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Guo CY, Zhang WX, Zhou YG, Zhang SS, Xi L, Zheng RR, Du J, Zhang J, Cui Y, Lu QB. Dynamics of respiratory infectious diseases under rapid urbanization and COVID-19 pandemic in the subcenter of Beijing during 2014-2022. Heliyon 2024; 10:e29987. [PMID: 38737278 PMCID: PMC11088252 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e29987] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2023] [Revised: 04/17/2024] [Accepted: 04/18/2024] [Indexed: 05/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Objective The study analyzed the impact of urbanization on epidemiological characteristics of respiratory infectious disease in Tongzhou District, Beijing during 2014-2022 to provide reference for prevention and control priorities of respiratory infectious diseases during the innovative urbanization process in China. Methods The incidence data of notifiable respiratory infectious diseases (NRIDs) in Tongzhou Beijing during 2014-2022 were summarized. The trend of incidence rate was analyzed by Joinpoint regression model, and entropy method was performed to construct the comprehensive index of urbanization (CIU) and generalized linear model was used to analyze the influence of CIU on the incidence rate of respiratory infectious diseases. Results Totally 72616 NRIDs cases were reported in Tongzhou District during 2014-2022, and the incidence rate of NRIDs was higher during 2017-2019 (153/100 000) than during 2014-2016 (930/100 000) and during 2020-2022 (371/100 000), respectively (both P < 0.001). The CIU constantly increased with slight fluctuation in 2016 and 2018, respectively. The incidence rate of NRIDs showed an increase along with the CIU during 2014-2019 (r = 0.95, P = 0.004), while the incidence rate's tendency was interrupted by COVID-19 during 2020 with slight decrease in 2020-2021 and rebounded in 2022. For the patients aged <15 years, the incidence rate of NRIDs revealed a very sharp rise at the urbanization period without COVID-19 pandemic compared with that under pre-urbanization period (RR = 7.93, 95 % CI 7.63-8.24), and dropped off to the similar level as of pre-urbanization period when COVID-19 pandemic spread. Conclusions Urbanization process may increase the incidence of NRIDs but constrained by COVID-19. Certain measures should be taken to prevent and control the effects by urbanization process, such as good natural environment with less population density, ecological environment with good air quality, promoted hand hygiene, mask wearing, keeping interpersonal distance, vaccination, media publicity for NRIDs' prevention and control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chang-Yu Guo
- Department of Laboratorial Science and Technology, Vaccine Research Center, School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing, China
- Center for Infectious Disease and Policy Research & Global Health and Infectious Diseases Group, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Wan-Xue Zhang
- Department of Laboratorial Science and Technology, Vaccine Research Center, School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing, China
- Center for Infectious Disease and Policy Research & Global Health and Infectious Diseases Group, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Yi-Guo Zhou
- Department of Laboratorial Science and Technology, Vaccine Research Center, School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing, China
- Department of Health Policy and Management, School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Shan-Shan Zhang
- Department of Laboratorial Science and Technology, Vaccine Research Center, School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing, China
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Lu Xi
- Institute for Infectious Diseases and Endemic Diseases Prevention and Control, Beijing Tongzhou Center for Diseases Prevention and Control, Beijing, China
| | - Ran-Ran Zheng
- Institute for Infectious Diseases and Endemic Diseases Prevention and Control, Beijing Tongzhou Center for Diseases Prevention and Control, Beijing, China
| | - Juan Du
- Department of Laboratorial Science and Technology, Vaccine Research Center, School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing, China
- Center for Infectious Disease and Policy Research & Global Health and Infectious Diseases Group, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Jianming Zhang
- Institute for Infectious Diseases and Endemic Diseases Prevention and Control, Beijing Tongzhou Center for Diseases Prevention and Control, Beijing, China
| | - Yan Cui
- Institute for Infectious Diseases and Endemic Diseases Prevention and Control, Beijing Tongzhou Center for Diseases Prevention and Control, Beijing, China
| | - Qing-Bin Lu
- Department of Laboratorial Science and Technology, Vaccine Research Center, School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing, China
- Center for Infectious Disease and Policy Research & Global Health and Infectious Diseases Group, Peking University, Beijing, China
- Department of Health Policy and Management, School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing, China
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Epidemiology of Major Diseases (Peking University), Ministry of Education, Beijing, China
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Anupong S, Chantanasaro T, Wilasang C, Jitsuk NC, Sararat C, Sornbundit K, Pattanasiri B, Wannigama DL, Amarasiri M, Chadsuthi S, Modchang C. Modeling vaccination strategies with limited early COVID-19 vaccine access in low- and middle-income countries: A case study of Thailand. Infect Dis Model 2023; 8:1177-1189. [PMID: 38074078 PMCID: PMC10709621 DOI: 10.1016/j.idm.2023.11.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2023] [Revised: 11/04/2023] [Accepted: 11/10/2023] [Indexed: 08/17/2024] Open
