Project description:BackgroundThe ongoing worldwide COVID-19 pandemic has heightened several risk factors for child abuse and neglect (CAN). We study whether COVID-19 and the public health response to it affected CAN-related pediatric emergency department (ED) visits in the southeastern United States (US).MethodsWe performed a retrospective chart review on medical records of ED visits from a level I pediatric hospital system serving one of the largest metropolitan areas in the southeastern US from January through June 2018-2020. We used multivariate Poisson regression and linear regression to compare professionally identified CAN-related ED visits before and after a COVID-19 public health emergency declaration in 2020, relative to trends over the same period in 2018 and 2019.ResultsAlthough the number of both overall pediatric ED visits and CAN-related ED visits declined, the number of CAN-related ED visits due to neglect from inadequate adult supervision increased by 62 % (p < 0.01). The number of CAN visits per 1,000 pediatric ED visits also increased by 97 % (p < 0.01). Finally, the proportion of CAN-related ED visits due to neglect from inadequate supervision increased by 100 % (p < 0.01).ConclusionsPhysicians should be aware that patients who present with injuries during a pandemic may be victims of neglect due to changes in social structures in their households. In particular, maltreatment presenting to the ED shifted toward treating injuries and abuse resulting from inadequate supervision. Policymakers should consider the impacts of stay-at-home orders on child well-being when determining appropriate public health responses in the midst of a pandemic.Trial registrationNot applicable.

| S-EPMC8435405 | biostudies-literature

Monkeypox lineages amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic: A global public health concern - Correspondence.

Project description: Not available

| S-EPMC9617653 | biostudies-literature

How are declarations of interest working? A cross-sectional study in declarations of interest in healthcare practice in Scotland and England in 2020/2021.

Project description:ObjectiveTo understand arrangements for healthcare organisations' declarations of staff interest in Scotland and England in the context of current recommendations.DesignCross-sectional study of a random selection of National Health Service (NHS) hospital registers of interest by two independent observers in England, all NHS Boards in Scotland and a random selection of Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) in England.SettingNHS Trusts in England (NHSE), NHS Boards in Scotland, CCGs in England, and private healthcare organisations.ParticipantsRegisters of declarations of interest published in a random sample of 67 of 217 NHS Trusts, a random sample of 15 CCGs of in England, registers held by all 14 NHS Scotland Boards and a purposeful selection of private hospitals/clinics in the UK.Main outcome measuresAdherence to NHSE guidelines on declarations of interests, and comparison in Scotland.Results76% of registers published by Trusts did not routinely include all declaration of interest categories recommended by NHS England. In NHS Scotland only 14% of Boards published staff registers of interest. Of these employee registers (most obtained under Freedom of Information), 27% contained substantial retractions. In England, 96% of CCGs published a Gifts and Hospitality register, with 67% of CCG staff declaration templates and 53% of governor registers containing full standard NHS England declaration categories. Single organisations often held multiple registers lacking enough information to interpret them. Only 35% of NHS Trust registers were organised to enable searching. None of the private sector organisations studied published a comparable declarations of interest register.ConclusionDespite efforts, the current system of declarations frequently lacks ability to meaningfully obtain complete healthcare professionals' declaration of interests.

| S-EPMC9639127 | biostudies-literature

Editors' declaration of their own conflicts of interest.

Project description: Not available

| S-EPMC514645 | biostudies-literature

Declarations of interest by members of Health Canada's special advisory committees and panels: a descriptive study.

Project description:BACKGROUND:Health Canada supplements its in-house expertise on pharmacotherapy and pharmaceutical policy through the use of scientific/expert advisory committees and scientific/expert advisory panels. This study was undertaken to examine the interests of the members of these Health Canada advisory bodies. METHODS:This was an observational study of the financial and intellectual interests of members of Health Canada's scientific/expert advisory committees and panels. The following information was extracted from Health Canada websites in December 2018: member's name, name of committee/panel, direct and indirect financial interests, and intellectual interests. Information extracted about the committees and panels included the number of meetings for which a record of proceedings was available and the topics discussed at the meetings. RESULTS:Of 81 unique committee and panel members, 12 declared a direct financial interest, 56 an indirect financial interest and 65 an intellectual interest. Five of 11 committees and panels had people who declared a direct financial interest. All 11 advisory bodies had members who declared indirect financial interests (n = 62) and intellectual interests (n = 81). Six of the 11 committees and panels had a majority of members who declared a direct or indirect financial interest. In the 10 advisory body meetings for which information was available, individual products were rarely discussed but recommendations from all but 1 of the meetings could potentially have affected sales. INTERPRETATION:Only a minority of members of Health Canada's advisory committees and panels declared direct financial interests but the majority of members of a majority of the advisory bodies declared indirect financial and intellectual interests. Because of the lack of individual voting records it was not possible to determine if financial or intellectual interests influenced voting patterns.

