Identifying priority double-duty actions to tackle the double burden of malnutrition in infants and young children in Peru: Assessment and prioritisation of government actions by national experts.

Multiple forms of malnutrition coexist in infants and young children (IYC) in Peru. The World Health Organization has proposed double-duty actions (DDAs) to simultaneously address undernutrition and overweight/obesity. We assessed current implementation of- and priority for- government-level actions to tackle multiple forms of malnutrition in IYC in Peru. Mapping of current policy activity was undertaken against 47 indicators of good practice for five DDAs (exclusive breastfeeding, complementary feeding, food marketing, maternal nutrition, preschool nutrition; assessed by 27 indicators) and for the enabling policy environment, i.e., 'infrastructure support' (health in all policies, platforms for interactions, financing, monitoring, governance, leadership; assessed by 20 indicators). Interviews with 16 national experts explored views on the level of and barriers to implementation of DDAs and infrastructure support, as well as their prioritisation based on likely impact and feasibility. The level of implementation of actions was categorised into two groups (agenda setting/formulation vs. implementation/evaluation). Mean scores were generated for prioritisation of DDAs and infrastructure support. Deductive qualitative analysis was undertaken to identify barriers that influence policy implementation. Only 5/27 DDA indicators were reported as fully implemented by all national experts (international code that regulates the marketing of breastmilk substitutes, iron supplementation for IYC, micronutrient powders in IYC, iron/folic acid supplementation in pregnant women, paid maternity leave). Only 1/20 infrastructure support indicator (access to nutrition information) was rated as fully implemented by all experts. Barriers to implementing DDAs and infrastructure support included: legal feasibility or lack of regulations, inadequate monitoring/evaluation to ensure enforcement, commercial influences on policymakers, insufficient resources, shifting public health priorities with the COVID-19 pandemic and political instability. The experts prioritised 12 indicators across all five DDAs and eight infrastructure support indicators. Experts highlighted the need to improve implementation of all DDAs and identified ways to strengthen the enabling policy environment.

Extreme value analysis of the number of student absences in Jiangsu, China: Based on extreme value theory.

Attendance absences have a substantial impact on student's future physical and mental health as well as academic progress. Numerous personal, familial, and social issues are among the causes of student absences. Any kind of absence from school should be minimized. Extremely high rates of student absences may indicate the abrupt commencement of a serious school health crisis or public health crisis, such as the spread of tuberculosis or COVID-19, which provides school health professionals with an early warning. We take the extreme values in absence data as the object and attempt to apply the extreme value theory (EVT) to describe the distribution of extreme values. This study aims to predict extreme instances of student absences. School health professionals can take preventative measures to reduce future excessive absences, according to the predicted results. Five statistical distributions were applied to individually characterize the extreme values. Our findings suggest that EVT is a useful tool for predicting extreme student absences, thereby aiding preventative measures in public health.

Cost-effectiveness analysis of surgical masks, N95 masks compared to wearing no mask for the prevention of COVID-19 among health care workers: Evidence from the public health care setting in India.

BACKGROUND: Nonpharmacological interventions, such as personal protective equipment for example, surgical masks and respirators, and maintenance of hand hygiene along with COVID-19 vaccines have been recommended to reduce viral transmission in the community and health care settings. There is evidence from the literature that surgical and N95 masks may reduce the initial degree of exposure to the virus. A limited research that has studied the cost-effective analysis of surgical masks and N95 masks among health care workers in the prevention of COVID-19 in India. The objective of this study was to estimate the cost-effectiveness of N95 and surgical mask compared to wearing no mask in public hospital settings for preventing COVID-19 infection among Health care workers (HCWs) from the health care provider's perspective. METHODS: A deterministic baseline model, without any mask use, based on Eikenberry et al was used to form the foundation for parameter estimation and to estimate transmission rates among HCWs. Information on mask efficacy, including the overall filtering efficiency of a mask and clinical efficiency, in terms of either inward efficiency(ei) or outward efficiency(e0), was obtained from published literature. Hospitalized HCWs were assumed to be in one of the disease states i.e., mild, moderate, severe, or critical. A total of 10,000 HCWs was considered as representative of the size of a tertiary care institution HCW population. The utility values for the mild, moderate and severe model health states were sourced from the primary data collection on quality-of-life of HCWs COVID-19 survivors. The utility scores for mild, moderate, and severe COVID-19 conditions were 0.88, 0.738 and 0.58, respectively. The cost of treatment for mild sickness (6,500 INR per day), moderate sickness (10,000 INR per day), severe (require ICU facility without ventilation, 15,000 INR per day), and critical (require ICU facility with ventilation per day, 18,000 INR) per day as per government and private COVID-19 treatment costs and capping were considered. One way sensitivity analyses were performed to identify the model inputs which had the largest impact on model results. RESULTS: The use of N95 masks compared to using no mask is cost-saving of $1,454,632 (INR 0.106 billion) per 10,000 HCWs in a year. The use of N95 masks compared to using surgical masks is cost-saving of $63,919 (INR 0.005 billion) per 10,000 HCWs in a year. the use of surgical masks compared to using no mask is cost-saving of $1,390,713 (INR 0.102 billion) per 10,000 HCWs in a year. The uncertainty analysis showed that considering fixed transmission rate (1.7), adoption of mask efficiency as 20%, 50% and 80% reduces the cumulative relative mortality to 41%, 79% and 94% respectively. On considering ei = e0 (99%) for N95 and surgical mask with ei = e0 (90%) the cumulative relative mortality was reduced by 97% and the use of N95 masks compared to using surgical masks is cost-saving of $24,361 (INR 0.002 billion) per 10,000 HCWs in a year. DISCUSSION: Both considered interventions were dominant compared to no mask based on the model estimates. N95 masks were also dominant compared to surgical masks.

