Burden of respiratory syncytial virus infections in older adults with acute respiratory infection in Japan: An epidemiological study among outpatients.

Background: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a leading cause of acute respiratory illness, with severe outcomes in older adults. Information on the prevalence, hospitalization rate, and impact on the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of RSV in older adults with acute respiratory infections (ARI) in outpatient settings in Japan is limited.

Methods: This multi-center epidemiological study included outpatients aged ≥60 years presenting with ARI between August 2021 and February 2023.

Rationale and protocol for a prospective cohort study of respiratory viral infections in patients admitted from emergency departments of community hospitals: Effect of respiratory Virus infection on EmeRgencY admission (EVERY) study.

Introduction: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a causative virus for the common cold worldwide and can result in hospitalisations and even death in patients with high-risk conditions and older adults. However, the relationship between RSV or other incidental respiratory infections and acute exacerbations of underlying conditions has not been well investigated. The primary objective of this study is to estimate RSV prevalence, risk factors for adverse outcomes or hospitalisation and their effect on the hospital course of patients with acute respiratory symptoms admitted from emergency departments.

Outbreaks Following Natural Disasters: A Review of the Literature.

Understanding the relationship between infectious disease outbreaks and natural disasters is important in developing response and disaster risk reduction strategies. The aim of this study was to identify outbreaks associated with natural disasters during the past 20 y, and outline risk factors and mechanisms for postdisaster outbreaks. Review of the international disaster database (EM-DAT) and systematic review of the literature were conducted.

Civil war and death in Yemen: Analysis of SMART survey and ACLED data, 2012-2019.

Conflict in Yemen has displaced millions and destroyed health infrastructure, resulting in the world's largest humanitarian disaster. The objective of this paper is to examine mortality in Yemen to determine whether it has increased significantly since the conflict began in 2015 compared to the preceding period. We analysed 91 household surveys using the Standardized Monitoring and Assessment of Relief and Transitions methodology, covering 2,864 clusters undertaken from 2012-2019, and deaths from Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project database covering the conflict period 2015-2019.

Valuing Human Impact of Natural Disasters: A Review of Methods.

This paper provides a comprehensive set of methodologies that have been used in the literature to give a monetary value to the human impact in a natural disaster setting. Four databases were searched for relevant published and gray literature documents with a set of inclusion and exclusion criteria. Twenty-seven studies that quantified the value of a statistical life in a disaster setting or discussed methodologies of estimating value of life were included.

Predictors of exceeding emergency under-five mortality thresholds using small-scale survey data from humanitarian settings (1999 - 2020): considerations for measles vaccination, malnutrition, and displacement status.

Background: Quantifying the effect of measles containing vaccine (MCV) coverage and the prevalence of global acute malnutrition (GAM) on mortality levels in populations of displaced and crisis-affected resident children is important for intervention programming in humanitarian emergencies.

Methods: A total of 1597 surveys containing data on under-five death rate, population status (internally displaced, refugee, or crisis-affected resident), measles containing vaccine coverage, and global acute malnutrition were extracted from the Complex Emergency Database (CE-DAT). Under-five mortality rates were dichotomized to those exceeding critical levels or otherwise.

Human insecurity and child deaths in conflict: evidence for improved response in Yemen.

Background: Since the beginning of the ongoing conflict in Yemen, >23 000 air strikes and >100 000 fatalities have been recorded. Data from Yemen Data Project linked >1300 child fatalities and >900 child injuries to air raids. However, there is little literature on the effect of the protracted armed conflict on the pattern of child mortality using data from small-scale surveys.

"Recovering, not recovered" Hospital disaster resilience: a case-study from the 2015 earthquake in Nepal.

Background: Disasters are an increasing threat to human health, but we know little about their impact on health services, particularly in low and middle-income settings. 'Resilient hospitals' have been increasingly recognized as a cornerstone of disaster management. While various frameworks of hospital resilience exist, they emerged from pre-disaster considerations, and do not incorporate evidence from post-disaster settings.

