Western Pacific Surveillance and Response最新文献

{"title":"High SARS-CoV-2 attack rates in areas with low detection after community transmission established in Port Vila, Vanuatu, April 2022.","authors":"Florita Toa, Wendy Williams, Chaturangi Yapa, Matthew Cornish, Melissa Binihi, Caroline van Gemert","doi":"10.5365/wpsar.2024.15.1.1078","DOIUrl":"10.5365/wpsar.2024.15.1.1078","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>On 4 March 2022, the first community-acquired case of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was reported in Vanuatu, with community transmission occurring subsequently. It was expected that the number of notified SARS-CoV-2 cases would be an underestimate of the true infection rate of this outbreak; however, the magnitude of underreporting was unknown. The purpose of this study was to provide a population-based estimate of SARS-CoV-2 infection shortly after the first reports of community transmission, to understand the level of underdetection and undernotification in Vanuatu and thus to inform ongoing prevention and response activities.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We conducted a cross-sectional SARS-CoV-2 prevalence study in two geographical administrative areas in Port Vila, Vanuatu in April 2022. All residents in selected areas were eligible. Trained teams conducted demographic and behavioural interviews and collected nasal specimens. Specimens were tested by polymerase chain reaction. The primary outcomes were the rates of SARS-CoV-2 attack (point prevalence) and cumulative attack, underdetection, notification and household secondary attack.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 252 people from 84 households participated. Among 175 people who had a sample collected, 91 were SARS-CoV-2-positive (attack rate 52.0%). Most cases had not been detected before the study (underdetection rate 91.5%). More than half of previously detected cases were notified (notification rate 65.2%).</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>Within the first few weeks of community transmission, more than half of participants in the selected areas had evidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection; however, most infections had been undetected. This study provides important information about the rapid spread of novel infectious diseases in Vanuatu.</p>","PeriodicalId":31512,"journal":{"name":"Western Pacific Surveillance and Response","volume":"15 1","pages":"1-9"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10944822/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140159207","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Delays in health seeking, diagnosis and treatment for tuberculosis patients in Mongolia: an analysis of surveillance data, 2018-2021.","authors":"Larissa Otero, Tsolmon Boldoo, Anuzaya Purevdagva, Uranchimeg Borgil, Temuulen Enebish, Oyunchimeg Erdenee, Tauhid Islam, Fukushi Morishita","doi":"10.5365/wpsar.2024.15.1.1074","DOIUrl":"10.5365/wpsar.2024.15.1.1074","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Early diagnosis and treatment of infectious tuberculosis (TB) is essential to the attainment of global targets specified in the End TB Strategy. Using case-based TB surveillance data, we analysed delays in health seeking, diagnosis and treatment among TB patients in Mongolia from 2018 to 2021. We calculated the median and interquartile range (IQR) for \"diagnostic delay,\" defined as the time from symptom onset to diagnosis, subdivided into \"health-seeking delay\" (time from symptom onset to first visit to a health facility) and \"health facility diagnostic delay\" (time from first health facility visit to diagnosis), and for \"treatment delay,\" defined as the time from diagnosis to start of treatment. We also calculated \"total delay,\" defined as the time from symptom onset to treatment start. Based on data for 13 968 registered TB patients, the median total delay was estimated to be 37 days (IQR, 19-76). This was mostly due to health-seeking delay (median, 23 days; IQR, 8-53); in contrast, health facility diagnostic delay and treatment delay were relatively short (median, 1 day; IQR, 0-7; median, 1 day; IQR, 0-7, respectively). In 2021, health-seeking delay did not differ significantly between men and women but was shorter in children than in adults and shorter in clinically diagnosed than in bacteriologically confirmed TB cases. Health-seeking delay was longest in the East region (median, 44.5 days; IQR, 20-87) and shortest in Ulaanbaatar (median, 9; IQR, 14-64). TB treatment delay was similar across sexes, age groups and types of TB diagnosis but slightly longer among retreated cases and people living in Ulaanbaatar. Efforts to reduce TB transmission in Mongolia should prioritize decreasing delays in health seeking.</p>","PeriodicalId":31512,"journal":{"name":"Western Pacific Surveillance and Response","volume":"15 1","pages":"1-9"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10944825/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140159205","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Hepatitis B virus infection on Kwajalein Atoll, Marshall Islands: a seroprevalence, knowledge and attitudes study.","authors":"Melaia Lawanivalu, Anaseini Ratu, Glorine A Jeadrik, Masoud Mohammadnezhad, Aneley Getahun Strobel","doi":"10.5365/wpsar.2024.15.1.1042","DOIUrl":"10.5365/wpsar.2024.15.1.1042","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>A study was conducted to determine the seroprevalence of chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection among children and their mothers on Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands two decades after routine vaccination was introduced in the 1990s. Mothers' knowledge and attitudes towards HBV disease and vaccination were also assessed.