Risk factors and strategies for prevention of depression, anxiety and eating disorders among adolescents during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic: a review

The purpose of this review is to identify prevalent trends and risk factors in depression,anxiety,and eating disorders in the adolescent population in the post coronavirus disease 2019(COvID-19)scenario.We examined the literature published on adolescent mental health since the COVID-19 pandemic.We chose to summarize studies published from 2019 to 2022,using bibliographic search tools.We developed criteria for selecting articles for our review using diagnostic indicators and keywords.Mental health conditions such as depression,anxiety and eating disorders are commonly prevalent in this population and have shown increasing rates in the past three years.Some risk factors associated with these diagnoses include reduction in social interaction,increased workloads,routine shifts,sleep quality,social media usage and parental involvement.Routines,sleep cycles,physical activity,and social media should all be considered as a part of prevention in this population.Approaches that seem to be successful include maintaining social ties and avoiding negative social media usage with harmful content.Increased global public awareness,as well as parental awareness,through media campaigns,is critical to slowing the spread of mental health challenges in adolescents and teenagers in the post-COvID-19 era.

Hepatobiliary system and intestinal injury in new coronavirus infection(COVID-19):A retrospective study

BACKGROUND An important area of effective control of the coronavirus disease 19(COVID-19)pandemic is the study of the pathogenic features of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection,including those based on assessing the state of the intestinal microbiota and permeability.AIM To study the clinical features of the new COVID-19 in patients with mild and moderate severity at the stage of hospitalization,to determine the role of hepatobiliary injury,intestinal permeability disorders,and changes in the qualitative and quantitative composition of the microbiota in the development of systemic inflammation in patients with COVID-19.METHODS The study was performed in 80 patients with COVID-19,with an average age of 45 years,19 of whom had mild disease,and 61 had moderate disease severity.The scope of the examination included traditional clinical,laboratory,biochemical,instrumental,and radiation studies,as well as original methods for studying microbiota and intestinal permeability.RESULTS The clinical course of COVID-19 was studied,and the clinical and biochemical features,manifestations of systemic inflammation,and intestinal microbiome changes in patients with mild and moderate severity were identified.Intestinal permeability characteristics against the background of COVID-19 were evaluated by measuring levels of proinflammatory cytokines,insulin,faecal calprotectin,and zonulin.CONCLUSION This study highlights the role of intestinal permeability and microbiota as the main drivers of gastroenterological manifestations and increased COVID-19 severity.

Prediction System for Diagnosis and Detection of Coronavirus Disease-2019(COVID-19):A Fuzzy-Soft Expert System

In early December 2019,a new virus named“2019 novel coronavirus(2019-nCoV)”appeared in Wuhan,China.The disease quickly spread worldwide,resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic.In the currentwork,we will propose a novel fuzzy softmodal(i.e.,fuzzy-soft expert system)for early detection of COVID-19.Themain construction of the fuzzy-soft expert systemconsists of five portions.The exploratory study includes sixty patients(i.e.,fortymales and twenty females)with symptoms similar to COVID-19 in(Nanjing Chest Hospital,Department of Respiratory,China).The proposed fuzzy-soft expert systemdepended on five symptoms of COVID-19(i.e.,shortness of breath,sore throat,cough,fever,and age).We will use the algorithm proposed by Kong et al.to detect these patients who may suffer from COVID-19.In this way,the present system is beneficial to help the physician decide if there is any patient who has COVID-19 or not.Finally,we present the comparison between the present system and the fuzzy expert system.

Global pattern and determinants of coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)vaccine coverage and progression:a global ecological study

Background:Understanding and minimizing existing global coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)vaccination disparities is critical to global population health and eliminating health inequities.The study aims to investigate the disparities of vaccination coverage and progression and the associated economic and educational determinants to inform global COVID-19 vaccination strategies.Methods:COVID-19 vaccination coverage data from 206 countries used in the study were derived from“Our World in Data”website.After obtaining the vaccination coverage indicators,we fitted the progression indicators for vaccination.Correlation and multiple linear regression analysis were used to examine the effects of gross domestic product(GDP)per capita,Gini index,education,and their interactions on the coverage and progression of the COVID-19 vaccination.Results:The coverage of COVID-19 vaccination ranged from less than 30 doses to more than 150 doses per hun­dred people,from less than 15%to more than 75%for proportion of people vaccinated,from less than 15%to more than 60%for proportion of people fully vaccinated.Similarly,the progression of vaccination ranged from less than 0.1 to more than 0.6 for progression of total number of doses,from less than 0.1 to more than 0.3 for progression of proportion of people vaccinated,and from less than 0.1 to more than 0.4 for progression of propor­tion of people fully vaccinated.GDP per capita and education were positively associated with the coverage and progression,while Gini index was negatively associated with the coverage and progression.Negative interaction between GDP per capita and education was also observed for coverage(0=-0.012 to-0.011,P<0.05)and progression(0=-0.012 to-0.011,P<0.05).Conclusions:Substantial geographic disparities existed for the coverage and progression of COVID-19 vaccination.

