Worldwide Trends in COVID-19-Related Attacks Against Healthcare: A Review of the Safeguarding Health in Conflict Coalition Database.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, violence targeting healthcare reportedly increased. Attacks against healthcare can severely hamper the public health response during a pandemic. Descriptive data analysis of these attacks may be helpful to develop prevention and mitigation strategies.

50 Years of terrorism in Belgium: a review of 121 incidents in the global terrorism database.

Objectives: Belgium is not only prone to inland terrorism but also attracts terrorist factions aiming at various political, diplomatic, military, and/or religious targets. This study aimed to identify and characterize all documented terrorist attacks in Belgium reported to the Global Terrorism Database (GTD) over a period of 50 years.

Methods: The GTD was searched for all terrorist attacks in Belgium between 1970 and 2019.

Work stress and burnout among emergency physicians: a systematic review of last 10 years of research.

Aim Of The Study: First, to provide a synthesis and analysis of available scientific literature regarding the level of work stress and burnout among emergency physicians. Second, to identify the effect of the specific work situation-related factors.

Methods: A systematic search was performed in NCBI PubMed and Embase.

Influenza B-induced longitudinally extensive transverse myelitis and bithalamic acute disseminated encephalomyelitis.

In the COVID-era, other viral pathogens, like influenza B, gain less attention in scientific reporting. However, influenza still is endemic, and rarely affects central nervous system (CNS). Here, we report the case of a 35-year-old male who presented with fever since 1 week, and developed acute ascending flaccid paralysis and urinary retention.

Hacking Acute Care: A Qualitative Study on the Health Care Impacts of Ransomware Attacks Against Hospitals.

Study Objective: Cyberattacks are an increasing threat to health care institutions which potentially impair patient outcomes. Current research is limited and focuses mainly on the technical consequences, whereas little is known about health care staff experiences and the effect on emergency care. This study aimed to explore the acute care effect of several large ransomware attacks against hospitals that occurred in Europe and the United States between 2017 and 2022.

An Epidemiological Analysis of Terrorist Attacks in the Nordic and Baltic Countries from 1970 through 2020.

Background: Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014, and the recent Russo-Ukrainian war that started in 2022, were triggers that radically changed the perception of security in the Nordic and Baltic countries. The on-going Russian hybrid war has resulted in a renewed global interest in the safety and security of many countries (eg, the Nordic-Baltic Eight). The prospective North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) membership of Finland and Sweden may drastically change the regional military and political landscape.

Terrorist Attacks against Health Care Targets that Provide Abortion Services.

Introduction: Terrorist attacks against hospitals and health care providers have disproportionally increased during the last decades. A significant proportion of these attacks targeted abortion clinics and abortion providers. In the light of the overturning of in 2022, an increase of anti-abortion terrorist attacks is anticipated.

A Review of Ambulance Terrorism on the African Continent.

Background: In recent decades, an increasing number of terrorist attacks have been carried out against medical institutions, hospitals, and health care workers. These attacks, that often result in high numbers of casualties and impaired access to health services, have a more significant impact on people's sense of security than attacks against military and police targets. Attacks on ambulances - especially on the African continent - have been sparsely studied.

50 Years of Terrorism against the Nuclear Industry: A Review of 91 Incidents in the Global Terrorism Database.

Background: The on-going Russo-Ukrainian war has resulted in a renewed global interest in the safety and security of nuclear installations and the possibility of nuclear disasters caused by warfare and terrorism.The objective of this study was to identify and characterize all documented terrorist attacks against nuclear transport, nuclear facilities, and nuclear scientists as reported to the Global Terrorism Database (GTD) over a 50-year period.

Methods: The GTD was searched for all terrorist attacks against nuclear facilities, nuclear scientists, nuclear transport, and other nuclear industry-related targets in the period from 1970-2020.

Terrorist Attacks against Concerts and Festivals: A Review of 146 Incidents in the Global Terrorism Database.

Background: Mass gatherings are vulnerable to terrorist attacks and are considered soft targets with potential to inflict high numbers of casualties. The objective of this study was to identify and characterize all documented terrorist attacks targeted at concerts and festivals reported to the Global Terrorism Database (GTD) over a 50-year period.