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Results of a national seroprevalence survey conducted in 2016-2017 and antenatal records were used to determine the prevalence of HBV seropositivity in children aged 6-8 years and their biological mothers. The associations between demographic, social and vaccination-related factors and seropositivity were explored using Fisher's exact tests.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>HBV seroprevalence was 0.3% in children and 6.8% in their mothers (during pregnancy). Coverage of timely HBV vaccination was 90.3% for the birth dose and was significantly associated with factors related to place of residence (<i>P</i> < 0.001), place of birth (<i>P</i> < 0.001) and number of antenatal visits (<i>P</i> < 0.001). Maternal attitudes towards infant vaccination and antenatal screening were largely positive (95.8% and 96.7%, respectively) despite low vaccination rates (20.9%) among mothers. Knowledge levels were low for disease complications, treatment and transmission.</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>Prevalence of HBV in children and mothers residing on Kwajalein Atoll in 2016-2017 was lower than the national average for the Marshall Islands. Timely birth dose administration appears to have been effective in preventing mother-to-child transmission of HBV in this setting and should be promoted in remote settings where antiviral therapy is not available. Provision of out-of-cold-chain HBV vaccines should be considered to improve access in remote settings.</p>","PeriodicalId":31512,"journal":{"name":"Western Pacific Surveillance and Response","volume":"15 1","pages":"1-10"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10944823/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140159206","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A test-based strategy for early return to work for health-care workers with COVID-19 during the Omicron wave, Brunei Darussalam, 2022.","authors":"Alice Lai, Ashish Trivedi","doi":"10.5365/wpsar.2024.15.1.1051","DOIUrl":"10.5365/wpsar.2024.15.1.1051","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>This paper summarizes and evaluates a test-based strategy for early return to work for health-care workers (HCWs) with mild coronavirus disease in Brunei Darussalam during the Omicron wave in February 2022 and compares the characteristics of HCWs by how long it took them to return to work.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The early return-to-work strategy involved testing on day 3 of infection with reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and with a rapid antigen test on days 5 and 6 or days 5 and 7. Data about infected HCWs were extracted from the Ministry of Health's public health surveillance database. Percentages and proportions were used for descriptive statistics, and Pearson's χ² test and the paired <i>t</i>-test were used to compare return-to-work patterns with demographic factors and vaccination status of the HCWs, as well as between cycle threshold (Ct) values and occupational groups of HCWs.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>From 15 February to 15 March 2022, a total of 1121 HCWs were notified as being infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Of these, 175 (15.6%) were able to return to work on day 4 of their infection, 153 (13.6%) on day 6 and 268 (23.9%) on day 7; 525 (46.8%) required 10 days of home isolation. Statistically significant associations were observed between return-to-work periods and occupational group (<i>P</i> < 0.01) and Ct value (<i>P</i> < 0.01), but not between return to work and age, sex or vaccination status.</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>This test-based strategy ensured a balance between mitigating a shortage of HCWs and enabling them to return to work early without compromising their safety and that of their patients.</p>","PeriodicalId":31512,"journal":{"name":"Western Pacific Surveillance and Response","volume":"15 1","pages":"1-9"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10944824/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140159204","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Maintaining health-system functionality in response to the surge of COVID-19 cases due to the Omicron variant, Japan.","authors":"Yuki Moriyama, Saho Takaya, Takeshi Nishijima, Howard L Sobel, Norio Ohmagari","doi":"10.5365/wpsar.2023.14.5.1048","DOIUrl":"10.5365/wpsar.2023.14.5.1048","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Problem: </strong>The Omicron variant of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 caused the largest surge of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases in Japan starting in the summer of 2022. We describe the mechanisms introduced to provide appropriate health care to all Omicron cases, provide appropriate health care to all non-COVID-19 patients, and protect health-care workers (HCWs) while providing necessary health services. Optimization of care for elderly patients was particularly important.