Assessment of public perspectives and barriers towards dengue preventive practices using the Health Belief Model in Puducherry,India:A cross-sectional study

Objective:To assess the perspectives and barriers towards dengue preventive practices among the residents of Puducherry,India.Methods:A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 300 households in Puducherry,using a population-proportionate(7:3)distribution from urban and rural areas by grid sampling.One adult interview per household was conducted and the participants were selected using a KISH grid.A semi-structured questionnaire based on the Health Belief Model(HBM)with additional questions on knowledge assessment was used.Knowledge was assessed based on the correctness of answers and the HBM scores were calculated on a 5-point Likert scale.Participants were categorized based on the median score under each domain.Logistic regression was used for adjusted analysis and models were built to predict the performances in each domain.Results:Four percent of the participants lacked basic knowledge regarding dengue transmission.While 208(69.3%)participants did not consider themselves at risk of contracting dengue within the next year,majority perceived dengue as a disease with low severity.Around 49.3%(148)were skeptical about the benefit of time and money spent on dengue prevention.Inadequate government efforts were stated as the major barrier(47.0%)and frequent reminders(142,47.3%)as the major cue to action.Age above 50 years(aOR 1.78,95%CI 1.04-3.06,P=0.037)and rural locality(aOR 2.68,95%CI 1.52-4.71,P=0.001)were found to be significantly associated with poor knowledge scores.Urban participants had a significantly higher chance to perceive low susceptibility as compared to the rural counterparts(aOR 1.74,95%CI 1.05-2.9,P=0.03).Participants with less than a high school education had low perceived benefits(aOR 2.46,95%CI 1.52-3.96,P<0.001)and low self-efficacy scores(aOR 2.66,95%CI 1.61-4.39,P<0.001).Conclusions:This study identifies key gaps in dengue prevention,including low perceived susceptibility,mild disease perception,limited knowledge of breeding sites,and overreliance on government efforts.Tailoring interventions to community needs,stratified to factors influencing the community perspectives can significantly improve dengue prevention efforts.

The Research on the Paths of Popular Science Education about Myopia Prevention and Control among College Students in the Context of Shifting the Focus Forward

Currently, the number of myopic people in China has reached as high as 600 million, and it shows a trend of “early onset, high incidence, and a high degree of severity”. The issue of myopia among children and adolescents has attracted widespread attention from all sectors of society. Comprehensive myopia prevention and control efforts have been launched nationwide. Popular science education, vision screening, and improving visual environments are effective measures for preventing myopia. However, among the target audience for comprehensive myopia prevention and control, the preschool children group has been neglected, and the work of myopia prevention and control for this group has been significantly weakened and marginalized. Due to insufficient awareness of prevention and control, the hyperopia reserve in the preschool children group is being continuously depleted, leading to the early onset of myopia. In light of this situation, the focus of myopia prevention and control needs to shift forward, and it is worth exploring and pondering how college students with a background in optometry can develop entertaining and engaging popular science education materials and methods.

Effect and Significance of Comprehensive Training in Infection Prevention and Control on the Psychological Health of Oral Health Staff

Background:Oral health staff have close contact with patients in the process of diagnosis and treatment,and it is inevitable for them to come into contact with patients’secretions.Therefore,oral health staff are at greater risk of infectious diseases in their daily work,and their psychological health is also greatly challenged.Objective:To study the effect and significance of comprehensive training in infection prevention and control on the psychological health of oral health staff.Methods:We selected 400 oral health staff from a tertiary stomatological hospital in Guangzhou,China in this study.The respondents were randomly divided into an intervention group and a control group.After the first round of investigation,the intervention group received comprehensive training in prevention and control of infection for three months,while the control group received no intervention.Results:The comprehensive training in infection prevention and control improved the respondents’psychological health and job satisfaction.Further strengthening infection prevention and control training for oral health staff will increase their self-confidence,improve their mental health,and increase their job satisfaction.Conclusion:For oral health staff,it is particularly important to formulate an effective and operable preventive and control training program and then implement it in a standardized manner.

