Subject(s)
Public Health Administration , Public Health Practice , United States Public Health Service/organization & administration , Accreditation , Federal Government , Health Policy , Health Workforce/statistics & numerical data , Local Government , Public Health Administration/standards , State Government , United StatesABSTRACT
Between November 20, 1918, and March 12, 1919, the US Public Health Service carried out a vast population-based survey to assess the incidence rate and mortality of the influenza pandemic among 146 203 persons in 18 localities across the United States. The survey attempted to retrospectively assess all self-reported or diagnosed cases of influenza since August 1, 1918. It indicated that the cumulative incidence of symptomatic influenza over 6 months had been 29.4% (range = 15% in Louisville, KY, to 53.3% in San Antonio, TX). The overall case fatality rate (CFR) was 1.70%, and it ranged from 0.78% in San Antonio to 3.14% in New London, Connecticut. Localities with high cumulative incidence were not necessarily those with high CFR. Overall, assuming the survey missed asymptomatic cases, between August 1, 1918, and February 21, 1919, maybe more than 50% of the population was infected, and about 1% of the infected died. Eight months into the COVID-19 pandemic, the United States has not yet launched a survey that would provide population-based estimates of incidence and CFRs analogous to those generated by the 1918 US Public Health Service house-to-house canvass survey of influenza.
Subject(s)
Influenza Pandemic, 1918-1919/history , Influenza Pandemic, 1918-1919/mortality , Surveys and Questionnaires , United States Public Health Service/organization & administration , History, 20th Century , Humans , Pandemics , Socioeconomic Factors , United States/epidemiologySubject(s)
COVID-19/epidemiology , Communicable Disease Control/organization & administration , Health Personnel/organization & administration , Primary Prevention/organization & administration , United States Public Health Service/organization & administration , COVID-19/prevention & control , Health Services Accessibility/organization & administration , Humans , Information Dissemination , Public Health , SARS-CoV-2 , United States/epidemiologyABSTRACT
The Librarian Reserve Corps (LRC) is a volunteer network of medical, health sciences, and public health librarians who have responded to the urgent need for public health information during the early days of the COVID-19 crisis. The LRC was first formed to assist with the indexing of daily publication lists distributed within the World Health Organization's Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN). With the explosion of information related to COVID-19 beginning in December 2019, librarians have brought critical skills and experience to the response, providing comprehensive literature searching and indexing to COVID-19 research publications. The evolution of this effort follows the trajectory of scientific publication trends and developments related to COVID-19.
Subject(s)
Abstracting and Indexing , COVID-19 , Civil Defense/organization & administration , Librarians/psychology , Libraries, Digital/organization & administration , Libraries, Medical/organization & administration , United States Public Health Service/organization & administration , Volunteers/psychology , Adult , Female , Humans , Libraries, Digital/statistics & numerical data , Libraries, Medical/statistics & numerical data , Male , Middle Aged , SARS-CoV-2 , United StatesSubject(s)
COVID-19/epidemiology , Health Personnel/organization & administration , Health Personnel/psychology , Mental Health Services/organization & administration , United States Public Health Service/organization & administration , Humans , Inservice Training/organization & administration , Occupational Stress/epidemiology , Pandemics , SARS-CoV-2 , Telemedicine/organization & administration , United States/epidemiologyABSTRACT
Large urban health departments developed and implemented various approaches to prevent COVID-19 outbreaks and promote the health and well-being of individuals experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity throughout the pandemic. Reviewing the approaches of several large urban health departments, the most frequent practices included increasing housing options, on-the-ground outreach and resource allocation, and integrated communications. Key steps necessary to develop and implement these policies and procedures are discussed, and innovative approaches are highlighted.