The laboratory investigation, management, and infection prevention and control of Candida auris: a narrative review to inform the 2024 national guidance update in England.

The emergent fungal pathogen Candida auris is increasingly recognised as an important cause of healthcare-associated infections globally. It is highly transmissible, adaptable, and persistent, resulting in an organism with significant outbreak potential that risks devastating consequences. Progress in the ability to identify C. auris in clinical specimens is encouraging, but laboratory diagnostic capacity and surveillance systems are lacking in many countries. Intrinsic resistance to commonly used antifungals, combined with the ability to rapidly acquire resistance to therapy, substantially restricts treatment options and novel agents are desperately needed. Despite this, outbreaks can be interrupted, and mortality avoided or minimised, through the application of rigorous infection prevention and control measures with an increasing evidence base. This review provides an update on epidemiology, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, risk factors, identification and typing, resistance profiles, treatment, detection of colonisation, and infection prevention and control measures for C. auris. This review has informed a planned 2024 update to the United Kingdom Health Security Agency (UKHSA) guidance on the laboratory investigation, management, and infection prevention and control of Candida auris. A multidisciplinary response is needed to control C. auris transmission in a healthcare setting and should emphasise outbreak preparedness and response, rapid contact tracing and isolation or cohorting of patients and staff, strict hand hygiene and other infection prevention and control measures, dedicated or single-use equipment, appropriate disinfection, and effective communication concerning patient transfers and discharge.

Rotavirus trends and distribution of genotypes before and during COVID-19 pandemic era: Bangladesh, 2017-2021.

Rotavirus gastroenteritis is accountable for an estimated 128 500 deaths among children younger than 5 years worldwide, and the majority occur in low-income countries. Although the clinical trials of rotavirus vaccines in Bangladesh revealed a significant reduction of severe rotavirus disease by around 50%, the vaccines are not yet included in the routine immunization program. The present study was designed to provide data on rotavirus diarrhea with clinical profiles and genotypes before (2017-2019) and during the COVID-19 pandemic period (2020-2021). Fecal samples were collected from 2% of the diarrheal patients at icddr,b Dhaka hospital of all ages between January 2017 and December 2021 and were tested for VP6 rotavirus antigen using ELISA. The clinical manifestations such as fever, duration of diarrhea and hospitalization, number of stools, and dehydration and so on were collected from the surveillance database (n = 3127). Of the positive samples, 10% were randomly selected for genotyping using Sanger sequencing method. A total of 12 705 fecal samples were screened for rotavirus A antigen by enzyme immunoassay. Overall, 3369 (27%) were rotavirus antigen-positive, of whom children <2 years had the highest prevalence (88.6%). The risk of rotavirus A infection was 4.2 times higher in winter than in summer. Overall, G3P[8] was the most prominent genotype (45.3%), followed by G1P[8] (32.1%), G9P[8] (6.8%), and G2P[4] (6.1%). The other unusual combinations, such as G1P[4], G1P[6], G2P[6], G3P[4], G3P[6], and G9P[6], were also present. Genetic analysis on Bangladeshi strains revealed that the selection pressure (dN/dS) was estimated as <1. The number of hospital visits showed a 37% drop during the COVID-19 pandemic relative to the years before the pandemic. Conversely, there was a notable increase in the rate of rotavirus positivity during the pandemic (34%, p < 0.00) compared to the period before COVID-19 (23%). Among the various clinical symptoms, only the occurrence of watery stool significantly increased during the pandemic. The G2P[4] strain showed a sudden rise (19%) in 2020, which then declined in 2021. In the same year, G1P[8] was more prevalent than G3P[8] (40% vs. 38%, respectively). The remaining genotypes were negligible and did not exhibit much fluctuation. This study reveals that the rotavirus burden remained high during the COVID-19 prepandemic and pandemic in Bangladesh. Considering the lack of antigenic variations between the circulating and vaccine-targeted strains, integrating the vaccine into the national immunization program could reduce the prevalence of the disease, the number of hospitalizations, and the severity of cases.