Does higher tax rate affect tobacco usage?Unravelling the nexus between tobacco regulatory control and public health concern

Objectives:Bangladesh stands as a prominent global consumer of tobacco,with alarming consequences on public health.The Global Adult Tobacco Survey reported that tobacco consumption claimed over 126000 lives in 2018,contributing to 13.5%of all deaths in the country.This study aims to explore the effectiveness of higher tax rates and tobacco use regulation as control mechanisms in mitigating tobacco consumption and health care cost burden,with a particular emphasis on its implications for public health.Methods:This study is based on the annual time series data over the period 2000-2020.The study employs the ordinary least square method to analyze the quantitative confirming the stationarity of data at level.This research uses different models to investigate individual effects and combined effects on both tobacco consumption and tobacco health care cost burden.Results:The study finds a negative relationship between tobacco tax rate and tobacco consumption.More specifically,the higher tax rate of tobacco(low(β=-0.3495),medium(β=-0.2319),high(β=-0.9033),premium(β=-0.7322),filtered(β=-0.2114),and non-filtered(β=-0.3452)categories)is significant to reduce tobacco use at 1%level of significance.The study finds similar results when it applied tobacco retail price instead of tobacco tax rate as the independent variable.Finally,the study investigates the impact on health care cost through tobacco consumption,tobacco control law,growth rate,export-import,and tobacco production.The results indicate that tobacco consumption,export-import,and tobacco production increases health care cost burden while tobacco use regulatory decreases it.By reducing tobacco consumption,higher taxes and tobacco use regulation contribute to alleviating the burden on the healthcare system,promoting healthier lifestyles,and aligning with global health objectives.Conclusions:Higher tax rate on tobacco products is necessary to increase the retail price so that tobacco users cannot consume tobacco.Specific tax and uniform tax base are needed so that tobacco users cannot switch to lower priced brands.Tobacco control laws need to revised and proper implementation should be ensured as well,to achieve the goal of tobacco free Bangladesh by 2040.Tobacco-related diseases,responsible for a significant proportion of deaths in the country,could witness a considerable decline with the successful implementation of higher tax rates and tobacco use regulation.This study provides insights that not only contribute to the economic discourse but also accentuate the broader public health benefits arising from effective tobacco taxation policies.

Survey on the Status Quo of Emergency Response Capabilities of Public Health Emergencies in Grassroots Disease Control Institutions in a Certain Area

Objective:To survey and study the emergency response capabilities of grassroots disease control institutions in a certain area for public health emergencies,and to put forward suggestions for rectification.Methods:The study was carried out from March 2022 to March 2023.Field surveys,questionnaire surveys,and interviews were used to investigate and analyze the emergency response capabilities of public health emergencies in 5 county Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDCs)in the region.Results:Through the survey,it was found that the professional level of the existing emergency team personnel of the grassroots disease control institutions in this region needs to be improved.There was an overall lack of emergency plans,and the compliance rate of the equipment,inspection,and testing items was low.The health emergency system of the CDCs in the region and the ability of the talent team need to be further improved.Conclusion:The emergency response capacity of grassroots disease control institutions in this region needs to be improved.For this reason,government departments need to increase investment and strengthen the construction of talent teams and hardware settings,and grassroots disease control institutions need to strengthen the construction of the public health emergency system to improve the ability to respond to public health emergencies.