Abstract
Low- and middle-income countries faced significant challenges in accessing COVID-19 vaccines during the early stages of the pandemic. In this study, we utilized an age-structured modeling approach to examine the implications of various vaccination strategies, vaccine prioritization, and vaccine rollout speeds in Thailand, an upper-middle-income country experiencing vaccine shortages during the early stages of the pandemic. The model directly compares the effectiveness of several vaccination strategies, including the heterologous vaccination where CoronaVac (CV) vaccine was administered as the first dose, followed by ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 (AZ) vaccine as the second dose, under varying disease transmission dynamics. We found that the traditional AZ homologous vaccination was more effective than the CV homologous vaccination, regardless of disease transmission dynamics. However, combining CV and AZ vaccines via either parallel homologous or heterologous vaccinations was more effective than relying solely on AZ homologous vaccination. Additionally, prioritizing vaccination for the elderly aged 60 years and above was the most effective way to reduce mortality when community transmission is well-controlled. On the other hand, prioritizing workers aged 20-59 was most effective in lowering COVID-19 cases, irrespective of the transmission dynamics. Lastly, despite the vaccine prioritization strategy, rapid vaccine rollout speeds were crucial in reducing COVID-19 infections and deaths. These findings suggested that in low- and middle-income countries where early access to high-efficacy vaccines might be limited, obtaining any accessible vaccines as early as possible and using them in parallel with other higher-efficacy vaccines might be a better strategy than waiting for and relying solely on higher-efficacy vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suparinthon Anupong
- Biophysics Group, Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Bangkok, 10400, Thailand
- Center for Disease Modeling, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Bangkok, 10400, Thailand
| | - Tanakorn Chantanasaro
- Biophysics Group, Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Bangkok, 10400, Thailand
- Center for Disease Modeling, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Bangkok, 10400, Thailand
| | - Chaiwat Wilasang
- Biophysics Group, Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Bangkok, 10400, Thailand
- Center for Disease Modeling, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Bangkok, 10400, Thailand
| | - Natcha C. Jitsuk
- Biophysics Group, Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Bangkok, 10400, Thailand
- Center for Disease Modeling, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Bangkok, 10400, Thailand
| | - Chayanin Sararat
- Biophysics Group, Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Bangkok, 10400, Thailand
- Center for Disease Modeling, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Bangkok, 10400, Thailand
| | - Kan Sornbundit
- Center for Disease Modeling, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Bangkok, 10400, Thailand
- Ratchaburi Learning Park, King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi, Ratchaburi, Thailand
| | - Busara Pattanasiri
- Center for Disease Modeling, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Bangkok, 10400, Thailand
- Department of Physics, Faculty of Liberal Arts and Science, Kasetsart University Kamphaeng Saen Campus, Nakhon Pathom, 73140, Thailand
| | - Dhammika Leshan Wannigama
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Infection Control, Yamagata Prefectural Central Hospital, Yamagata, Japan
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Thai Red Cross Society, Bangkok, Thailand
- Center of Excellence in Antimicrobial Resistance and Stewardship, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- School of Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Nedlands, Western Australia, Australia
- Biofilms and Antimicrobial Resistance Consortium of ODA Receiving Countries, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
- Pathogen Hunter’s Research Collaborative Team, Department of Infectious Diseases and Infection Control, Yamagata Prefectural Central Hospital, Yamagata, Japan
| | - Mohan Amarasiri
- Laboratory of Environmental Hygiene, Department of Health Science, School of Allied Health Sciences/Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kitasato University, Kitasato, Sagamihara-Minami, Kanagawa, 252-0373, Japan
| | - Sudarat Chadsuthi
- Center for Disease Modeling, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Bangkok, 10400, Thailand
- Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Naresuan University, Phitsanulok, 65000, Thailand
| | - Charin Modchang
- Biophysics Group, Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Bangkok, 10400, Thailand
- Center for Disease Modeling, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Bangkok, 10400, Thailand
- Centre of Excellence in Mathematics, Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation, Bangkok, 10400, Thailand
- Thailand Center of Excellence in Physics, Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation, 328 Si Ayutthaya Road, Bangkok, 10400, Thailand
