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Lyons BA, Akin H, Stroud NJ. Proximity (Mis)perception: Public Awareness of Nuclear, Refinery, and Fracking Sites. RISK ANALYSIS : AN OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE SOCIETY FOR RISK ANALYSIS 2020; 40:385-398. [PMID: 31454092 PMCID: PMC7027911 DOI: 10.1111/risa.13387] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2019] [Revised: 06/10/2019] [Accepted: 07/26/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Whether on grounds of perceived safety, aesthetics, or overall quality of life, residents may wish to be aware of nearby energy sites such as nuclear reactors, refineries, and fracking wells. Yet people are not always accurate in their impressions of proximity. Indeed, our data show that only 54% of Americans living within 25 miles of a nuclear site say they do, and even fewer fracking-proximal (30%) and refinery-proximal (24%) residents respond accurately. In this article, we analyze factors that could either help people form more accurate perceptions or distort their impressions of proximity. We evaluate these hypotheses using a large national survey sample and corresponding geographic information system (GIS) data. Results show that among those living in close proximity to energy sites, those who perceive greater risk are less likely to report living nearby. Conversely, social contact with employees of these industries increases perceived proximity regardless of actual distance. These relationships are consistent across each site type we examine. Other potential factors-such as local news use-may play a role in proximity perception on a case-by-case basis. Our findings are an important step toward a more generalizable understanding of how the public forms perceptions of proximity to risk sites, showing multiple potential mechanisms of bias.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin A. Lyons
- Department of CommunicationUniversity of UtahSalt Lake CityUTUSA
- Department of PoliticsUniversity of ExeterExeterUK
| | - Heather Akin
- Missouri School of Journalism, College of Agriculture, Food and Natural ResourcesUniversity of MissouriColumbiaMOUSA
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Koïvogui A, Carbunar A, Imounga LM, Laruade C, Laube S. Vaccination against yellow fever in French Guiana: The impact of educational level, negative beliefs and attitude towards vaccination. Travel Med Infect Dis 2016; 15:37-44. [PMID: 27789244 DOI: 10.1016/j.tmaid.2016.08.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2016] [Revised: 08/18/2016] [Accepted: 08/19/2016] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Analyze the impact of educational level, negative beliefs and negative attitudes on the yellow fever vaccination coverage (YFVC). METHODOLOGY This analytical study involved a sample of 2763 people from 866 households. Educational status was described in six levels: No level (Respondent had never attended school), level-1 (respondent left before intermediate school), level-2 (Respondent attended intermediate school), level-3 (respondent attended high school), level-4 (Respondent attended university), Other level (When the level could not be determined). The Attitude towards vaccination was described in terms of person's availability to recommend vaccination to third. The relationships were analyzed by multivariate mixed logistic regression. RESULTS Among the 2763 peoples, 2039 (73.8%) were vaccinated against yellow fever. People who left high school with or without the French baccalaureate were more likely to be vaccinated against YF than people without any diploma (OR = 1.4; p < 0.05). The probability of being vaccinated among people with negative attitudes was reduced by 40% (OR = 0.6; p < 0.05). CONCLUSION Low level of education, negative beliefs and negative attitudes have significant impacts on YFVC. Negatives beliefs and attitudes result often from a major lack of information about the benefits of vaccination. This deficit is exacerbated in persons with low educational level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akoï Koïvogui
- Observatoire Régional de la Santé de Guyane, Cellules Etudes, Cayenne, French Guiana.