Huu S. TIEU’s Predicting Outcome of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and Preparing the Treatment for COVID-19 (Coronavirus) and Other Viral Pandemics

This project paper is to give a prediction for the future of other viral pandemics and to provide recommendations for preparing therapies that could help in the success of effective treatments and benefits for patients in life-threatening situations. The theory of prediction was proposed by Huu S. TIEU on March 25, 2019, and he hypothesized that any malfunctioning cell in the body could have a damaging effect. This paper discusses the prediction that Localized Oxygen Deprivation could be a contributing factor for a future epidemic or other viral pandemics that could affect body function. This paper is based on opinion and does not have sufficient evidence to support the claims made. Therefore, further in-depth study is needed to prove the findings. The author cites Hypoxia to support his idea, but he is not claiming that Hypoxia-Inducible Factor (HIF) has worked on his predictions. The author also tested a theory using cow blood curd for body function, but this test was not a structured test and the findings were not supported by other evidence. To further prove the idea or theory, further study into the subject should be conducted.

Diabetes Risk Factor and Its Relationship to Increasing Coronavirus (COVID-19) Mortality Rate in United States in 2019-2022: An Epidemiological Study

As an effort to understand the effect of diabetes on the increasing rate of COVID-19 infection, we embarked upon a detailed statistical analysis of various datasets that include COVID-19 infection and mortality rate, diabetes and diseases that may contribute to the severity and risk factor of diabetes in individuals and this impact on COVID-19 and the mortality rate. These diseases include respiratory diseases, cardiovascular diseases, and obesity. Equally significant is the statistical analysis on ethnicity, age, and sex on COVID-19 infection as well as mortality rate. Their possible contributions to increasing the severity and risk factor of diabetes as a risk to mortality to individuals who have COVID-19. Objectives: The ultimate objectives of this investigation are as follow: 1) Is there a risk factor of diabetes on COVID-19 infection and increasing mortality rate? 2) To what extent do other disease conditions that include, obesity, heart failure, and respiratory diseases influence the severity and risk factor of diabetes on increasing COVID-19 infection and mortality rate? 3) To what extent does age, race, and gender increase the mortality of COVID-19 and increase the severity and risk factor of diabetes on COVID-19 mortality rate? 4) How and why COVID-19 virus increases the risk of diabetes in children? 5) Diabetes and COVID-19: Who is most at Risk? Lastly, understanding the misconception of COVID-19 and diabetes.

Intelligent Forecasting Model of COVID-19 Novel Coronavirus Outbreak Empowered with Deep Extreme Learning Machine

An epidemic is a quick and widespread disease that threatens many lives and damages the economy.The epidemic lifetime should be accurate so that timely and remedial steps are determined.These include the closing of borders schools,suspension of community and commuting services.The forecast of an outbreak effectively is a very necessary but difficult task.A predictive model that provides the best possible forecast is a great challenge for machine learning with only a few samples of training available.This work proposes and examines a prediction model based on a deep extreme learning machine(DELM).This methodology is used to carry out an experiment based on the recent Wuhan coronavirus outbreak.An optimized prediction model that has been developed,namely DELM,is demonstrated to be able to make a prediction that is fairly best.The results show that the new methodology is useful in developing an appropriate forecast when the samples are far from abundant during the critical period of the disease.During the investigation,it is shown that the proposed approach has the highest accuracy rate of 97.59%with 70%of training,30%of test and validation.Simulation results validate the prediction effectiveness of the proposed scheme.