Implementation of outpatient hip and knee arthroplasty in a multicenter public healthcare setting.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Length of hospital stay after hip and knee arthroplasty is about 1 day in Denmark with few patients discharged on the day of surgery. Hence, a protocol for multicenter implementation of discharge on day of surgery has been instituted. We aimed to describe the implementation of outpatient hip and knee arthroplasty in a multicenter public healthcare setting. METHODS: We performed a prospective multicenter study from 7 public hospitals across Denmark. Patients were screened using well-defined in- and exclusion criteria and were discharged on day of surgery when fulfilling functional discharge criteria. The study period was from September 2022 to February 2023 with variable start of implementation. Data from the same centers in a 6-month period before the COVID pandemic from July 2019 to December 2019 was used for baseline control. RESULTS: Of 2,756 primary hip and knee arthroplasties, 37% (95% confidence interval [CI] 35-39) were eligible (range 21-50% in centers) and 52% (range 24-62%) of these were discharged on day of surgery. 21% (CI 20-23) of all patients (eligible and non-eligible) were discharged on day of surgery with a range of 10-31% within centers. This was an additional 15% (CI 13-17, P < 0.001) compared with patients discharged in the control period (6% in 2019). CONCLUSION: We found it possible to perform outpatient hip and knee replacement in 21% of patients in a public healthcare setting, probably to be increased with further center experience.

Early acquisition of S-specific Tfh clonotypes after SARS-CoV-2 vaccination is associated with the longevity of anti-S antibodies.

SARS-CoV-2 vaccines have been used worldwide to combat COVID-19 pandemic. To elucidate the factors that determine the longevity of spike (S)-specific antibodies, we traced the characteristics of S-specific T cell clonotypes together with their epitopes and anti-S antibody titers before and after BNT162b2 vaccination over time. T cell receptor (TCR) αß sequences and mRNA expression of the S-responded T cells were investigated using single-cell TCR- and RNA-sequencing. Highly expanded 199 TCR clonotypes upon stimulation with S peptide pools were reconstituted into a reporter T cell line for the determination of epitopes and restricting HLAs. Among them, we could determine 78 S epitopes, most of which were conserved in variants of concern (VOCs). After the 2nd vaccination, T cell clonotypes highly responsive to recall S stimulation were polarized to follicular helper T (Tfh)-like cells in donors exhibiting sustained anti-S antibody titers (designated as 'sustainers'), but not in 'decliners'. Even before vaccination, S-reactive CD4+ T cell clonotypes did exist, most of which cross-reacted with environmental or symbiotic microbes. However, these clonotypes contracted after vaccination. Conversely, S-reactive clonotypes dominated after vaccination were undetectable in pre-vaccinated T cell pool, suggesting that highly responding S-reactive T cells were established by vaccination from rare clonotypes. These results suggest that de novo acquisition of memory Tfh-like cells upon vaccination may contribute to the longevity of anti-S antibody titers.

Evidence syntheses to support decision-making related to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic generated a large volume of scientific productions with different quality levels. The speed with which knowledge was produced and shared worldwide imposed on health management the challenge of seeking ways to identify the best available evidence to support its decisions. In response to this challenge, the Department of Science and Technology of the Brazilian Ministry of Health started offering a service to produce and provide scientific knowledge addressing priority public health issues in the pandemic scenario. Drug treatments, non-pharmacological measures, testing, reinfection and immunological response, immunization, pathophysiology, post-COVID syndrome and adverse events are among the topics covered. In this article, we discuss the strengths and lessons learned, as well as the challenges and perspectives that present a real example of how to offer the best scientific evidence in a timely manner in order to assist the decision-making process during a public health emergency.