| | - Aurel Carbunar
- Observatoire Régional de la Santé de Guyane, Cellules Etudes, Cayenne, French Guiana
| | | | - Christelle Laruade
- Observatoire Régional de la Santé de Guyane, Cellules Etudes, Cayenne, French Guiana
| | - Sylvaine Laube
- Observatoire Régional de la Santé de Guyane, Cellules Etudes, Cayenne, French Guiana
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Abstract
Despite the availability of a safe and efficacious vaccine, yellow fever (YF) remains a disease of significant public health importance, with an estimated 200,000 cases and 30,000 deaths annually. The disease is endemic in tropical regions of Africa and South America; nearly 90% of YF cases and deaths occur in Africa. It is a significant hazard to unvaccinated travelers to these endemic areas. Virus transmission occurs between humans, mosquitoes, and monkeys. The mosquito, the true reservoir of YF, is infected throughout its life, and can transmit the virus transovarially through infected eggs. Man and monkeys, on the other hand, play the role of temporary amplifiers of the virus available for mosquito infection. Recent increases in the density and distribution of the urban mosquito vector, Aedes aegypti, as well as the rise in air travel increase the risk of introduction and spread of yellow fever to North and Central America, the Caribbean, the Middle East, Asia, Australia, and Oceania. It is an acute infectious disease characterized by sudden onset with a two-phase development, separated by a short period of remission. The clinical spectrum of yellow fever varies from very mild, nonspecific, febrile illness to a fulminating, sometimes fatal disease with pathognomic features. In severe cases, jaundice, bleeding diathesis, with hepatorenal involvement are common. The case fatality rate of severe yellow fever is 50% or higher. The pathogenesis and pathophysiology of the disease are poorly understood and have not been the subject of modern clinical research. There is no specific treatment for YF, making the management of YF patients extremely problematic. YF is a zoonotic disease that cannot be eradicated, therefore instituting preventive vaccination through routine childhood vaccination in endemic countries, can significantly reduce the burden of the disease. The distinctive properties of lifelong immunity after a single dose of yellow fever vaccination are the basis of the new applications of yellow fever 17D virus as a vector for foreign genes, "the chimeric vaccine,' and the promise of developing new vaccines against other viruses, and possibly against cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oyewale Tomori
- World Health Organization-Africa Region, Harare, Zimbabwe.
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Krief I, Goldblatt JG, Paz A, Potasman I. Late vaccination against yellow fever of travelers visiting endemic countries. Travel Med Infect Dis 2006; 4:94-8. [PMID: 16887731 DOI: 10.1016/j.tmaid.2005.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2005] [Accepted: 02/03/2005] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Guidelines issued by the WHO call for immunization against yellow fever (YF) at least 10 days before entering an endemic area. We assessed the extent at which travelers complied with these guidelines. METHODS A two-phase study at one travel center in Israel. Phase I-travelers planning to visit YF-endemic areas (n = 295) were evaluated in regard to the timing of administration of YF vaccine before travel. Phase II-the specific causes of arriving late were studied prospectively in another group of 132 travelers. RESULTS Phase I-one-half of the travelers (n = 148) headed to South America (SA), and 147 to Africa. The mean age (+/-SD) of this cohort was 30.9 (+/-14.9) years (range 6-75 years). Overall, 64 (21.7%; 95% confidence interval, 17.4-26.8) received the vaccine less then 10 days before departure. However, only 10.8% of those heading to SA arrived late, as compared to 32.7% of those heading to Africa (p < 0.0001). Phase II-a last minute's decision was the commonest reason given for arriving late (43.2%). CONCLUSION One-fifth of travelers fail to comply with the WHO guidelines concerning YF vaccination. Travelers and travel agents alike need to be reminded of the importance of timely vaccination against YF.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iris Krief
- Infectious Diseases and Travel Medicine, Bnai Zion Medical Centre, and the Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Haifa, Israel
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Huang DB, Wu JJ, Tyring SK. A review of licensed viral vaccines, some of their safety concerns, and the advances in the development of investigational viral vaccines. J Infect 2004; 49:179-209. [PMID: 15337336 PMCID: PMC7126106 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinf.2004.05.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/19/2004] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Viral vaccines could be considered among the most important medical achievements of the 20th century. They have prevented much suffering and saved many lives. Although some curative antiviral drugs exist, we desperately depend on efforts by academic, governmental and industrial scientists in the advancement of viral vaccines in the prevention and control of infectious diseases. In the next decade, we hope to see advancement in the development of current and investigational viral vaccines against childhood and adult infections. In this article, we will review the licensed viral vaccines, some of their safety concerns, and the advances in the development of investigational viral vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- David B Huang
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
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Monath TP, Cetron MS. Prevention of yellow fever in persons traveling to the tropics. Clin Infect Dis 2002; 34:1369-78. [PMID: 11981733 DOI: 10.1086/340104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 116] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2001] [Revised: 01/03/2002] [Indexed: 11/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Yellow fever (YF) is a potentially lethal mosquito-borne viral hemorrhagic fever endemic in Africa and South America. Nine million tourists annually arrive in countries where YF is endemic, and fatal cases of YF have occurred recently in travelers. In this article, we review the risk factors for YF during travel and the use of YF 17D vaccine to prevent the disease. Although the vaccine is highly effective and has a long history of safe use, the occurrence of rare, fatal adverse events has raised new concerns. These events should not deter travelers to areas where YF is endemic from being immunized, because the risk of YF infection and illness may be high in rural areas and cannot be easily defined by existing surveillance. To avoid unnecessary vaccination, physicians should vaccinate persons at risk on the basis of knowledge of the epidemiology of the disease, reports of epidemic activity, season, and the likelihood of exposure to vector mosquitoes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas P Monath