The 2019 novel coronavirus disease(COVID-19) pandemic: A zoonotic prospective

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2),a novel coronavirus(CoV),has recently emerged as a significant pathogen for humans and the cause for the recent outbreak of the 2019 novel coronavirus disease(COVID-19)throughout the globe.For developing any preventive measure,an understanding of the zoonotic pattern for this virus is a necessity.We should have a clear knowledge of its reservoir host,its distribution pattern and spreading routes.Information about zoonotic reservoirs and its transmission among them can help to understand the COVID-19 outbreaks.In this article,we discuss about the bats as the zoonotic reservoir of several CoV strains,co-existence of bats and CoV/viruses,the sequence similarity of SARS-CoV-2 with bat SARS-like CoV,the probable source of the origin of SARS-CoV-2 strain and COVID-19 outbreak,intermediate host of CoVs and SARS-CoV-2,human to human transmission and the possibility to maintain the zoonotic barriers.Our knowledge about the zoonotic reservoir of SARS-CoV-2 and its transmission ability may help develop the preventive measures and control for the future outbreak of CoV.

Electron beam irradiation on novel coronavirus(COVID-19):A Monte-Carlo simulation

The novel coronavirus pneumonia triggered by COVID-19 is now raging the whole world.As a rapid and reliable killing COVID-19 method in industry,electron beam irradiation can interact with virus molecules and destroy their activity.With the unexpected appearance and quickly spreading of the virus,it is urgently necessary to figure out the mechanism of electron beam irradiation on COVID-19.In this study,we establish a virus structure and molecule model based on the detected gene sequence of Wuhan patient,and calculate irradiated electron interaction with virus atoms via a Monte Carlo simulation that track each elastic and inelastic collision of all electrons.The characteristics of irradiation damage on COVID-19,atoms’ionizations and electron energy losses are calculated and analyzed with regions.We simulate the different situations of incident electron energy for evaluating the influence of incident energy on virus damage.It is found that under the major protecting of an envelope protein layer,the inner RNA suffers the minimal damage.The damage for a^100-nm-diameter virus molecule is not always enhanced by irradiation energy monotonicity,for COVID-19,the irradiation electron energy of the strongest energy loss damage is 2 keV.

Reinfection risk of novel coronavirus(COVID-19):A systematic review of current evidence

BACKGROUND There is recently a concern regarding the reinfection and reactivation of previously reCoVered coronavirus disease 2019(CoVID-19)patients.AIM To summarize the recent findings and reports of CoVID-19 reinfection in patients previously reCoVered from the disease.METHODS This study was a systematic review of current evidence conducted in August 2020.The authors studied the probable reinfection risk of novel coronavirus(CoVID-19).We performed a systematic search using the keywords in online databases.The investigation adheres to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses(PRISMA)checklist to ensure the reliability and validity of this study and results.RESULTS We reviewed 31 studies.Eight studies described reCoVered patients with reinfection.Only one study reported reinfected patients who died.In 26 studies,there was no information about the status of the patients.Several studies indicated that reinfection is not probable and that post-infection immunity is at least temporary and short.CONCLUSION Based on our review,we concluded that a positive polymerase chain reaction retest could be due to several reasons and should not always be considered as reinfection or reactivation of the disease.Most relevant studies in positive retest patients have shown relative and probably temporary immunity after the reCoVery of the disease.

低频脉冲磁场诱导TRPC1改善COVID-19患者康复期下肢的肌肉无力症状

背景:肌肉无力是新型冠状病毒(COVID-19)感染后的常见症状,影响康复期人体日常活动能力。在强度1.5 mT,频率3300 Hz的低频脉冲磁场刺激下可通过诱导和激活经典瞬时感受器电位通1(classical transient receptor potential channel 1,TRPC1),提升人体骨骼肌的最大自主收缩力与力量耐力,对肌肉组织产生一系列生理支持效应,该手段是否会改善新型冠状病毒肺炎患者康复期的肌无力症状尚无研究。目的:选用低频脉冲磁场对新型冠状病毒肺炎患者下肢肌群进行磁刺激,以观察该刺激对新型冠状病毒肺炎患者康复期下肢肌群肌无力改善的影响。方法:招募胶体金法抗原检测试剂(COVID-19)为阳性并伴有肌肉无力症状的新型冠状病毒(奥密克戎毒株)感染患者14例,将所有受试者随机分成2组,分别为接受磁场刺激的试验组和接受假治疗的对照组。试验总时长3周,试验组每隔48 h对腿部进行低频脉冲磁刺激,对照组与试验组干预流程一致但给予假刺激,两组患者均不被告知磁刺激仪器是否运行,两组患者共进行9次操作,随后观察两组患者下肢局部肌群最大自主收缩力、腿部爆发力与力量耐力的变化情况。结果与结论:①在采集的8个局部肌群中,试验组患者7个局部肌群在经过3周的低频脉冲磁场刺激,最大自主收缩力值均增长。对照组除3个肌群最大自主收缩力自行增长改善以外,其他肌群肌力无提升。②试验组的左腿前群与双腿后群提升率显著高于对照组。③两组的纵跳摸高高度与膝关节峰值角速度相比试验前测均提升,试验组摸高高度提升率高于对照组。④在疲劳状态下,试验组膝关节峰值角速度下降率显著下降,对照组膝关节峰值角速度下降率无显著性变化;试验组摸高高度下降率显著下降,而对照组摸高高度下降率无显著性变化。⑤上述数据证实,在强度1.5 mT,频率3300 Hz的低频脉冲磁场刺激方案下,新型冠状病毒肺炎患者在康复期经过3周的低频脉冲磁场刺激相比人体自愈过程可使更多的下肢局部肌群肌力获得提升,对基于腿部爆发力的全身协调发力能力及功能状态明显改善。因此,低频脉冲磁场刺激可作为一种改善新冠感染患者下肢肌肉无力症状的有效、非运动的康复手段。