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Kouis P, Lemonaris M, Xenophontos E, Panayiotou A, Yiallouros PK. The impact of COVID-19 lockdown measures on symptoms control in children with asthma: A systematic review and meta-analysis of observational cohort studies. Pediatr Pulmonol 2023; 58:3213-3226. [PMID: 37606188 DOI: 10.1002/ppul.26646] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2023] [Revised: 08/01/2023] [Accepted: 08/10/2023] [Indexed: 08/23/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Reported reductions in emergency department visits and hospitalizations for asthma in previous studies have suggested a beneficial effect of the coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) lockdown measures on asthma morbidity. Nevertheless, studies relying on administrative data may overestimate the true impact of lockdowns due to changes in health-seeking behavior and reduced availability of pediatric asthma services during the pandemic. In this study, we systematically reviewed the literature and identified observational cohort studies that focused on nonadministrative data to assess the true impact of COVID-19 lockdowns on symptom control in children with asthma. METHODS A systematic literature search was conducted between January 2020 and August 2022 (International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews ID: CRD42022354369). The impact of COVID-19 lockdowns across studies was expressed as a standardized mean difference (SMD) for continuous outcomes and as a summary relative risk (RR) for binary outcomes. RESULTS During the lockdown periods, the pooled asthma symptoms control test score (SMD: 1.99, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.75, 3.24, I2 : 98.4%) and the proportion of children with well-controlled asthma (RR: 1.35, 95% CI: 1.06, 1.71, I2 : 77.6%) were significantly increased. On the other hand, the pooled proportion of children with poorly controlled asthma (RR: 0.47, 95% CI: 0.38, 0.57, I2 : 0.0%) was significantly decreased. CONCLUSIONS During COVID-19 lockdowns, asthma symptoms and breakthrough disease exacerbations were significantly reduced in children with asthma. Further research is warranted on potential interventions aiming to enhance asthma control after the pandemic while taking into consideration their acceptability and potential tradeoffs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Panayiotis Kouis
- Respiratory Physiology Laboratory, Medical School, University of Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus
| | - Marios Lemonaris
- Respiratory Physiology Laboratory, Medical School, University of Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus
- Medical School, University of Nicosia, Nicosia, Cyprus
| | - Eleana Xenophontos
- Cyprus International Institute for Environmental and Public Health, School of Health Sciences, Cyprus University of Technology, Limassol, Cyprus
| | - Andrie Panayiotou
- Cyprus International Institute for Environmental and Public Health, School of Health Sciences, Cyprus University of Technology, Limassol, Cyprus
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Zhou Y, Luo D, Liu K, Chen B, Chen S, Pan J, Liu Z, Jiang J. Trend of the Tuberculous Pleurisy Notification Rate in Eastern China During 2017-2021: Spatiotemporal Analysis. JMIR Public Health Surveill 2023; 9:e49859. [PMID: 37902822 PMCID: PMC10644181 DOI: 10.2196/49859] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2023] [Revised: 08/31/2023] [Accepted: 09/19/2023] [Indexed: 10/31/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Tuberculous pleurisy (TP) presents a serious allergic reaction in the pleura caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis; however, few studies have described its spatial epidemiological characteristics in eastern China. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to determine the epidemiological distribution of TP and predict its further development in Zhejiang Province. METHODS Data on all notified cases of TP in Zhejiang Province, China, from 2017 to 2021 were collected from the existing tuberculosis information management system. Analyses, including spatial autocorrelation and spatial-temporal scan analysis, were performed to identify hot spots and clusters, respectively. The prediction of TP prevalence was performed using the seasonal autoregressive integrated moving average (SARIMA), Holt-Winters exponential smoothing, and Prophet models using R (The R Foundation) and Python (Python Software Foundation). RESULTS The average notification rate of TP in Zhejiang Province was 7.06 cases per 100,000 population, peaking in the summer. The male-to-female ratio was 2.18:1. In terms of geographical distribution, clusters of cases were observed in the western part of Zhejiang Province, including parts of Hangzhou, Quzhou, Jinhua, Lishui, Wenzhou, and Taizhou city. Spatial-temporal analysis identified 1 most likely cluster and 4 secondary clusters. The Holt-Winters model outperformed the SARIMA and Prophet models in predicting the trend in TP prevalence. CONCLUSIONS The western region of Zhejiang Province had the highest risk of TP. Comprehensive interventions, such as chest x-ray screening and symptom screening, should be reinforced to improve early identification. Additionally, a more systematic assessment of the prevalence trend of TP should include more predictors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Zhou
- School of Public Health, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Dan Luo
- School of Public Health, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, China
| | - Kui Liu
- Department of Tuberculosis Control and Prevention, Zhejiang Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Hangzhou, China
- National Centre for Tuberculosis Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
| | - Bin Chen
- Department of Tuberculosis Control and Prevention, Zhejiang Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Hangzhou, China