- Research and Medical Affairs, Acambis, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
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Abstract
Yellow fever, the original viral haemorrhagic fever, was one of the most feared lethal diseases before the development of an effective vaccine. Today the disease still affects as many as 200,000 persons annually in tropical regions of Africa and South America, and poses a significant hazard to unvaccinated travellers to these areas. Yellow fever is transmitted in a cycle involving monkeys and mosquitoes, but human beings can also serve as the viraemic host for mosquito infection. Recent increases in the density and distribution of the urban mosquito vector, Aedes aegypti, as well as the rise in air travel increase the risk of introduction and spread of yellow fever to North and Central America, the Caribbean and Asia. Here I review the clinical features of the disease, its pathogenesis and pathophysiology. The disease mechanisms are poorly understood and have not been the subject of modern clinical research. Since there is no specific treatment, and management of patients with the disease is extremely problematic, the emphasis is on preventative vaccination. As a zoonosis, yellow fever cannot be eradicated, but reduction of the human disease burden is achievable through routine childhood vaccination in endemic countries, with a low cost for the benefits obtained. The biological characteristics, safety, and efficacy of live attenuated, yellow fever 17D vaccine are reviewed. New applications of yellow fever 17D virus as a vector for foreign genes hold considerable promise as a means of developing new vaccines against other viruses, and possibly against cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- T P Monath
- Acambis Inc, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.
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Gubler DJ, Reiter P, Ebi KL, Yap W, Nasci R, Patz JA. Climate variability and change in the United States: potential impacts on vector- and rodent-borne diseases. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES 2001; 109 Suppl 2:223-33. [PMID: 11359689 PMCID: PMC1240669 DOI: 10.1289/ehp.109-1240669] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Diseases such as plague, typhus, malaria, yellow fever, and dengue fever, transmitted between humans by blood-feeding arthropods, were once common in the United States. Many of these diseases are no longer present, mainly because of changes in land use, agricultural methods, residential patterns, human behavior, and vector control. However, diseases that may be transmitted to humans from wild birds or mammals (zoonoses) continue to circulate in nature in many parts of the country. Most vector-borne diseases exhibit a distinct seasonal pattern, which clearly suggests that they are weather sensitive. Rainfall, temperature, and other weather variables affect in many ways both the vectors and the pathogens they transmit. For example, high temperatures can increase or reduce survival rate, depending on the vector, its behavior, ecology, and many other factors. Thus, the probability of transmission may or may not be increased by higher temperatures. The tremendous growth in international travel increases the risk of importation of vector-borne diseases, some of which can be transmitted locally under suitable circumstances at the right time of the year. But demographic and sociologic factors also play a critical role in determining disease incidence, and it is unlikely that these diseases will cause major epidemics in the United States if the public health infrastructure is maintained and improved.
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Affiliation(s)
- D J Gubler
- Division of Vectorborne Infectious Diseases, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
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Gubler DJ, Reiter P, Ebi KL, Yap W, Nasci R, Patz JA. Climate variability and change in the United States: potential impacts on vector- and rodent-borne diseases. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES 2001; 109 Suppl 2:223-233. [PMID: 11359689 DOI: 10.2307/3435012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 175] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
Diseases such as plague, typhus, malaria, yellow fever, and dengue fever, transmitted between humans by blood-feeding arthropods, were once common in the United States. Many of these diseases are no longer present, mainly because of changes in land use, agricultural methods, residential patterns, human behavior, and vector control. However, diseases that may be transmitted to humans from wild birds or mammals (zoonoses) continue to circulate in nature in many parts of the country. Most vector-borne diseases exhibit a distinct seasonal pattern, which clearly suggests that they are weather sensitive. Rainfall, temperature, and other weather variables affect in many ways both the vectors and the pathogens they transmit. For example, high temperatures can increase or reduce survival rate, depending on the vector, its behavior, ecology, and many other factors. Thus, the probability of transmission may or may not be increased by higher temperatures. The tremendous growth in international travel increases the risk of importation of vector-borne diseases, some of which can be transmitted locally under suitable circumstances at the right time of the year. But demographic and sociologic factors also play a critical role in determining disease incidence, and it is unlikely that these diseases will cause major epidemics in the United States if the public health infrastructure is maintained and improved.
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Affiliation(s)
- D J Gubler
- Division of Vectorborne Infectious Diseases, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
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