Increased alcohol consumption during the COVID-19 pandemic:A cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND The coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)pandemic has significantly impacted health,mental well-being,and societal functioning,particularly for individuals with psychiatric conditions and substance use disorders.Recent evidence highlights a concerning increase in alcohol consumption during the pandemic,with a study spanning 2015-2020 indicating heightened usage,especially among young and middle-aged adults,for relaxation and tension relief.Additionally,addressing challenges exacerbated by the pandemic,another study underscored persistent barriers to healthcare access,resulting in increased alcohol and tobacco use rates and limited healthcare options.These findings shed light on the unique vulnerabilities exposed by the pandemic,emphasizing the need to investigate further its impact on alcohol consumption in diverse non-urban American communities.AIM To investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on alcohol abuse using socioeconomic and medical parameters in diverse non-urban community in America.METHODS Based on a cross-sectional analysis of 416 participants the United States in 2021,the study utilized The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders,Fifth Edition criteria to categorize alcohol consumption levels.Participants aged 21 years and above were surveyed through an online platform due to COVID-19 challenges.The survey was conducted from January 14 to January 31,2022,recruiting participants via social media and ensuring anonymity.Informed consent was secured,emphasizing the voluntary nature of participation,and participants could only take the survey once.RESULTS Out of 416 survey respondents,396 met eligibility criteria,with 62.9%reporting increased alcohol consumption during COVID-19.Males(68.8%)and ages 21-29 years(34.6%)predominated.Low alcohol consumption decreased by 2.8%(P=0.237),moderate by 21.4%(P<0.001),and heavy increased by 14.9%(P<0.001).Alcohol abuse rose by 6.5%(P=0.0439),with a 7%increase in self-identified alcohol abusers/alcoholics.Seeking treatment during COVID-19 rose by 6.9%.Easier alcohol access(76.0%)was reported,while 80.7%found it harder to access medical care for alcohol-related issues.These findings highlight the pandemic's impact on alcohol consumption and healthcare access,emphasizing the need for targeted interventions during public health crises.CONCLUSION The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated alcoholism and abuse,with increased heavy consumption(P<0.001)and abuse(P=0.0439).Access to medical programs for addressing alcohol abuse declined,highlighting the need for targeted intervention.

Subdural effusion associated with COVID-19 encephalopathy: A case report

BACKGROUND The precise mechanism by which severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2)impacts the central nervous system remains unclear,with manifestations spanning from mild symptoms(e.g.,olfactory and gustatory deficits,hallucinations,and headache)to severe complications(e.g.,stroke,seizures,encephalitis,and neurally demyelinating lesions).The occurrence of single-pass subdural effusion,as described below,is extremely rare.CASE SUMMARY A 56-year-old male patient presented with left-sided limb weakness and slurred speech as predominant clinical symptoms.Through comprehensive imaging and diagnostic assessments,he was diagnosed with cerebral infarction complicated by hemorrhagic transformation affecting the right frontal,temporal,and parietal regions.In addition,an intracranial infection with SARS-CoV-2 was identified during the rehabilitation process;consequently,an idiopathic subdural effusion developed.Remarkably,the subdural effusion underwent absorption within 6 d,with no recurrence observed during the 3-month follow-up.CONCLUSION Subdural effusion is a potentially rare intracranial complication associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Symptomatic COVID-19 in University Students: A School-Wide Web-Based Questionnaire Survey during the Omicron Variant Outbreak