| S-EPMC6527433 | biostudies-literature

Sustainable Model for Public Health Emergency Operations Centers for Global Settings.

Project description:Capacity to receive, verify, analyze, assess, and investigate public health events is essential for epidemic intelligence. Public health Emergency Operations Centers (PHEOCs) can be epidemic intelligence hubs by 1) having the capacity to receive, analyze, and visualize multiple data streams, including surveillance and 2) maintaining a trained workforce that can analyze and interpret data from real-time emerging events. Such PHEOCs could be physically located within a ministry of health epidemiology, surveillance, or equivalent department rather than exist as a stand-alone space and serve as operational hubs during nonoutbreak times but in emergencies can scale up according to the traditional Incident Command System structure.

| S-EPMC5711308 | biostudies-literature

Epidemiology of Norovirus Outbreaks Reported to the Public Health Emergency Event Surveillance System, China, 2014⁻2017.

Project description:We conducted a retrospective analysis of norovirus outbreaks reported to the National Public Health Emergency Event Surveillance System (PHEESS) in China from January 1, 2014 to December 31, 2017. We reviewed all acute gastroenteritis outbreaks (n = 692) submitted to PHEESS to identify the frequency, seasonality, geographic distribution, setting, and transmission mode of outbreaks due to norovirus. A total of 616 norovirus outbreaks resulting in 30,848 cases were reported. Among these outbreaks, 571 (93%) occurred in school settings including 239 (39%) in primary schools, 136 (22%) in childcare facilities, and 121 (20%) in secondary schools. The majority of outbreaks (63%) were due to person-to-person transmission, followed by multiple modes of transmission (11%), foodborne (5%) and waterborne (3%) transmission. These findings highlight the importance of improving hand hygiene and environmental disinfection in high-risk settings. Developing a standard and quantitative outbreak reporting structure could improve the usefulness of PHEESS for monitoring norovirus outbreaks.

| S-EPMC6520956 | biostudies-literature

Emergence of monkeypox: a worldwide public health crisis.

Project description:The human monkeypox virus (MPV), a zoonotic illness that was hitherto solely prevalent in Central and West Africa, has lately been discovered to infect people all over the world and has become a major threat to global health. Humans unintentionally contract this zoonotic orthopoxvirus, which resembles smallpox, when they come into contact with infected animals. Studies show that the illness can also be transferred through frequent proximity, respiratory droplets, and household linens such as towels and bedding. However, MPV infection does not presently have a specified therapy. Smallpox vaccinations provide cross-protection against MPV because of antigenic similarities. Despite scant knowledge of the genesis, epidemiology, and ecology of the illness, the incidence and geographic distribution of monkeypox outbreaks have grown recently. Polymerase chain reaction technique on lesion specimens can be used to detect MPV. Vaccines like ACAM2000, vaccinia immune globulin intravenous (VIG-IV), and JYNNEOS (brand name: Imvamune or Imvanex) as well as FDA-approved antiviral medications such as brincidofovir (brand name: Tembexa), tecovirimat (brand name: TPOXX or ST-246), and cidofovir (brand name: Vistide) are used as therapeutic medications against MPV. In this overview, we provide an outline of the MPV's morphology, evolution, mechanism, transmission, diagnosis, preventative measures, and therapeutic approaches. This study offers the fundamental information required to prevent and manage any further spread of this emerging virus.

| S-EPMC9903284 | biostudies-literature

Monkeypox: An extra burden on global health.

Project description: Not available

| S-EPMC9238059 | biostudies-literature