A review of documents prepared by international organizations about influenza pandemics, including the 2009 pandemic: a bibliometric analysis

[COVID-19: Collateral damage in head and neck oncology and preventive measures for future pandemics]

The start of the COVID-19 pandemic led to enormous challenges for global healthcare, as capacities and resources had to be made available quickly for the treatment of COVID-19 patients. As a result, restrictions had to be accepted, especially in the care of oncological patients. The collateral damage of these limitations inevitably also affects patients with head and neck cancer. This review article summarizes the development of tumor incidences during the pandemic, internationally developed guidelines for the care of patients with head and neck cancer and studies on the delay in oncological therapies and mortality. In addition, the effects on the mental health of the patients, the psychosocial consequences and ethical issues are examined. In perspective, preventive measures for such negative collateral effects in future pandemics are discussed using the example of a concept for application software (app)-based digital care for patients with head and neck cancer.

Does the Public Health Security Capacity Provide Better Preparedness for Health Emergencies? A Cross-Sectional Analysis of 180 Countries During the COVID-19 Outbreak

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to investigate the association between the health security capacities at the national level and preparedness for health emergencies in response to the COVID-19 outbreak.

METHODS

Data were extracted from the GHS report to evaluate the global health security capabilities in 180 countries. A linear regression analysis was performed with COVID-19 outcomes, as measured by the rate of incidence and vaccination doses, CFR, and PCR tests. Spearman correlation was used among potential explanatory factors.

FINDINGS

The GHS Index was inversely correlated with CFR and incidence rates, whereas it was positively associated with the vaccination and the PCR test rates. Countries with high health security capacities were significantly more likely to provide better preparedness for health emergencies in response to the outbreak. However, the vaccination doses' rate and the number of PCR tests were significantly differ depending on countries' income levels.

CONCLUSIONS

Although health security capacity is essential to control public health emergencies effectively, it cannot predict whether or how well a country will use them in a crisis. Policymakers should identify their risk factors and capacity gaps and take into consideration the building of health security capacities in national budgets for long-term public health preparedness.

The Legacy of the Pandemic Preparedness Regime: An Integrative Review

Objectives: The global response to COVID-19 inherited a long history of preparedness features pertaining to various threats, including bioterrorism, (re)-emerging infectious diseases, and pandemics. We describe the evolution of pandemic preparedness frameworks, before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: We conducted an integrative literature review of publicly available documents, including grey and scientific literature, on pandemic preparedness frameworks. We relied on social science literature as a main source and used search keywords: pandemic preparedness, H1N1, COVID-19, "whole-of-society"/"whole-of-community." Results: The H1N1 pandemic (2009-2010) tested pandemic preparedness frameworks. Lessons-learned reports concluded that the global H1N1 response were too strong and unnecessarily alarming. Such critiques, pandemic fatigue, and budgetary cuts post-2008 explain lack of preparedness for COVID-19. Critiques culminated in a shift towards a "whole-of-society" approach to health crises, although its uptake has not been ideal. Conclusion: Traditional preparedness regime limits arose again during the COVID-19 pandemic. The "whole-of-society" approach was not fully deployed in COVID-19 responses. A "whole-of-organizations" approach could be designed, ensuring that countries consider local organizations' potential to partake in containing infectious disease and counter undesirable side-effects of non-pharmaceutical measures.

Lessons Learned from the COVID-19 Pandemic and How Blood Operators Can Prepare for the Next Pandemic

Humans interact with virus-infected animal hosts, travel globally, and maintain social networks that allow for novel viruses to emerge and develop pandemic potential. There are key lessons-learned from the coronavirus diseases 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic that blood operators can apply to the next pandemic. Warning signals to the COVID-19 pandemic included outbreaks of Severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus-1 (SARS-CoV-1) and Middle East respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus (MERS-CoV) in the prior two decades. It will be critical to quickly determine whether there is a risk of blood-borne transmission of a new pandemic virus. Prior to the next pandemic blood operators should be prepared for changes in activities, policies, and procedures at all levels of the organization. Blood operators can utilize “Plan-Do-Study-Act” cycles spanning from: vigilance for emerging viruses, surveillance activities and studies, operational continuity, donor engagement and trust, and laboratory testing if required. Occupational health and donor safety issues will be key areas of focus even if the next pandemic virus is not transfusion transmitted. Blood operators may also be requested to engage in new activities such as the development of therapeutics or supporting public health surveillance activities. Activities such as scenario development, tabletop exercises, and drills will allow blood operators to prepare for the unknowns of the next pandemic.

A bibliometric analysis of pandemic and epidemic studies in economics: future agenda for COVID-19 research

With the rapid global spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers from diverse fields of study have contributed markedly in different research aspects. Considering the substantial economic significance of the pandemic at the micro and macro level throughout the world, we review the scientific publications in the discipline of Economics. To draw a broad inference, we analyze a total of 1,636 scientific publications starting from 1974, which covers the period of earlier pandemics or epidemics that have a close association with COVID-19 using bibliometric analysis. Our analysis and mapping reveal key information related to the contributors at different levels, including author, institution, country, and publication sources. Besides, we identify the historical concentration of research using scientific clustering and illustrate transformations at different times. Moreover, recognizing the underlying inadequacy of economics research, we propose several areas of future research. Our findings and suggestions are expected to act as a roadmap to potential research opportunities and notable implications for business and policymakers.

What can we learn from the JATM literature for the future of aviation post Covid-19? - A bibliometric and visualization analysis

This paper aims to draw lessons from retrospectively evaluating the evolution of the air transport discipline right up to the COVID-19 outbreak through the Journal of Air Transport Management (JATM), the main scholarly air transportation journal globally. As such, this study deploys a comprehensive bibliometric analysis and graphical mapping of the JATM knowledge body through CiteSpace visualization of 1483 JATM papers from 2001 to 2019. Our results suggest that while the industry has experienced pandemics and economic crises in the past, both were not dominant in influencing JATM literature neither in frequency nor in impact. That said, recovery, crisis and disruption are important key words in JATM papers not just in regard to safety and economic crisis management but increasingly also related to health concerns with recent key papers published in the pandemic and recovery management context which may have helped the industry dealing with the current crisis as well as current JATM papers on this topic assisting with preparing for a transitioning out of COVID-19 world.

Global Research on Public Health Emergency Preparedness From 1997 to 2019: A Bibliometric Analysis

OBJECTIVES

To access the trends and focuses of publications on public health emergency preparedness in the timeframe 1997-2019.

METHODS

Publications related to public health emergency preparedness (PHEP) were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection database. Bibliometric analyses including output statistics, co-authorship analysis, citation analysis, co-citation analysis, and co-occurrence analysis were performed and mapped using VOSviewer.

RESULTS

A total of 1058 publications on PHEP were included in this study. There was an increasing trend of publication output and citations since 2002. A total of 4605 authors from 1587 institutes and 92 countries contributed to the publications, and the United States lead the field. Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness was the most active and co-cited journal among 243 journals. The knowledge foundation mainly focused on the professionals' capacity, education, and conceptions of PHEP. Epidemics, natural disasters, terrorism, education, and communication were the principle topics; while "vulnerable populations," "disaster medicine," and "hurricane" were the recent hotspots in this field.

CONCLUSIONS

Significant progresses had been achieved worldwide in the past 2 decades, however, improvement of research activity and international collaboration is still a need for most countries.