</p><p><strong>Context: </strong>Japan is home to 125 million people, of whom 28.6% are 65 years or older. Between January and June 2022, the country experienced 4.3 times more COVID-19 cases than in the previous 2 years (7.3 million vs 1.7 million).</p><p><strong>Action: </strong>To adjust care pathways, inpatient treatment capacity was increased, a home-based care system was established, and an on-site treatment scheme at long-term care facilities was started. Among essential health services, disruption of emergency care became most noticeable. Administrative and financial support was provided to hospitals with emergency departments to maintain emergency medical services. To protect HCWs while maintaining hospital services, flexible exemptions were introduced to enable those who became close contacts to return to work, and broadly targeted contact tracing and testing in case of nosocomial outbreaks were all helpful.</p><p><strong>Outcome: </strong>As a result of the adjustments made to inpatient capacity and patient flow, bed occupancy for COVID-19 patients decreased, mostly because many patients were cared for at home or in temporary-care facilities.</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>From this study, we extracted two essential lessons to aid in current and future health emergencies: how to balance the provision of acute medical care for elderly patients and maintain their well-being; and how to maintain essential health services.</p>","PeriodicalId":31512,"journal":{"name":"Western Pacific Surveillance and Response","volume":"14 5 Spec Edition","pages":"1-6"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10912826/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140050420","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network deployments during the COVID-19 pandemic, WHO Western Pacific Region.","authors":"Sharon Salmon, Simon Brinkwirth, Gianluca Loi, Jocelyne M Basseal","doi":"10.5365/wpsar.2024.15.5.1060","DOIUrl":"10.5365/wpsar.2024.15.5.1060","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Problem: </strong>The Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN) has responded to more than 100 outbreaks during the past 23 years. The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic presented unprecedented operational constraints that challenged GOARN's core mission to rapidly deploy technical experts from its partners to support national in-country responses to public health emergencies. This paper describes the type and duration of GOARN deployments to and within the World Health Organization's (WHO's) Western Pacific Region during the COVID-19 pandemic.</p><p><strong>Context: </strong>Despite strict border closures and ever-changing vaccination and quarantine requirements, GOARN continued to deploy international technical assistance to strengthen COVID-19 response operations within the Region, as requested.</p><p><strong>Action: </strong>Data were analysed from the GOARN Knowledge Platform about deployments to and within the Region for responses to the COVID-19 pandemic between 1 January 2020 and 5 May 2023. Data were available about deployment duration, technical role requested, country or area, partner organization and deployed expert's demographics. Feedback from postdeployment briefings with the experts was collected and thematically analysed to determine ongoing needs and gaps to help improve deployment operations.</p><p><strong>Outcome: </strong>There were 72 experts deployed on 89 missions through GOARN to 12 countries and areas in the Region, for a total of 4558 field days, to support the response to the COVID-19 pandemic.</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>The volume of requests for assistance from countries and areas in the Region to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic uncovered a deficit in human resources available for domestic response to outbreaks and the reliance on international assistance. Strengthening the in-country capacity of ready-to-respond public health emergency staff is critical to meet the needs for outbreak response. The ongoing demand for technical experts to support national responses means that these lessons may have immediate implications.</p>","PeriodicalId":31512,"journal":{"name":"Western Pacific Surveillance and Response","volume":"15 5 Spec edition","pages":"1-7"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10948340/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140176777","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN) focal point engagement meeting with partners in Japan.","authors":"Haruka Iwasaki, Sharon Salmon, Yukimasa Matsuzawa, Sangnim Lee, Kanae Takagi, Hidetoshi Nomoto, Masahiro Ishikane, Mugen Ujiie, Norio Ohmagari","doi":"10.5365/wpsar.2024.15.5.1100","DOIUrl":"10.5365/wpsar.2024.15.5.1100","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":31512,"journal":{"name":"Western Pacific Surveillance and Response","volume":"15 5 Spec edition","pages":"1-3"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2024-01-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10958120/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140207739","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Looking back, looking forward: lessons from COVID-19 communication measurement, evaluation and learning (MEL).","authors":"Oxana Onilov, Dexin Gong, Kimberly Chriscaden, Jargalan Tsogt, Maria Socorro Melic, Rosemarie Urquico, Anna Biernat, Anna Postovoitova, Lieke Visser, Nancy Wong, Rosemarie North, Olivia Lawe-Davies","doi":"10.5365/wpsar.2024.15.1.1056","DOIUrl":"10.5365/wpsar.2024.15.1.1056","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Problem: </strong>Communication is an integral component of an emergency response, including to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Designing effective communication requires systematic measurement, evaluation and learning.