Methods: The GTD was searched for all terrorist attacks against concerts and festivals that occurred world-wide from 1970 through 2019.

Attacks on Health Care Workers in Historical Pandemics and COVID-19.

Previous pandemics have been (mis)used for (geo)political reasons, for terrorism purposes, and in times of conflict. Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has been no exception with populist politicians challenging the relations with China, calling it the "Chinese virus," certain state actors setting up cyberterrorist actions against health care organizations in the United States and Europe, and a reported increase of violent acts against health care workers.Aside from state-driven factors, both left- and right-wing activists and anti-vaccination activists adhering to conspiracy theories are a threat for health care organizations.

Primary Care as Primary Target: A Review of Terrorist Attacks Against Primary Care Providers and Their Offices.

Background: Violence against primary care providers (PCPs) has increased during the current pandemic. While some of these violent acts are not defined as terrorist events, they are intentional events with an aim to disrupt, kill, or injure. Despite their pivotal role in health care, little is known about the risk for PCPs as targets of terrorism.

Transport Terrorism: A Counter-Terrorism Medicine Analysis.

Background: Many capital cities around the world have been subjected to terrorist attacks on their transport systems with devastating consequences. Large crowds in small enclosed spaces, disruption to people movement, and the psychosocial and financial repercussions of attacks are some of the many soft target vulnerabilities of mass-transit systems.This study is an epidemiological examination of all terrorism-related events targeting air, sea, and ground transport modalities sustained from 1970-2019, comparing the rates of fatal injuries (FI) and non-fatal injuries (NFI).

Terrorist Attacks Against Emergency Medical Services: Secondary Attacks are an Emerging Risk.

Introduction: Terrorists increasingly aim at so-called soft targets, such as hospitals. However, little is known about terrorist attacks against Emergency Medical Services (EMS).

Objective: This study aims to review all documented terrorist attacks against EMS that occurred world-wide from 1970-2019 using the Global Terrorism Database (GTD).

A Counter-Terrorism Medicine Analysis of Drone Attacks.

Background: The rapid popularization of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs; also referred to as drones), in both the recreational and industrial sectors, has paved the way for rapid developments in drone capabilities. Although the threat of UAVs used by terrorists has been recognized by specialists in both Counter-Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism Medicine (CTM), there are limited data on the extent and characteristics of drone use by terrorist organizations.

Methods: Data collection was performed using a retrospective database search through the Global Terrorism Database (GTD).

Terrorist Attacks against Hospitals: World-Wide Trends and Attack Types.

Background: Analysts have warned on multiple occasions that hospitals are potential soft targets for terrorist attacks. Such attacks will have far-reaching consequences, including decreased accessibility, possible casualties, and fear among people. The extent, incidence, and characteristics of terrorist attacks against hospitals are unknown.

Terrorist Attacks in Western Europe: A Counter-Terrorism Medicine Analysis.

Background: The modern concept of terrorism has its roots in the "old continent" of Western Europe, more specifically in France, during the "Reign of Terror" period of the French Revolution. At the time, this form of state terror had a positive connotation: it was a legitimate means of defending the young state. While no single accepted definition of terrorism exists today, it is universally considered an attack on both state and society.

Sarcoidosis-like disease with pulmonary infestation, meningoencephalitis and transverse myelitis after sigmoid cancer treatment.

We present the case of a 40-year-old male with recent history of moderately differentiated invasive adenocarcinoma of the sigmoid in whom both respiratory and neurological disease developed simultaneously, mimicking diffuse metastatic disease. The broad differential diagnosis and pitfalls (both diagnostic and therapeutic) are described. Pulmonary sarcoidosis as well as neurosarcoidosis occur very rarely after solid cancers.

Health Care Organizations: Soft Target during COVID-19 Pandemic.

Health care organizations have been challenged by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic for some time, while in January 2020, it was not immediately suspected that it would take such a global expansion. In the past, other studies have already pointed out that health care systems, and more specifically hospitals, can be a so-called "soft target" for terrorist attacks. This report has now examined whether this is also the case in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.