| | - Songhua Chen
- Department of Tuberculosis Control and Prevention, Zhejiang Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Hangzhou, China
| | - Junhang Pan
- Department of Tuberculosis Control and Prevention, Zhejiang Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Hangzhou, China
| | - Zhengwei Liu
- Department of Tuberculosis Control and Prevention, Zhejiang Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Hangzhou, China
| | - Jianmin Jiang
- Department of Tuberculosis Control and Prevention, Zhejiang Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Hangzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Vaccine, Prevention and Control of Infectious Disease of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Hangzhou, China
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5
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Wang B, Gai X, Han Y, Liu Y, Zhang Y, Sun J, Liu M, Yu H, Peng Z, Wei X, Chang Y, Ma X, Gai Z. Epidemiological characteristics of common respiratory infectious diseases in children before and during the COVID-19 epidemic. Front Pediatr 2023; 11:1212658. [PMID: 37601133 PMCID: PMC10435660 DOI: 10.3389/fped.2023.1212658] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2023] [Accepted: 07/25/2023] [Indexed: 08/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Since the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), public's awareness of infection prevention and control has increased overall, and various prevention and control measures have been adopted. These measures may also have a certain impact on the occurrence of other infectious diseases. Therefore, we collected information on children with several respiratory infectious diseases in Jinan Children's Hospital in China from 2016 to 2022 and analyzed their changes. Method We collected data on age, sex and number of cases of pertussis, measles, scarlet fever, pulmonary tuberculosis, mumps and influenza, which were diagnosed by clinical and laboratory criteria, from 1 January 2016 to 31 December 2022 in Jinan Children's Hospital in Jinan, Shandong Province, China. Data on the number of people affected by these diseases in China from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention were compared. Then, we processed the data by using WPS Excel 2019 and SPSS. Results A total of 12,225 cases were included in this study in Jinan Children's Hospital, which consisted of 3,688 cases of pertussis (2,200 cases before COVID-19 and 1,488 during COVID-19), 680 cases of measles (650 cases before COVID-19 and 30 during COVID-19), 4,688 cases of scarlet fever (4,001 cases before COVID-19 and 687 during COVID-19), 114 cases of tuberculosis (86 cases before COVID-19 and 28 during COVID-19), 449 cases of mumps (340 cases before COVID-19 and 109 during COVID-19) and 2,606 cases of influenza (1,051 cases before COVID-19 and 1,555 during COVID-19). The numbers of children in the hospital with pertussis, measles, scarlet fever, mumps and influenza decreased substantially during COVID-19 in 2020-2022 compared with numbers in 2016-2019, while numbers of patients in China with all six respiratory infectious diseases, including pulmonary tuberculosis, declined during the pandemic. A rebound of pertussis, scarlet fever and influenza was observed in 2021 and 2022. Conclusions The study found that viral pathogens such as those causing measles, mumps and influenza all decreased during the pandemic, after which influenza rebounded. Infection diseases caused by bacteria such as scarlet fever and pertussis also decreased during COVID-19, and then a rebound occurred. However, tuberculosis stayed relatively constant.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bing Wang
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Children’s Hospital Affiliated to Shandong, University (Jinan Children’s Hospital), Jinan, China
| | - Xiangzhen Gai
- School of Public Health, Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Yuling Han
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Children’s Hospital Affiliated to Shandong, University (Jinan Children’s Hospital), Jinan, China
| | - Yanqin Liu
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Children’s Hospital Affiliated to Shandong, University (Jinan Children’s Hospital), Jinan, China
| | - Yun Zhang
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Children’s Hospital Affiliated to Shandong, University (Jinan Children’s Hospital), Jinan, China
| | - Jing Sun
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Children’s Hospital Affiliated to Shandong, University (Jinan Children’s Hospital), Jinan, China
| | - Miao Liu
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Children’s Hospital Affiliated to Shandong, University (Jinan Children’s Hospital), Jinan, China
| | - Huafeng Yu
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Children’s Hospital Affiliated to Shandong, University (Jinan Children’s Hospital), Jinan, China
| | - Zhenju Peng
- Department of Public Health, Children’s Hospital Affiliated to Shandong, University (Jinan Children’s Hospital), Jinan, China
| | - Xiaoling Wei
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Children’s Hospital Affiliated to Shandong, University (Jinan Children’s Hospital), Jinan, China
| | - Yuna Chang
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Children’s Hospital Affiliated to Shandong, University (Jinan Children’s Hospital), Jinan, China
| | - Xiang Ma
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Children’s Hospital Affiliated to Shandong, University (Jinan Children’s Hospital), Jinan, China
- Children’s Research Institute, Children’s Hospital Affiliated to Shandong, University (Jinan Children’s Hospital), Jinan, China