Preparing for future pandemics while responding to the current ones in the midst of a planetary climate crisis: Can we face this triple global health challenge?

Global health faces the triple challenge of preparing for future pandemics while responding to current ones in the midst of a climate crisis. In this commentary, we discuss the heightened focus on pandemic preparedness after the COVID-19 pandemic and the risks that this may pose to addressing the elimination of AIDS, tuberculosis, hepatitis and malaria, established in the Sustainable Development Goals as target 3.3. Considering their interconnections with the climate crisis and advocating for global health justice, we identify impasses that such a dispute over priorities can imply, and comment on four fronts of actions that could contribute convergently to both agendas as well as to facing the consequences of climate change to health: strengthening health systems, global commitment to equitable access to strategic medicines, addressing social inequalities and joining efforts for health and climate justice We conclude that addressing these fronts safeguards the health rights of the most vulnerable to existing epidemics while enhancing readiness for future pandemics. Moreover, solutions must transcend technocratic approaches, necessitating the confrontation of inequalities perpetuated by systems of power and privilege fueling both health and climate crises. Ultimately, health justice should guide responses to this intricate triple global health challenge.

Opioid Therapy for Cancer Pain in Vietnam: Knowledge, Attitudes, and Perceived Barriers Among Health Care Professionals, Policymakers, and Regulators.

PURPOSE: We aimed to assess knowledge, attitudes, and perceived barriers among health care professionals (HCPs), policymakers, and regulators in Vietnam related to opioid therapy for cancer pain. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study in Vietnam from June to August 2022. Participants completed a questionnaire on their demographic characteristics, knowledge and attitudes toward opioid therapy, and barriers to accessing opioids for cancer pain. RESULTS: Two hundred seven HCPs and 15 policymakers/regulators completed the questionnaire. Poor knowledge about opioids in cancer pain was found in 63.3% of HCPs and 80.0% of policymakers/regulators. Poor knowledge was associated with a lack of training in cancer pain management or palliative care (PC; prevalence ratio [PR], 1.14 [95% CI, 1.04 to 1.24]). Negative attitudes toward opioid therapy in cancer pain were held by 64.7% of HCPs and 80.0% of policymakers/regulators. Negative attitudes were associated with the unavailability of oral morphine in the workplace (PR, 1.10 [95% CI, 1.01 to 1.20]). The most common major barriers reported were the absence of national policy on pain management and PC (34.7%), inadequate training in opioid use for cancer pain (33.8%), lockdown of health facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic (32.4%), limited opioid availability in local health facilities (32.4%), and excessively restrictive regulation of opioid dispensing in pharmacies (32.4%). CONCLUSION: This study found a knowledge deficit and negative attitudes toward opioid therapy for cancer pain among HCPs and policymakers/regulators. Improving education and training in opioid therapy is essential. Recognizing major barriers can guide strategies to enhance safe opioid accessibility for cancer pain management in Vietnam.

Prior COVID-19 vaccination and reduced risk of cerebrovascular diseases among COVID-19 survivors.

The effects of COVID-19 vaccination on short-term and long-term cerebrovascular risks among COVID-19 survivors remained unknown. We conducted a national multi-center retrospective cohort study with 151 597 vaccinated and 151 597 unvaccinated COVID-19 patients using the TriNetX database, from January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2023. Patients baseline characteristics were balanced with propensity score matching (PSM). The outcomes were incident cerebrovascular diseases occurred between 1st and 30th days (short-term) after COVID-19 diagnosis. Nine subgroup analyses were conducted to explore potential effect modifications. We performed six sensitivity analyses, including evaluation of outcomes between 1st to 180th days, accounting for competing risk, and incorporating different variant timeline to test the robustness of our results. Kaplan-Meier curves and Log-Rank tests were performed to evaluate survival difference. Cox proportional hazards regressions were adopted to estimate the PSM-adjusted hazard ratios (HR). The overall short-term cerebrovascular risks were lower in the vaccinated group compared to the unvaccinated group (HR: 0.66, 95% CI: 0.56-0.77), specifically cerebral infarction (HR: 0.62, 95% CI: 0.48-0.79), occlusion and stenosis of precerebral arteries (HR: 0.74, 95% CI: 0.53-0.98), other cerebrovascular diseases (HR: 0.57, 95% CI: 0.42-0.77), and sequelae of cerebrovascular disease (HR: 0.39, 95% CI:0.23-0.68). Similarly, the overall cerebrovascular risks were lower in those vaccinated among most subgroups. The long-term outcomes, though slightly attenuated, were consistent (HR: 0.80, 95% CI: 0.73-0.87). Full 2-dose vaccination was associated with a further reduced risk of cerebrovascular diseases (HR: 0.63, 95% CI: 0.50-0.80) compared to unvaccinated patients. Unvaccinated COVID-19 survivors have significantly higher cerebrovascular risks than their vaccinated counterparts. Thus, clinicians are recommended to monitor this population closely for stroke events during postinfection follow-up.