</p><p><strong>Context: </strong>In the Western Pacific Region, the World Health Organization (WHO) responded to the COVID-19 pandemic by using the Communication for Health (C4H) approach. This included the development and application of a robust measurement, evaluation and learning (MEL) framework to assess the effectiveness of COVID-19 communication, and to share and apply lessons in real time to continuously strengthen the pandemic response.</p><p><strong>Action: </strong>MEL was applied during the planning, implementation and summative evaluation phases of COVID-19 communication, with evidence-based insights and recommendations continuously integrated in succeeding phases of the COVID-19 response.</p><p><strong>Lessons learned: </strong>This article captures good practices that helped WHO to implement MEL during the COVID-19 pandemic. It focuses on lessons from the evaluation process, including the importance of planning, data integration, collaboration, partnerships, piggybacking, using existing data and leveraging digital media.</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>Despite some limitations, the systematic application of MEL to COVID-19 communication shows its value in the planning and implementation of effective, evidence-based communication to address public health challenges. It enables the evaluation of outcomes and reflection on lessons identified to strengthen the response to the current pandemic and future emergencies.</p>","PeriodicalId":31512,"journal":{"name":"Western Pacific Surveillance and Response","volume":"15 1","pages":"1-8"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2024-01-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10796270/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139512980","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Tuberculosis in elderly Australians: a 10-year retrospective review.","authors":"Yasmin Lisson, Aparna Lal, Ben J Marais, Anna Glynn-Robinson","doi":"10.5365/wpsar.2024.15.1.1040","DOIUrl":"10.5365/wpsar.2024.15.1.1040","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>This report describes the epidemiology of active tuberculosis (TB) in elderly Australians (≥ 65 years) with analysis of the factors associated with TB disease and successful treatment outcomes.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A retrospective study of TB cases reported to the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System over a 10-year period from 2011 to 2020 was conducted. Cases were stratified by sex, age, risk factors, drug resistance, treatment type and outcome. Notification rates and incidence rate ratios with 95% confidence intervals were calculated and factors associated with treatment success analysed using multivariable logistic regression.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 2231 TB cases among elderly people were reported over the study period, with a 10-year mean incidence rate of 6.2 per 100 000 population. The median age of cases was 75 years (range 65-100 years); most were male (65%) and born overseas (85%). Multivariable analysis found that successful treatment outcome was strongly associated with younger age, while unsuccessful treatment outcome was associated with being diagnosed within the first 2 years of arrival in Australia, ever having resided in an aged-care facility and resistance to fluoroquinolones.</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>Compared to other low-incidence settings in the Western Pacific Region, TB incidence in elderly people is low and stable in Australia, with most cases occurring among recent migrants from TB-endemic settings. Continued efforts to reduce TB importation and address migrant health, especially among elderly people, are important.</p>","PeriodicalId":31512,"journal":{"name":"Western Pacific Surveillance and Response","volume":"15 1","pages":"1-10"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2024-01-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10796269/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139512998","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"WPSAR after 14 volumes: achievements and future directions.","authors":"Ashley Arashiro, Michelle McPherson, Roxanne Andaya, Don Rivada, Babatunde Olowokure","doi":"10.5365/wpsar.2023.14.4.1136","DOIUrl":"10.5365/wpsar.2023.14.4.1136","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":31512,"journal":{"name":"Western Pacific Surveillance and Response","volume":"14 4","pages":"1-3"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2023-12-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10789723/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139479148","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}