Aim: To detect risk and preventive factors associated with the Omicron variant infection in university students, a combination of a web-based survey and multivariate logistic regression analysis was introduced as the front-line initiatives by the school health practitioners. Design: Questionnaire survey. Methods: The school-wide web-based questionnaire survey was conducted among our university students as a part of the annual health check-up in April, 2023. The positive outcome was confined to the first symptomatic COVID-19 onset during the Omicron variant outbreak. Results: In this self-administered survey, risk or protective associations were merely estimated statistically in university students (n = 5406). In measured factors, karaoke and club/group activities could maintain the statistical significance in adjusted odds ratios (ORs) as relative risk factors, and science course, measles/ rubella (MR) vaccination, and COVID-19 vaccination remained as relative protective factors in adjusted OR analyses. Club/group activities with member gathering and karaoke sing-along sessions in university students may frequently have WHO’s three Cs. These risk factors are still important topics for the infection control of COVID-19 in university students. Together with some recent reports from other researchers, the significant protective role of MR vaccine in our survey warrants further clinical investigation. If the breakthrough infection continuously constitutes the majority of infection, real data in test-negative case-control or web-based questionnaire design continue to be important for statistical analysis to determine the minimal requirement of our strategies which may be equivalent to or replace COVID-19 vaccines.

Leveraging Nanotechnology for Addressing COVID-19: Revealing Antiviral Approaches and Hurdles

The emergence of COVID-19 has caused extensive harm and is recognized as a significant threat to human life worldwide. Currently, the application of nanomedicine techniques in pre-clinical studies related to various infections, such as respiratory viruses, herpes viruses, human papillomavirus, and HIV, has demonstrated success. Nanoparticles, due to their specific attributes, have garnered considerable attention in combating COVID-19. Strategies employing nanomaterials for COVID-19 prevention encompass the development of rapid, precise diagnostic tools, the creation of effective disinfectants, the delivery of mRNA vaccines to the biological system, and the administration of antiretroviral medications within the body. This article focuses on recent research regarding the effectiveness of nano platforms as antiviral measures against coronaviruses. It delves into the molecular characteristics of coronaviruses and the affected target systems, highlighting challenges and limitations in combating SARS-CoV-2. Additionally, it explores potential nanotechnology-based treatments to confront current and future variants of coronaviruses associated with COVID-19 infections.

The origin, transmission and clinical therapies on coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19) outbreak——an update on the status

An acute respiratory disease,caused by a novel coronavirus(SARS-CoV-2,previously known as 2019-nCoV),the coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)has spread throughout China and received worldwide attention.On 30 January 2020,World Health Organization(WHO)officially declared the COVID-19 epidemic as a public health emergency of international concern.The emergence of SARS-CoV-2,since the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus(SARSCoV)in 2002 and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus(MERS-CoV)in 2012,marked the third introduction of a highly pathogenic and large-scale epidemic coronavirus into the human population in the twenty-first century.As of 1 March 2020,a total of 87,137 confirmed cases globally,79,968 confirmed in China and 7169 outside of China,with 2977 deaths(3.4%)had been reported by WHO.Meanwhile,several independent research groups have identified that SARS-CoV-2 belongs toβ-coronavirus,with highly identical genome to bat coronavirus,pointing to bat as the natural host.The novel coronavirus uses the same receptor,angiotensin-converting enzyme 2(ACE2)as that for SARS-CoV,and mainly spreads through the respiratory tract.Importantly,increasingly evidence showed sustained human-tohuman transmission,along with many exported cases across the globe.The clinical symptoms of COVID-19 patients include fever,cough,fatigue and a small population of patients appeared gastrointestinal infection symptoms.The elderly and people with underlying diseases are susceptible to infection and prone to serious outcomes,which may be associated with acute respiratory distress syndrome(ARDS)and cytokine storm.Currently,there are few specific antiviral strategies,but several potent candidates of antivirals and repurposed drugs are under urgent investigation.In this review,we summarized the latest research progress of the epidemiology,pathogenesis,and clinical characteristics of COVID-19,and discussed the current treatment and scientific advancements to combat the epidemic novel coronavirus.