Evaluation of Early Warning, Alert and Response System for Ebola Virus Disease, Democratic Republic of the Congo, 2018-2020.

The 10th and largest Ebola virus disease epidemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) was declared in North Kivu Province in August 2018 and ended in June 2020. We describe and evaluate an Early Warning, Alert and Response System (EWARS) implemented in the Beni health zone of DRC during August 5, 2018-June 30, 2020. During this period, 194,768 alerts were received, of which 30,728 (15.

Hospital Resilience After the 2015 Earthquake in Nepal: Results From Semi-structured Interviews With Hospital Staff.

Resilient hospitals are increasingly recognized as a cornerstone of disaster reduction in global policies such as the Sendai Framework for Action. However, current hospital resilience frameworks emerged from pre-disaster conceptualizations, and have not been verified in real-life disaster contexts nor in the frontlines. Our aim was to study a tertiary hospital's resilience after the 2015 earthquake in Nepal, as experienced by its staff.

Measuring mental health burden in humanitarian settings: a critical review of assessment tools.

Background: The effects of disasters and conflicts are widespread and heavily studied. While attention to disasters' impacts on mental health is growing, mental health effects are not well understood due to inconsistencies in measurement.

Objective: The purpose of this study is to review mental health assessment tools and their use in populations affected by disasters and conflicts.

Changes in patient admissions after the 2015 Earthquake: a tertiary hospital-based study in Kathmandu, Nepal.

Literature on earthquake impact on hospital admissions is lacking, particularly in low-resource settings. Our aim was to study the pattern of admissions before and after the 2015 earthquake in a tertiary hospital in Nepal. We used routine hospital data from 9,596 admissions, and defined four periods: pre-earthquake (pre-EQ), acute (EQ1), post-acute (EQ2), and post-earthquake (post-EQ).

Impact of mass vaccination campaigns on measles transmission during an outbreak in Guinea, 2017.

Objective: To estimate the time-dependent measles effective reproduction number (R) as an indicator of the impact of three outbreak response vaccination (ORV) campaigns on measles transmission during a nationwide outbreak in Guinea.

Methods: R represents the average number of secondary cases generated by a single primary case in a partially immune population during a given time period. Measles R was estimated using daily incidence data for 3952 outbreak-associated measles cases in Guinea in 2017 for the time periods prior to, between, and following each of three ORV campaigns using a simple and extensible mathematical model.

Clinical and demographic profile of admitted victims in a tertiary hospital after the 2015 earthquake in Nepal.

Background: In 2015, an earthquake killing 9,000 and injuring 22,000 people hit Nepal. The Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital (TUTH), a reference tertiary hospital, was operational immediately after the earthquake. We studied the profile of earthquake victims admitted in TUTH and assessed what factors could influence hospital length of stay.

Assessment of the Capacity and Capability of Burn Centers to Respond to Burn Disasters in Belgium: A Mixed-Method Study.

Burn disaster is defined as a massive influx of patients that exceeds a burn center's capacity and capability. This study investigates the capacity and capability of burn centers to respond to burn disasters in the Belgian ground. Quantitative survey and qualitative semistructured interview questionnaires were administered directly to key informants of burn centers.

Human Stampedes: An Updated Review of Current Literature.

Human stampedes are a major cause of mortality in mass gatherings, but they have received limited scientific attention. While the number of publications has increased, there is no recent review of new study results. This study compiles and reviews available literature on stampedes, their prevention, preparedness, and response.

PALTEM: What Parameters Should Be Collected in Disaster Settings to Assess the Long-Term Outcomes of Famine?

Evidence suggests that nutritional status during fetal development and early life leaves an imprint on the genome, which leads to health outcomes not only on a person as an adult but also on his offspring. The purpose of this study is to bring forth an overview of the relevant parameters that need to be collected to assess the long-term and transgenerational health outcomes of famine. A literature search was conducted for the most pertinent articles on the epigenetic effects of famine.