success stories too concerning its containment. The situation has constantly been unfolding every moment educating people regarding public health and clinical aspects of the infection and disease and its impact on countries and communities. But still lot of information and evidences are required with regard to pharmacological interventions including effective drugs and efficacious vaccine to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 pandemic at all levels. It seems that we have to live with COVID-19 months-years as the virus is going to stay for longer period of time. The option is to continue practice of effective non-pharmacological interventions as to minimize spread of COVID-19 and ensure adequate provision of PPE to healthcare workforce and testing of health-care workers (HCWs) as to alleviate the anxiety of HCW and lessen their depletion by unnecessary quarantine thereby protect their health and reduce in hospital transmission. Copyright © 2020, Kathmandu University. All rights reserved.

SARS-CoV-2 Immunoglobulin g (IgG) kinetics in healthcare workers and their close contacts reduced risk of re-infection

Background: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is responsible for global pandemic, and it has caused more than 2.3 million deaths. Persistence and stability of immunoglobulin G (IgG) response after recovery from COVID-19 infection is still uncertain. Method(s): We performed a longitudinal cohort study in healthcare workers (HCW) and their close contacts (Non-HCW) with known resolved SARS-CoV-2 infection and undiagnosed infection at Maulana Azad Medical College and associated Lok Nayak hospital, New Delhi. Baseline IgG antibody titers was determined and the participants were followed over a period of six months. We also examined relationship between SARS-CoV-2 immunoglobulin G (IgG) response and new symptomatic infection in HCW and Non-HCW over time. Result(s): 176 (70.9%) healthcare workers and 72 (29.0%) non-healthcare workers were recruited from two cohorts. 82 subjects recovered from SARS-CoV-2 infection and 166 undiagnosed for the infection having history of close contact with COVID-19 patients were followed up for a median of 227 days (interquartile range, 166 to 202) after a positive IgG antibody test. In the recovered subjects 70.7% (58) were seropositive for first anti-spike IgG assay at baseline, followed by 80.0%, 90.6% and 82.6% at three visits respectively. In undiagnosed subjects 37.3% (62) were seropositive at baseline, followed by 70.9%, 75.8% and 82.2% respectively. Also, 46.8% (29) were asymptomatic with no symptoms of COVID-19 and were seropositive at baseline. However, presence of IgG antibodies was associated with substantial reduced risk of re-infection over the follow up duration. Conclusion(s): Our data showed that the antibodies levels measured increased over the first three months and decreased slightly after that and remained at a plateau and relatively stable for at least a period of six months. Copyright © 2022 International Medical Sciences Academy. All rights reserved.

ROLE OF IFNgamma IN PATHOGENESIS OF SARS-CoV-2 INFECTION.

To date, there is no consensus explaining the relationship between varying concentrations of IFNgamma and the severity of infection caused by SARS-CoV-2. The aim of this article was to analyze and formulate conclusions from the selected studies and publications, which, in sum, provide a potentially reasonable view on the role of IFNgamma in COVID-19 pathogenesis. This article highlights current data on the immunological role of IFNgamma which affects differentiation of naive T helper cells, acting as a polarizing factor. It activates the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I and II, by increasing the expression of MHC I/II subunits, inhibiting replication of the viral particles by initiating activation of interferon-stimulated genes followed by subsequent synthesis of antiviral proteins. Moreover, IFNgamma activates the production of cytokines by T cells, enhancing cytotoxic activity of the T killers. IFNgamma exerts immunostimulatory and immunomodulatory effects via STAT1, SOCS1 and PIAS genes, thus regulating activation of the JAK-STAT signaling pathway. A number of studies were considered where the patterns of changes in serum IFNgamma concentration were examined in viral infections and SARS-CoV-2. We performed a systemic analysis of the results of studies that showed a relationship between high concentrations of IFNgamma and COVID-19 severity. In a number of studies, the significantly high levels of IFNgamma in COVID-19 patients were often associated with a poor outcome of the disease. The median values of the IFNgamma concentration in severe COVID-19 were found to be significantly higher compared to the results obtained in the cases of moderate severity. It shows an increase, in parallel with viral load in the nasopharyngeal samples upon worsening of the clinical condition. Based on the data on the decreased IFNgamma concentrations in convalescent patients, the mechanism of antagonism between IFNgamma and IL-4 is considered, where the decreases serum concentrations of IFNgamma along with increasing level of IL-4 may be an indirect proof of normal adaptive immune response with subsequent development of antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 and gradual elimination of the virus from the body. Moreover, the evidence is discussed that the patients harboring some parasitic infections (Toxoplasma gondii, Cryptosporidium, Blastocystis hominis, Giardia duodenalis, Entamoeba histolytica) with persistently elevated level of IFNgamma are at reduced risk for severe course of COVID-19. Copyright © 2022, SPb RAACI.