The Limits of the Intervention of Public Power in Individual Health Choices——From the Perspective of the Realization of the Right to Health in the Prevention and Control of Chronic Diseases

Noncommunicable chronic diseases have become the most important public health problem in the world today,so the focus of public health services should be shifted from the traditional area of communicable diseases to the prevention and control of chronic diseases.Since bad living habits are the most direct cause of chronic diseases,the most effective measure to prevent and control chronic diseases is to promote healthy lifestyles for the individual citizen.The theories of equal health opportunity,the right to health from the perspective of human rights,and determinants of a healthy society provide justified reasons for the intervention of public power in individual health choices.In the current legal system,the intervention of public power is limited to flexible measures such as health education,which shows respect for individual autonomy.However,it is inconsistent with the needs of current public health practice.We should expand diversified intervention means to encourage individuals to make healthy choices under the guidance of the management model.The“ladder of intervention”outlines a panoramic view of the intervention measures available.However,for the selection of specific measures,it is necessary to consider the public health objectives and the invasion of individual freedom,introduce the“legal reservation principle”and“proportionality principle”as policy analysis tools,and reasonably choose intervention measures at different levels on the ladder to properly handle the tension between public power and private rights.

Healthier Food of Animal Origin and Prevention of Campylobacteriosis

Campylobacter species belong to the most important foodborne bacteria which cause gastroenteritis in humans in both developed and developing countries. Applied hygienic measures result only partially efficient, as demonstrated by the high number of reported cases in the human population. Alternative strategies to prevent the disease though a direct action at primary production level have been explored. Preliminary data showed that cattle and pigs fed with bamboo and olive by-products, respectively, were free from Campylobacter, suggesting potential sustainable prevention strategy. In addition, biochemical analysis showed high levels of unsaturated fatty acids in red meat and meat products, adequate for the application of health claims in line with EU food law.

Enlightenment from the COVID-19 Pandemic:The Roles of Environmental Factors in Future Public Health Emergency Response

The coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)pandemic is challenging the current public health emergency response systems(PHERSs)of many countries.Although environmental factors,such as those influencing the survival of viruses and their transmission between species including humans,play important roles in PHERSs,little attention has been given to these factors.This study describes and elucidates the roles of environmental factors in future PHERSs.To improve countries’capability to respond to public health emergencies associated with viral infections such as the COVID-19 pandemic,a number of environmental factors should be considered before,during,and after the responses to such emergencies.More specifically,to prevent pandemic outbreaks,we should strengthen environmental and wildlife protection,conduct detailed viral surveillance in animals and hotspots,and improve early-warning systems.During the pandemic,we must study the impacts of environmental factors on viral behaviors,develop control measures to minimize secondary environmental risks,and conduct timely assessments of viral risks and secondary environmental effects with a view to reducing the impacts of the pandemic on human health and on ecosystems.After the pandemic,we should further strengthen surveillance for viruses and the prevention of viral spread,maintain control measures for minimizing secondary environmental risks,develop our capability to scientifically predict pandemics and resurgences,and prepare for the next unexpected resurgence.Meanwhile,we should restore the normal life and production of the public based on the“One Health”concept,that views global human and environmental health as inextricably linked.Our recommendations are essential for improving nations’capability to respond to global public health emergencies.

Evaluation of Infection Prevention and Control Programmes (IPC), and Assessment Tools for IPC-Programmes at MOH-Health Facilities in Saudi Arabia

Infection Prevention and Control is a Quality Standard and is crucial in all health care facilities. Many hospitals remain deficient in trained infection control professionals (ICPs), and now there is an acute awareness of the need to correct this shortfall. The objectives of the study were to describe the current status of ICP programs at ministry of health (MOH) and to evaluate the current status of infection prevention and control programs at health care facilities in kingdom of Saudi Arabia. A cross sectional interview and a self assessment study were conducted on infection prevention and control (IPC) program in Saudi Arabia. All the MOH hospital in all regions was randomly chosen to the study setting. The selection of facilities was done at random with a clear intention to include twenty regions. A random sample was taken from these hospitals with sample size 56 (55.4%), by Multi stage random sampling technique. Results showed that the total facility in all over the kingdom was 51.4% where central area covered the facility score 58.2%, followed by western area (54.8%), south (53.7%), east (46.3%), and lastly with (45.8%) north area. Survey revealed that the infrastructure for infection control program in Saudi Arabian hospitals remained underdeveloped. There were defects in the identified components of effective infection control programs.