Decoding the evolution and transmissions of the novel pneumonia coronavirus(SARS-CoV-2/HCoV-19)using whole genomic data

The outbreak of COVID-19 started in mid-December2019 in Wuhan, China. Up to 29 February 2020,SARS-CoV-2(HCoV-19/2019-nCoV) had infected more than 85 000 people in the world. In this study,we used 93 complete genomes of SARS-CoV-2 from the GISAID EpiFlu TM database to investigate the evolution and human-to-human transmissions of SARS-CoV-2 in the first two months of the outbreak.We constructed haplotypes of the SARS-CoV-2 genomes, performed phylogenomic analyses and estimated the potential population size changes of the virus. The date of population expansion was calculated based on the expansion parameter tau(τ)using the formula t=τ/2 u. A total of 120 substitution sites with 119 codons, including 79 non-synonymous and 40 synonymous substitutions, were found in eight coding-regions in the SARS-CoV-2 genomes.Forty non-synonymous substitutions are potentially associated with virus adaptation. No combinations were detected. The 58 haplotypes(31 found in samples from China and 31 from outside China)were identified in 93 viral genomes under study and could be classified into five groups. By applying the reported bat coronavirus genome(bat-RaTG13-CoV)as the outgroup, we found that haplotypes H13 and H38 might be considered as ancestral haplotypes,and later H1 was derived from the intermediate haplotype H3. The population size of the SARS-CoV-2 was estimated to have undergone a recent expansion on 06 January 2020, and an early expansion on 08 December 2019. Furthermore,phyloepidemiologic approaches have recovered specific directions of human-to-human transmissions and the potential sources for international infected cases.

Knowledge, attitude, and practice towards coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) among medical students: A cross-sectional study

Objective:To assess knowledge,attitude,and practice of medical students towards coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19).Methods:A self-designed questionnaire was developed and given to the students of a government medical college in Uttarakhand.The demographics,mean knowledge,attitude,and practice of the participants were investigated,and the scores were calculated.t-test and ANOVA were used for statistical analysis.Results:Out of the total participants(n=354),50.3%were male and 54.5%were 21-23 years.Almost all the participants(96.6%)increase the frequency of washing hands under the influence of COVID-19.Although no significant relationship was found between different religions,age-categories in terms of knowledge,the participants who were aged 21-23 years had higher knowledge.In addition,gender had a significant impact on practice scores(P<0.05)while no demographic variable was found to have a significant relation with attitude score(P>0.05).Conclusions:The majority of the participants had good knowledge,positive attitude,and sufficient practice.Females and males have significantly different practices.Although the results are very positive,it is suggested that people should continue to strengthen knowledge,attitude,and practice towards COVID-19,so that India can win the battle against the disease.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic: A review and an update on cases in Africa

The world has experienced several epidemics posing serious threat to global public health,including the 2002 severe acute respiratory syndrome(SARS)epidemic that caused 800 deaths out of about 8000 cases,the 2009 H1N1 pandemic with 18500 deaths,the 2012 Middle East respiratory syndrome(MERS)epidemic that caused 800 deaths out of 2500 cases,the 2014 Ebola outbreak with 28616 cases and 11310 deaths,and the current coronavirus disease(COVID-19)pandemic with more than 35000 deaths out of over 730000 confirmed cases till now.Emerging infectious diseases continue to infect and reduce human populations.The COVID-19 pandemic has spread to more than 114 countries before it was officially declared as a pandemic by the WHO on the 11th March 2020.Here,the first set of index cases inAfrica,and the differences between SARS-CoV-2 and other coronaviruses in addition to the preventive strategies on the emergence of COVID-19 were reviewed.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and global mental health

The mental health effects of the coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)pandemic may shape population health for many years to come.Failure to address the mental health issues stemming from the pandemic is likely to prolong its impact.The COVID-19 pandemic has created a significant global challenge and,in lower-income countries,even a disruption of mental health services.Given our experience with previous pandemics,the present COVID-19 crisis can be expected to cause psychological trauma,and steps are needed to address this issue proactively.Policies focusing on the long-term mental health consequences of COVID-19 may equal the importance of those currently seeking to mitigate its physical effects.The implications of the GOVID-19 pandemic for mental health call for a greater focus on the needs of those with mental disorders and on mental health issues affecting health care workers and the general public.Timely preventive and therapeutic mental health care is essential in addressing the psychosocial needs of populations exposed to the pandemic.In addition to specialist care,"task-shifting"and digital technologies may provide cost-effective means of providing mental health care in lower-income countries worldwide as well as in higher-income countries with mental health services overwhelmed by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.In view of the ever-increasing pressure on global health systems resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic,adopting and adapting"task-shifting",i.e.,the delegation of psychotherapeutic interventions to trained non-specialists,as an element of the provision of mental health services,is overdue.Digital technologies can be used to enhance social support and facilitate resilience to the detrimental mental health effects of the pandemic;they may also offer an efficient and cost-effective way to provide easy access to mentalhealth care.