Challenges and Opportunities for Risk Management of Volcanic Hazards in Small-Island Developing States

The explosive volcanic eruptions of La Soufrière volcano, St Vincent and the Grenadines, in April 2021 caused the displacement of thousands of people, resulting in heavy disruption of livelihoods and economic activities, destruction of critical infrastructure, and volcanic ash deposits that affected the entire mountainous island of St Vincent and the neighboring island of Barbados. The resulting triple crisis in the region included volcanological risks, the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic, and hydrometeorological risks due to the approaching hurricane season. This article analyzes the scientific and operational activities that The University of the West Indies Seismic Research Centre undertook after effusive activity was detected in December 2020, as well as the actions taken during an official response mission of the United Nations, led by the Joint Environment Unit of the United Nations Environment Programme and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Geneva and upon request for international environmental assistance from the Government of St Vincent. It examines the interplay and collaboration between these 2 organizations and other disaster risk reduction agencies. The article also highlights how the interconnected, systemic nature of risks and disasters emphasizes the ultimate need for regional coordination and collaboration across sectors, including scientific monitoring networks, national, regional, and international emergency preparedness and response agencies, academia, and the private sector. The presented case study for elucidating the ongoing lahar hazard at La Soufrière volcano supports a long-term view for planning and mitigation in this challenging topography. This will help to ensure that the volcanic risks in the Caribbean region are appropriately considered a major component of the multihazard approach undertaken by national authorities and scientists to manage community safety and sustainable economic development through adequate means of disaster risk reduction and emergency preparedness.

Setting Goals to Reduce Cardiovascular Risk: A Retrospective Chart Review of a Pharmacist-Led Initiative in the Workplace.

Background: Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the second leading cause of death in Canada with many modifiable risk factors. Pharmacists at a Canadian university delivered a novel CVD risk management program, which included goal-setting and medication management. Aim: This study aimed to describe what CVD prevention goals are composed of in a workplace CVD risk reduction program, and how might these goals change over time. Methods: A longitudinal, descriptive qualitative study using a retrospective chart review of clinical care plans for 15 patients enrolled in a CVD prevention program. Data across 6 visits were extracted from charts (n = 5413 words) recorded from May 2019-November 2020 and analyzed using quantitative content analysis and descriptive statistics. Results: Behavioural goals were most popular among patients and were more likely to change over the 12-month follow-up period, compared to health measure goals. Behavioural goals included goals around diet, physical activity (PA), smoking, medication, sleep and alcohol; health measure goals centered on weight measures, blood pressure (BP) and blood lipid levels. The most common behavioural goals set by patients were for diet (n = 11) and PA (n = 9). Over time, goals around PA, medication, alcohol and weight were adapted while others were added (e.g. diet) and some only continued. Patients experienced a number of barriers to their goal(s) which informed how they adapted their goal(s). These included environmental limitations (including COVID-19) and work-related time constraints. Conclusions: This study found CVD goal-setting in the pharmacist-led workplace wellness program was complex and evolved over time, with goals added and/or adapted. More detailed qualitative research could provide further insights into the patient-provider goal-setting experience in workplace CVD prevention.

How does the crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic affect the interactions between the stock, oil, gold, currency, and cryptocurrency markets?

This study examines how the COVID-19 pandemic crisis affects the interactions between the stock, oil, gold, currency, and cryptocurrency markets. The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic crisis on the optimal asset allocation and optimal hedged strategy are also discussed. Empirical results show that the volatility spillover significantly exists in most of the ten paired markets whereas the return spillover and correlation are significant only for the few paired markets. Moreover, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the return spillover is the greatest followed by the correlation whereas the volatility spillover is not affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, the Quantitative easing (QE) implemented after the COVID-19 pandemic crisis increases the risk-adjusted return for each asset and minimum variance portfolio (MVP) and raises the correlation between two assets. In addition, most of the pairs of assets are not suitable to hedge each other except for a few pairs of assets. Regarding these few pairs of assets, the optimal hedge asset with the fewer hedge cost is accompanied by less risk reduction and vice versa. Finally, the investors should choose the euro to construct a portfolio to achieve risk diversification and to hedge gold or WTI to get the risk reduction. The above findings can help investors and fund managers make a useful investment strategy, optimal asset allocation, and effective hedged strategy. For example, the investors can use the volatility of one market to predict the volatility of another market and they can take a long position during the post-COVID-19 period but they should withdraw capital from the market when the QE tapering is executed. JEL classification: C52; C53; G15.

Understanding the impacts of floods on learning quality, school facilities, and educational recovery in Indonesia.

This research is among the first pieces of work to use the comprehensive school safety (CSS) framework to assess the impacts of floods on quality learning and education infrastructure. The CSS framework is employed here to identify the level of disruption to education services following floods in Jakarta, Indonesia, in 2013. The paper poses three key questions, concerning: (i) disruption to children's access to quality education during the flood emergency in 2013 and the early recovery phase; (ii) the impact of the floods on a school's physical infrastructure; and (iii) the effectiveness and level of success of the 2013 flood responses by relevant stakeholders. Combining quantitative and qualitative strategies, the paper examines the experiences of 100 schools in Jakarta. The findings suggest that the CSS framework offers a more nuanced approach to assessing post-disaster education needs. Moreover, it is also relevant for examining the relationship between the COVID-19 pandemic and relative losses in the education sector.