Characterizing the antigenic evolution of pandemic influenza A (H1N1) pdm09 from 2009 to 2023.

The H1N1pdm09 virus has been a persistent threat to public health since the 2009 pandemic. Particularly, since the relaxation of COVID-19 pandemic mitigation measures, the influenza virus and SARS-CoV-2 have been concurrently prevalent worldwide. To determine the antigenic evolution pattern of H1N1pdm09 and develop preventive countermeasures, we collected influenza sequence data and immunological data to establish a new antigenic evolution analysis framework. A machine learning model (XGBoost, accuracy = 0.86, area under the receiver operating characteristic curve = 0.89) was constructed using epitopes, physicochemical properties, receptor binding sites, and glycosylation sites as features to predict the antigenic similarity relationships between influenza strains. An antigenic correlation network was constructed, and the Markov clustering algorithm was used to identify antigenic clusters. Subsequently, the antigenic evolution pattern of H1N1pdm09 was analyzed at the global and regional scales across three continents. We found that H1N1pdm09 evolved into around five antigenic clusters between 2009 and 2023 and that their antigenic evolution trajectories were characterized by cocirculation of multiple clusters, low-level persistence of former dominant clusters, and local heterogeneity of cluster circulations. Furthermore, compared with the seasonal H1N1 virus, the potential cluster-transition determining sites of H1N1pdm09 were restricted to epitopes Sa and Sb. This study demonstrated the effectiveness of machine learning methods for characterizing antigenic evolution of viruses, developed a specific model to rapidly identify H1N1pdm09 antigenic variants, and elucidated their evolutionary patterns. Our findings may provide valuable support for the implementation of effective surveillance strategies and targeted prevention efforts to mitigate the impact of H1N1pdm09.

[Social media as platforms for the visibility of gender-based violence during the COVID-19 pandemic in Colombia]. / Redes sociales como escenarios para la visibilización de las violencias basadas en género durante la pandemia de covid-19 en Colombia.

The purpose of this research is to identify predominant problematizations in Colombian feminist Instagram accounts regarding gender-based violence during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Employing a qualitative approach, a digital ethnography based on the principles of netnography was conducted as an alternative to detail the social worlds constructed from online groups. Fifty pieces of content from @lainsumisa and twenty pieces of content from @feministasenconstrucción, published between March 2020 and March 2021, were selected based on observations made within the online fieldwork framework. These were analyzed using discourse analysis techniques. The findings discuss the following emerging categories: unpaid household work, romanticized harassment, fatphobia, and the violation of Black and racialized women's rights. In this context, cyberactivism is presented as an opportunity for the emergence of collectives and support networks for women advocating for gender equality and their rights, towards questioning patriarchal ideas that jeopardize their well-being.

El propósito de esta investigación es identificar las problematizaciones predominantes en cuentas feministas colombianas de Instagram, sobre las violencias basadas en género durante el primer año de la pandemia de covid-19. Desde un enfoque cualitativo, se realizó una etnografía digital basada en los preceptos de la netnografía, como alternativa para detallar los mundos sociales construidos a partir de los grupos en línea. A partir de las observaciones realizadas en el marco del trabajo de campo en línea se seleccionaron 50 contenidos de @lainsumisa y 20 contenidos de @feministasenconstrucción, publicados entre marzo de 2020 y marzo de 2021, los cuales se analizaron mediante técnicas de análisis del discurso. Entre los hallazgos se discuten las siguientes categorías emergentes: el trabajo no remunerado en el hogar, el acoso romantizado, la gordofobia y la vulneración a las mujeres negras y racializadas. Al respecto, se plantea el ciberactivismo como una oportunidad para el surgimiento de colectivos y redes de apoyo para las mujeres que luchan por la equidad de género y por sus derechos, hacia el cuestionamiento de ideas patriarcales que atentan contra su bienestar.

