Mainstreaming of Health Equity in Infectious Disease Control Policy During the COVID-19 Pandemic Era.

The Korean government's strategy to combat coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has focused on non-pharmaceutical interventions, such as social distancing and wearing masks, along with testing, tracing, and treatment; overall, its performance has been relatively good compared to that of many other countries heavily affected by COVID-19. However, little attention has been paid to health equity in measures to control the COVID-19 pandemic. The study aimed to examine the unequal impacts of COVID-19 across socioeconomic groups and to suggest potential solutions to tackle these inequalities. The pathways linking social determinants and health could be entry points to tackle the unequal consequences of this public health emergency. It is crucial for infectious disease policy to consider social determinants of health including poor housing, precarious working conditions, disrupted healthcare services, and suspension of social services. Moreover, the high levels of uncertainty and complexity inherent in this public health emergency, as well as the health and socioeconomic inequalities caused by the pandemic, underscore the need for good governance other than top-down measures by the government. We emphasize that a people-centered perspective is a key approach during the pandemic era. Mutual trust between the state and civil society, strong accountability of the government, and civic participation are essential components of cooperative disaster governance.

China upgrades surveillance and control measures of Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS).

Three years after the identification of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) in Saudi Arabia, the first case of MERS in China was reported on May 29, 2015. Although the Chinese government issued the MERS Prevention and Control Plan in 2013, a novel edition was released on June 5, 2015 to better cope with the current epidemic situation. The revised Plan refines the descriptions in case-finding and establishment of case-monitoring systems. In addition, tougher regulations on close contacts of confirmed patients and suspected cases are introduced in this new Plan. It is expected these countermeasures will play a greater role in surveilling and controlling MERS in China.

The potential for a controlled human infection platform in Singapore.

For over 100 years, controlled human infection (CHI) studies have been performed to advance the understanding of the pathogenesis, treatment and prevention of infectious diseases. This methodology has seen a resurgence, as it offers an efficient model for selecting the most promising agents for further development from available candidates. CHI studies are utilised to bridge safety and immunogenicity testing and phase II/III efficacy studies. However, as this platform is not currently utilised in Asia, opportunities to study therapeutics and vaccines for infections that are important in Asia are missed. This review examines the regulatory differences for CHI studies between countries and summarises other regulatory differences in clinical trials as a whole. We found that the regulations that would apply to CHI studies in Singapore closely mirror those in the United Kingdom, and conclude that the regulatory and ethical guidelines in Singapore are compatible with the conduct of CHI studies.

Primary prophylaxis of bacterial infections and Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia in patients with hematological malignancies and solid tumors : guidelines of the Infectious Diseases Working Party (AGIHO) of the German Society of Hematology and Oncology (DGHO).

Bacterial infections are the most common cause for treatment-related mortality in patients with neutropenia after chemotherapy. Here, we discuss the use of antibacterial prophylaxis against bacteria and Pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP) in neutropenic cancer patients and offer guidance towards the choice of drug. A literature search was performed to screen all articles published between September 2000 and January 2012 on antibiotic prophylaxis in neutropenic cancer patients. The authors assembled original reports and meta-analysis from the literature and drew conclusions, which were discussed and approved in a consensus conference of the Infectious Disease Working Party of the German Society of Hematology and Oncology (AGIHO). Antibacterial prophylaxis has led to a reduction of febrile events and infections. A significant reduction of overall mortality could only be shown in a meta-analysis. Fluoroquinolones are preferred for antibacterial and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole for PCP prophylaxis. Due to serious concerns about an increase of resistant pathogens, only patients at high risk of severe infections should be considered for antibiotic prophylaxis. Risk factors of individual patients and local resistance patterns must be taken into account. Risk factors, choice of drug for antibacterial and PCP prophylaxis and concerns regarding the use of prophylactic antibiotics are discussed in the review.

[Social-sanitary situation in Marañón's work in the context of the fight against infectious diseases]. / La cuestión sociosanitaria en la obra de Marañón en el contexto de la lucha contra las enfermedades infecciosas.

Gregorio Marañón y Posadillo (1887-1960), played a leading role in the birth of endocrinology in Spain as is well known. However, his medical work included other important and significant fields. Thus, it was especially in the 1910s and 1920s, when Marañón dealt with the social-sanitary situation in madrid probably due to his professional attachment to the treatment of several infectious diseases and epidemic outbreaks. Actually, since 1911 onwards, he was in charge of the wards of infectious diseases in the Hospital General de Madrid where he had the opportunity of treating an important number of patients suffering from this type of pathology and, as a consequence, in the following years he published several articles in medical journals and presented in the Royal Academy of Medicine in Spain, some reports on infectious diseases and the Spanish health and social conditions at the time. This paper try to analyze this field of Marañón's social and scientific activity.