An Academic Summary of the International Seminar Series on “Protection of the Rights of Specific Groups in Pandemic Prevention and Control”

The international semiinar on"Protection of the Rights of Specific Groups in Pandemic Prevention and Control",organized by the Institute of Human Rights,Wuhan University,under the guidance of the China Society for Human Rights Studies,was held online on May 23,2020.Nearly 50 scholars and practitioners from domestic and foreign universities and research institutions conducted discussions and exchanges focusing on a series of topics including"Leave No One Behind:To Guarantee Specific Groups’Access to Public Service under the Pandemic","Justice for All:Prevention and Relief of Discrimination against Specific Groups",etc.

An Academic Summary of the International Conference Series on “The Role of the Proportionality Principle in the Pandemic Prevention and Control”

Against the background of a complicated global pandemic situation and normalized pandemic prevention and control in China,leading human rights scholars from China,North America and Eurasia conducted fruitful discussions on the human rights jurisprudence during pandemic through the lens of the proportionality principle at the Sixth Session of the International Seminar Series on"Global Pandemic Prevention and Control and Human Rights Protection",which was organized by the Center for Human Rights Studies of Renmin University of China,under the guidance of the China Society for Human Rights Studies.Focusing on the pandemic-related human rights conditions and legal challenges in global context,participating scholars examined the role of the proportionality principle during the containment of COVID-19 in six topical dimensions,including the normative utility,practical logic,reasonable limits,necessary measures,balancing of interests,and proportional jurisprudence in the post-pandemic era.In oder to cohere human rights jurisprudence for the development of a global community of health for all,this international seminar fostered five fundamental proportionality consensuses from five interrelated perspectives,involving human rights—rule of law—balance—contexts—trends".

Sustainable Community Epidemic Prevention Countermeasures against Public Health Emergencies

How to deal with public health emergencies is an important issue related to the normal life of community residents. However, after the corresponding understanding, it is found that a series of unsustainable epidemic prevention factors have been exposed in the community in the COVID-19, such as blocked access to basic materials, unsafe living environment, and lack of social platforms. In view of these problems, based on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, the changes in the hierarchy of needs of residents during the epidemic were analyzed, and sustainable community epidemic prevention strategies were proposed from five aspects of material storage, safe environment, social platform, respect opportunity and self-worth realization, so as to provide effective reference for future response to public health emergencies.

Analysis of CDC’s Role in Public Health Emergencies

Objective:To explore the role of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC)in public health emergencies.Methods:The details of 12 public health events that occurred between January 2021 to December 2022 were analyzed to explore the roles of the CDC.Results:There were 160 patients involved in 10 public health events in 2021 and 48 patients involved in 2 public health events in 2022.Besides,the proportion of school public health events in 2022 was 0%,which was lower than in 2021,which was 80%(P<0.05).99.38%of patients during public health events were sent to the hospital promptly in 2022,which was higher than that in 2021,which was 81.25%(P<0.05).Furthermore,the average time taken for the CDC to control public health events in 2022 was 20.11±1.62 hours,and the average time taken to send inspection reports was shorter than that in 2021.The public satisfaction score was also higher in 2022 compared to 2021(P<0.05).Conclusion:The role of the CDC is to control infectious diseases.Therefore,it is important to pinpoint the existing problems in the strategies implemented by the CDC so that more improvements can be made to better prevent infectious diseases.

Development Path and Urgency of Further Strengthening Construction of Public Hospitals Based on Novel Coronavirus Pneumonia Treatment

During the outbreak of novel coronavirus pneumonia(NCP)in Wuhan,public hospitals have played an important role in intensive care,case guidance and scheme optimization.At the same time,it also faces unprecedented challenges and tests.Based on the treatment of severe patients in Wuhan,combined with the treatment practice in Tongji Hospital affiliated to Tongji Medical College,Huazhong University of Science and Technology,this paper puts forward the urgency of further strengthening the construction of public hospitals,discusses the feasible path for promoting the development of public hospitals,so as to meet the growing medical needs of the people,improve the ability to respond to major public health emergencies,and effectively guarantee the safety of people's lives and the promotion of a healthy China construction.

