ABSTRACT
Background shared accommodation may increase the risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission. In April 2020, an increasing number of asylum seekers at a reception centre in Espoo, Finland presented with COVID-19 despite earlier implementation of preventive measures. We decided to screen the entire population of the centre for SARS-CoV-2. Methods we offered nasopharyngeal swab collection and SARS-CoV-2 real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis to the centre's clients. Symptoms were recorded at the time of diagnostic sample collection using electronic forms and followed up for two weeks through phone interviews and a review of medical records. Findings 260 clients were screened. Of them, 96 (37%) were found positive for SARS-CoV-2 and isolated. The high attack rate prompted the local public health authority to set the other clients in quarantine for 14 days to prevent further spread. Of the positive cases, 61 (64%) reported having had symptoms at the time of the screening or one week prior. Of the 35 initially asymptomatic individuals, 12 developed symptoms during follow-up, while 23 (or 18% of all screened SARS-CoV-2 positive clients) remained asymptomatic. No widespread transmission of COVID-19 was detected after the quarantine was lifted. Interpretation in this large COVID-19 outbreak, voluntary mass screening provided valuable information about its extent and helped guide the public health response. Comprehensive quarantine and isolation measures were likely instrumental in containing the outbreak. Funding Finnish Institution for Health and Welfare, Finnish Immigration Agency, City of Espoo.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: Lyme borreliosis (LB) is a tick-borne infection common in Europe. In Finland, the LB seroprevalence in the healthy population was 3.9% in 2011. While the present-day seroprevalence of LB is well characterized in several European areas, there are no studies on the seroprevalence of LB before the description of the infection in the late 1970s. METHODS: We used a subset of historical serum samples (n = 994) collected during the Finnish Mobile Clinic Health Survey, a nationwide cross-sectional health survey of the 1960s and 1970s. All samples were screened with Borrelia burgdorferi whole-cell sonicate IgG ELISA. The seropositivity of the samples was further confirmed by the C6 peptide ELISA and recomBead IgG 2.0 bead immunoassay. The association of LB seropositivity with risk factors and with self-reported diseases and symptoms relating to disseminated LB were analysed by logistic regression. RESULTS: B. burgdorferi IgGs were detected in 199 of 994 analysed samples; hence, the overall seroprevalence was 20.0% (95% confidence interval: 17.6-22.6). The highest seroprevalence was observed in persons aged ≥50 years (165/696), in those currently not working (92/383), and in the regions of South and Central Finland (91/226 and 27/88, respectively). Further, perception of feeling unhealthy (129/197 versus 412/794) was higher among LB-seropositive individuals compared to LB-seronegative participants. CONCLUSION: LB seroprevalence was considerably higher in Finland in the late 1960s and early 1970s than in 2011. This result questions the perception of an unprecedentedly high LB seroprevalence in present-day Europe.
Subject(s)
Antibodies, Bacterial/blood , Borrelia burgdorferi/immunology , Lyme Disease/epidemiology , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Female , Finland/epidemiology , History, 20th Century , Humans , Immunoglobulin G/blood , Lyme Disease/blood , Lyme Disease/history , Male , Middle Aged , Risk Factors , Young AdultABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: To analyse episiotomy and perineal tears rates in Burgundy after French National College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (CNGOF) guidelines in 2005. MATERIALS AND METHOD: Multicenter retrospective study, between 2003-2005 (period 1) et 2012-2014 (period 2), conducted on singletons vaginal deliveries, in cephalic presentation from 37 weeks. We compared the episiotomy rate (ER), and perineal lesions in normal deliveries (ND) and instrumental deliveries (ID) between the two periods. RESULTS: A total of 74,268 women were included. The overall ER significantly decreased from 35.8 to 16.7% (P<0.01), without increasing third degree perineal tears (0.73% vs. 0.66%) or fourth degree (0.14% vs 0.14%). First degree perineal tears rose (42.1% vs 17.6%, P<0.001), second degree decreased (13.5% vs 20.5%, P<0.001). ER decreased whatever the level of motherhood, healthcare ward, vaginal delivery type, or the instrument used. CONCLUSION: Our study found a strong impact in Burgundy of the French guidelines for the practice of restrictive episiotomy for both ND and for ID without increasing sphincter tears and in decreasing spontaneous morbidity.
