Publications by authors named "Pampaka D"

Introduction: The establishment of Aedes albopictus in new areas in Europe has changed the risk of local dengue transmission represented by imported human cases. The risk of transmission is determined by the distribution of travelers arriving from dengue-endemic areas and the distribution of Ae. albopictus as potential vectors of dengue in Spain.

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Given sustained high vaccination coverage and enhanced surveillance for measles, Spain has been free of endemic measles transmission since 2014, achieving elimination certification from the World Health Organization in 2017. In November 2017, measles was introduced through an imported case travelling to the Valencian Community, causing an interregional outbreak. Here, we describe the outbreak using data reported to the national epidemiological surveillance network.

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A number of studies suggest that meteorological conditions are related to the risk of Legionnaires' disease (LD) but the findings are not consistent. A systematic review was conducted to investigate the association of weather with sporadic LD and highlight the key meteorological conditions related to this outcome. PubMed, EMBASE, The Cochrane Library and OpenGrey were searched on 26-27 March 2020 without date, language or location restrictions.

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Shortly after the declaration of the COVID-19 pandemic, governments around the world were urged to leave no population behind. Following a COVID-19 risk evaluation in a refugee and asylum seekers reception center, in September 2020, we considered the priorities of managing COVID-19 in these settings. We encourage actions on the following four fronts to reduce the COVID-19-associated burden among these vulnerable populations based on our interviews, observations, and recommendations: (i) decongestion, (ii) facilitated testing, (iii) screening for symptoms, and (iv) targeted public health and risk communication.

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Background: The association of antenatal depression with adverse pregnancy, birth, and postnatal outcomes has been an item of scientific interest over the last decades. However, the evidence that exists is controversial or limited. We previously found that one in five women in Kuwait experience antenatal depressive symptoms.

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Poor mental health among human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive people who inject drugs (PWID) may contribute to stigma, and together they act as barriers to medical care. This analysis aims to examine factors associated with the mental health of PWID and their network contacts, and the association of poor mental health with the experience of HIV-related stigmatizing events, with HIV-related social support, and with perceived access to care. Data were collected during the Transmission Reduction Intervention Project (TRIP) conducted in Athens, Greece (2013-2015).

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The Transmission Reduction Intervention Project (TRIP) was a network-based, enhanced contact tracing approach, targeting recently HIV-infected people who inject drugs (PWID) in Athens, Greece (2013-2015). This analysis examines behavioral changes of participants in TRIP and their determinants between baseline and follow-up visits to the program. All participants of TRIP were tested for HIV and interviewed using a questionnaire with items on drug injection-related and sexual behaviors.

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This study examines the microbiological and epidemiological characteristics of toxigenic and nontoxigenic isolates submitted to the national reference laboratory in Spain, between 2014 and 2019, in order to describe the current situation and improve our knowledge regarding these emerging pathogens. Epidemiological information was extracted from the Spanish Surveillance System. Microbiological and molecular characterization was carried out using phenotypic methods, multilocus sequence typing (MLST), whole-genome sequencing (WGS), and core genome MLST (cgMLST).

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During the first months of the severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) epidemic in 2020, Spain implemented an initial lockdown period on 15 March followed by a strengthened lockdown period on 30 March when only essential workers continued to commute to work. However, little is known about the epidemic dynamics in different age groups during these periods.We used the daily number of coronavirus 2019 cases (by date of symptom onset) reported to the National Epidemiological Surveillance Network among individuals aged 15-19 years through 65-69 years.

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Background: The first months of the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Spain resulted in high incidence and mortality. A national sero-epidemiological survey suggests higher cumulative incidence of infection in older individuals than in younger individuals. However, little is known about the epidemic dynamics in different age groups, including the relative effect of the lockdown measures introduced on March 15, and strengthened on March 30 to April 14, 2020 when only essential workers continued to work.

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Since the first accounts of SARS-CoV-2, authorities have encountered numerous unprecedented situations threatening public health. This rapid communication addresses events that led to the quarantining of a hotel in Tenerife, Spain and the effectiveness of the rapidly implemented control measures. In total, eight cases have been associated with the hotel.

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Objective: To examine the impact of treating carious teeth on children's and adolescents' anthropometric outcomes.

Basic Research Design: Four electronic databases and four electronic clinical trials registries were searched. Two reviewers independently conducted the screening, data extraction and critical appraisal.

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Objective: To estimate the prevalence of antenatal depressive symptoms, identify relevant risk factors, and assess comorbid mental health problems, among pregnant women enrolled in a population based study.

Methods: This was a secondary analysis of data collected from 1916 pregnant women who participated in the TRansgenerational Assessment of Children's Environmental Risk (TRACER) study in Kuwait, and had answered the Baseline Questionnaire and completed the Edinburgh Depression Scale (EDS). Logistic regression models were used to examine the association of depressive symptoms with baseline socio-demographic characteristics and psychosocial indicators.

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Evidence exists that the risk factors for depression in the antenatal and postnatal period may differ, but only a handful of studies looked at depression longitudinally. The aims of this study were (1) to estimate the prevalence of postnatal depressive symptoms in Kuwait where data about postnatal depression are scarce and identify its determinants and (2) to compare these risk factors between women who had experienced antenatal depressive symptoms and those that did not. Data collected in the TRansgenerational Assessment of Children's Environmental Risk (TRACER) Study in Kuwait were used in this analysis.

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Purpose: The purpose of this study is to assess tobacco dependence among Cypriot adolescents and examine its association to cigarette consumption and attitudes towards smoking.

Methods: The current study used cross-sectional data from the 2011 Cyprus Global Youth Tobacco Survey which adopted multistage cluster sampling methods to select adolescents registered in middle and high schools in Cyprus. Tobacco use, physical dependence on tobacco, and attitudes towards tobacco use were measured in 187 adolescents aged 13-18years old who reported that they had smoked at least once in the preceding 30days.

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Objectives: To identify factors associated with adolescent smokers' desire to quit based on the 2006 Cyprus Global Youth Tobacco Survey.

Methods: A cluster sample design was used to select a representative sample of students from all registered middle and high schools in Cyprus with >40 students in academic year 2005-2006. Multivariable logistic regression was used taking into account the weight associated with each of the respondents.

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Background: Several countries, including Cyprus, have passed smoke-free legislations in recent years. The goal of this study was to assess the indoor levels of particulate matter in hospitality venues in Cyprus before and after the implementation of the law on 1/1/2010, evaluate the role of enforcement, and examine the legislation's effect on revenue and employment.

Methods: Several hospitality venues (n = 35) were sampled between April 2007 and January 2008, and 21 of those were re-sampled after the introduction of the smoking ban, between March and May 2010.

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