| | - Zhongtao Gai
- Children’s Research Institute, Children’s Hospital Affiliated to Shandong, University (Jinan Children’s Hospital), Jinan, China
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Hoffmann K, Michalak M, Bońka A, Bryl W, Myśliński W, Kostrzewska M, Kopciuch D, Zaprutko T, Ratajczak P, Nowakowska E, Kus K, Paczkowska A. Association between Compliance with COVID-19 Restrictions and the Risk of SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Poland. Healthcare (Basel) 2023; 11:healthcare11060914. [PMID: 36981571 PMCID: PMC10048166 DOI: 10.3390/healthcare11060914] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2023] [Revised: 03/10/2023] [Accepted: 03/20/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023] Open
Abstract
During the coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) pandemic it has become very important to comply with preventive measures. We aimed to assess compliance with applicable restrictions and to explore the links between the level of compliance and the risk of COVID-19. This cross-sectional study included Polish adults who were asked to complete a validated questionnaire. The study period was from 1 November 2020 to 31 January 2021 and a computer-assisted web interview method was chosen to perform the survey. The study involved 562 women and 539 men. COVID-19 was reported in 11.26% of participants. A good level of compliance with the sanitary restrictions was reported for 38.87% of participants, an average level of compliance for 47.96%, and a low level of compliance for 13.17%. A reduced risk of COVID-19 was associated with the following preventive measures: regular use of protective masks, social and physical distancing in public places, regular use of hand sanitizers with high ethanol content, and the use of disposable gloves in public places. Our survey revealed satisfactory public compliance with the pandemic restrictions. Sanitary and epidemiologic measures to prevent the pandemic were shown to be adequate and effective.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karolina Hoffmann
- Department of Internal Diseases, Metabolic Disorders and Arterial Hypertension, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 60-572 Poznań, Poland
| | - Michał Michalak
- Department of Computer Science and Statistics, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 61-701 Poznań, Poland
| | - Aleksandra Bońka
- Department of Pharmacoeconomics and Social Pharmacy, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 61-701 Poznań, Poland
| | - Wiesław Bryl
- Department of Internal Diseases, Metabolic Disorders and Arterial Hypertension, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 60-572 Poznań, Poland
| | - Wojciech Myśliński
- Department of Internal Disease, Medical University of Lublin, 20-059 Lublin, Poland
| | - Magdalena Kostrzewska
- Department of Pulmonology, Allergology and Pulmonological Oncology, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 61-701 Poznań, Poland
| | - Dorota Kopciuch
- Department of Computer Science and Statistics, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 61-701 Poznań, Poland
| | - Tomasz Zaprutko
- Department of Computer Science and Statistics, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 61-701 Poznań, Poland
| | - Piotr Ratajczak
- Department of Computer Science and Statistics, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 61-701 Poznań, Poland
| | - Elżbieta Nowakowska
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology Institute of Health Sciences, Collegium Medicum, University of Zielona Góra, 65-417 Zielona Góra, Poland
| | - Krzysztof Kus
- Department of Computer Science and Statistics, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 61-701 Poznań, Poland
| | - Anna Paczkowska
- Department of Computer Science and Statistics, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 61-701 Poznań, Poland
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Public face masks wearing during the COVID-19 pandemic: A comprehensive analysis is needed for potential implications. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS ADVANCES 2022. [PMID: 37520802 PMCID: PMC9271010 DOI: 10.1016/j.hazadv.2022.100125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Face mask-wearing as a public health measure has been practiced since the coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic outbreak. Extensive research has shown that face masks are an effective non-pharmaceutical measure to contain the spread of respiratory infections. However, recent studies indicate that face masks release microplastics and other contaminants that have adverse health effects on humans. This communication reviews the evidence for face mask as a potential source of contaminants capable of adversely affecting human health. The benefits of face masks in reducing the transmission of SARS-Cov-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) and seasonal communicable diseases were addressed. In addition, the risk of inhaling microplastics and organic contaminants, as well as the associated exposure level, were discussed. Finally, the potential research gaps that need to be addressed were outlined to provide a holistic view of the problem. This communication has illustrated that face mask-wearing as a public health measure to contain the spread of COVID-19 could be a potential risk factor for human health. Very few studies have been done on microplastics, organic pollutants, and trace metal inhalation from surgical masks. However, future work providing a comprehensive understanding of the risk and exposure levels needs to be undertaken.
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