Implementation of Inpatient Electronic Consultations During the COVID-19 Crisis and Its Sustainability Beyond the Pandemic: Quality Improvement Study.

BACKGROUND: Limiting in-person contact was a key strategy for controlling the spread of the highly infectious novel coronavirus (COVID-19). To protect patients and staff from the risk of infection while providing continued access to necessary health care services, we implemented a new electronic consultation (e-consult) service that allowed referring providers to receive subspecialty consultations for patients who are hospitalized and do not require in-person evaluation by the specialist. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to assess the impact of implementing e-consults in the inpatient setting to reduce avoidable face-to-face referrals during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: This quality improvement study evaluated all inpatient e-consults ordered from July 2020 to December 2022 at the University of California Irvine Medical Center. The impact of e-consults was assessed by evaluating use (eg, number of e-consults ordered), e-consult response times, and outcome of the e-consult requests (eg, resolved electronically or converted to the in-person evaluation of patient). RESULTS: There were 1543 inpatient e-consults ordered across 11 participating specialties. A total of 53.5% (n=826) of requests were addressed electronically, without the need for a formal in-person evaluation of the patient. The median time between ordering an e-consult and a specialist documenting recommendations in an e-consult note was 3.7 (IQR 1.3-8.2) hours across all specialties, contrasted with 7.3 (IQR 3.6-22.0) hours when converted to an in-person consult (P<.001). The monthly volume of e-consult requests increased, coinciding with surges of COVID-19 cases in California. After the peaks of the COVID-19 crisis subsided, the use of inpatient e-consults persisted at a rate well above the precrisis levels. CONCLUSIONS: An inpatient e-consult service was successfully implemented, resulting in fewer unnecessary face-to-face consultations and significant reductions in the response times for consults requested on patients who are hospitalized and do not require an in-person evaluation. Thus, e-consults provided timely, efficient delivery of inpatient consultation services for appropriate problems while minimizing the risk of direct transmission of the COVID-19 virus between health care providers and patients. The service also demonstrated its value as a tool for effective inpatient care coordination beyond the peaks of the pandemic leading to the sustainability of service and value.

The Role of Clinic Preparedness to Support Patients and Strengthen the Medical System During and After a Pandemic.

Pediatric clinic preparedness is essential to improve the care and health outcomes for children during a pandemic and to decrease the burden on hospital systems. Clinic preparedness is a process that involves a well thought out plan that includes coordination with staff, open communication between the clinic and patient families, and collaboration with community partners. Planning for disasters can decrease some of the risks for our most vulnerable patients, including children and youth with special health care needs. There are plans, coalitions, and community partners that can help clinics in their preparedness journey.

Vaccine Development.

This article considers ethical considerations surrounding pediatric vaccine development for pandemic preparedness, examines some historical cases of pediatric vaccines developed during past smallpox, influenza, and 2019 coronavirus disease pandemics, and discusses the current state of vaccine development for pandemic preparedness, including vaccines against smallpox/mpox, influenza, anthrax, and Ebola that are included in the US Strategic National Stockpile and vaccines being developed against priority pathogens identified by the World Health Organization.

Impact of COVID-19 on the Health of Migrant Children in the United States: From Policy to Practice.

In this article, the authors provide an overview how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the health and wellbeing of migrant children in conflict zones, in transit and post-settlement in the United States. In particular, the authors explore how policies implemented during the pandemic directly and indirectly affected migrant children and led to widening disparities in the aftermath of the pandemic. Given these circumstances, the authors provide recommendations for child health care providers caring for migrant children to mitigate and bolster resilience and health.

Strengthening Pediatric and Public Health Collaboration to Protect Children's Health During a Pandemic.

This article examines lessons learned from previous pandemics, including the 2009 H1N1 influenza and the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. Pediatric providers have a unique and important role and strategies to improve collaboration and communication between public health and pediatric providers are essential during public health emergencies. A robust network of communication channels, effective public health messaging, and pediatric-focused disease related, and program outcome data are key to supporting a coordinated response to future pandemics. Critical issues include real-time communication with and engagement of pediatric providers as well as optimizing best evidence approaches for pediatric care while considering the distinct challenges facing children and their families.

Vaccine Confidence as Critical to Pandemic Preparedness and Response.

Vaccine confidence is a belief that vaccines work, are safe, and are part of a trustworthy medical system. The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the fragility of the public's confidence in vaccines and the vaccine enterprise, limiting the public health impact of vaccination. In this review, we examine the critical nature of vaccine confidence to pandemic preparedness and response.