The Current HIV/AIDS Prevention Strategies—Widely Outsmarted by Omitting Realities: A Socio-Critical Analysis in the Context of Powerless Law, Ethics and Asymmetric Interpretation of Human Rights

The HIV pandemic seems to be fading to some degree—but there are regional exceptions. The current liberal prevention strategy with programs aimed at risk reduction interventions in particular for sexual behavior and injecting drug use has been expanded by antiretroviral treatment approaches. It was expected to keep the prevalence of infectious individuals below a certain threshold to curb self-sustaining chains of HIV infections. The introduction of biomedical approaches by ART/HAART with regard to practicing risk reduction behavior has been received as an exemption of responsibility by certain populations who are defined as “at-risk” population. Certain parts of the hard-to-reach, high-risk population have returned to unsafe sex practices leading to careless behavior which in turn has promoted the spread of HIV. This is supported by modern trends in risk societies where with regard to HIV basic principles of ethics and tenets of the Human Rights like “don’t harm other people” have lost any normative power. In addition, with the support of NGOs, legal norms such as protecting the “bodily integrity of individuals” have been ignored, allowing the “passing of HIV to partners” to become socially acceptable behavior. As a whole, in defiance of the endeavors of prevention applied so far, certain societies are exposed to an ongoing spread of HIV.

Oral health status of Chinese residents and suggestions for prevention and treatment strategies

Objective:To understand the oral health status of urban and rural residents in China,the Fourth National Oral Health Epidemiological Survey (FNOHES) was conducted in 2015.Materials and methods:Based on the principles of multi-stage,stratified,equal capacity,and random sampling,the subjects included five groups of residents aged 3-5,12-15,35-44,55-64,and 65-74 years in all 31 provinces,municipalities,and autonomous regions except Hong Kong,Macao,and Taiwan.The total sample size was 172,425.The survey covered two areas,namely oral health status and knowledge,attitude and oral health behavior.Results:Residents in China had serious caries and poor periodontal condition.The prevalence of caries was above 50% in all age groups,subjects without periodontal disease accounted for <50%,and fewer than 50% of subjects brushed their teeth twice a day.Based on the results of the FNOHES,the following suggestions were proposed for improving the oral health in China in the future:to establish and improve the comprehensive prevention and control system for oral diseases,implement a comprehensive prevention and control strategy for priority groups,strengthen the oral health education for all people to improve oral health literacy,enhance dynamic monitoring to scientifically evaluate oral health status,and coordinate multi-party resources to establish and improve the oral health service security system.Conclusion:The oral health status of Chinese residents and their oral health behavior habits need to be improved.With the support of the administrative departments of the government and unremitting efforts of the oral health staff,all sectors of society must be coordinated to strengthen oral health education for the whole population.Furthermore,comprehensive prevention and control measures must be implemented for priority groups.

Challenges of COVID-19 prevention and control: A narrative review

This narrative review aims to highlight some of the factors contributing to challenges faced by many countries in controlling the spread of COVID-19 pandemic that continues to rage around the world,especially after stoppage of official prevention and control activities.A literature search was conducted on PubMed,and Google using search terms“COVID-19”,“challenges”,“prevention”,and“control”in different combinations.COVID-19 prevention and control challenges are related to health-system,vaccines,administration,and society culture.Controlling the spread of COVID-19 necessitates cooperation between community leaders,healthcare professionals,religious leaders,and the public.

PPPM (Predictive, Preventive and Personalized Medicine) as a New Model of the National and International Healthcare Services and Thus a Promising Strategy to Prevent a Disease: From Basics to Practice

Nowadays the system of public health is constructed in such a manner so that its main objective is the recovery of an already sick person, while prediction and prevention receive little attention. Meanwhile the development of these aspects of medicine can lead to the ability to control morbidity among the population, to identify chronic and genetic diseases in the early stages of development, and thus to prevent their further progression. This will reduce traditionally high costs of sick people treatment and the number of disabled population, and improve the quality and duration of life. The elaboration of new fields of science that are working on the study and interpretation of data obtained during laboratory and clinical research, creation of new methods for diagnosis, prognosis and treatment, provides an opportunity now to implement a new strategy, called PPPM, and gets promising results, which should lead to further development of an existing medicine.

Centralization and perceived control of COVID-19 during the pandemic:A cross-sectional study

Objective:To uncover the impact of centralization of COVID-19 and perceived control of COVID-19 on society during the pandemic.Methods:We recruited a total of 1041 people in this cross-sectional study.The data were collected using a questionnaire booklet covering demographics,a COVID-19-related information form,the Centrality of Event Scale,and the Perception of Control of COVID-19 Scale.We utilized independent samples t-test,chi-square test,and one-way analysis of variance to analyze the data.Results:1041 questionnaires were collected and no questionnaire were excluded from our study.Slightly more than half of the participants(51.2%)stated that social isolation impaired public mental health,while 30.1%reported adverse impacts of the pandemic on their sleep quality.Participants with changes to their sleep patterns were found to centralize COVID-19 more.Moreover,measures against COVID-19 and constant announcements of the daily number of cases in the media brought both positive and negative effects on people and further contributed to the participants’centralization of COVID-19.Individuals with low centralization scores were concluded to perceive COVID-19 as a minor disease.Healthcare professionals without a relative diagnosed with COVID-19 and those satisfied with treatment opportunities had a higher perceived control of COVID-19,while those who were not interested in statistical data on COVID-19 and who had difficulty complying with the rules had a lower perceived control of COVID-19.Besides,poorer perceived control of COVID-19 was found to adversely affect sleep quality.Furthermore,healthcare professionals scored higher on the inevitability subscale of the Perception of Control of COVID-19 Scale.Finally,among the participants,most COVID-19 survivors thought COVID-19 to be an avoidable disease.Conclusion:In addition to its physical impacts,COVID-19 adversely impacts on mental health,and these effects are closely linked to a society’s centralization of COVID-19 and perceived control of COVID-19.

Health Facilities Readiness to Implement Standard Precautions for Infection Prevention and Control in Tanzania: Lesson Learnt from SARA Reports

Introduction: Standard Precautions are a set of measures applied in the care of all individuals/patients regardless of their infectious status aiming at preventing healthcare workers and patients from infections, preventing environmental contamination and spread of infections to the community. Many health facilities have not implemented them to an acceptable level. The purpose of the study is to report progress of improvement in health facilities readiness to implement standard precautions for infection prevention and control based on SARA reports. Methods: We generated mean scores of all standard precautions each year and calculated their standard deviations, variances and confidence intervals. One-way ANOVA was used to determine if the mean scores were equal. Finally, the trend of improvement in health facilities readiness to implement the standard precautions was generated. Results: A total of nine standard precautions were reported in SARA reports for 2012, 2017 and 2020. The mean scores of the standard precautions were 52.22% in 2012, 64.55% in 2017 and 69.66% in 2020. The overall trend showed an increase in health facilities readiness to implement standard precautions, although the mean scores were not statistically different (p-value 0.3217). Conclusion: SARA surveys conducted in Tanzania in 2012, 2017 and 2020 have shown an overall increase in health facilities readiness to implement standard precautions. Safe final waste disposal was being done in fewest facilities while single-use or auto-disable syringes were in most facilities that were sampled in all years. SARA surveys may be a useful way to evaluate Infection Prevention and Control adherence in health facilities.