What makes an epidemic a disaster: the future of epidemics within the EM-DAT International Disaster Database.

Background: Reporting on and monitoring epidemics is a public health priority. Several initiatives and platforms provide epidemiological data, such as the EM-DAT International Disaster Database, which has 1525 epidemics and their impact reported since 1900, including 892 epidemics between 2000 and 2023. However, EM-DAT has inconsistent coverage and deficiencies regarding the systematic monitoring of epidemics data due to the lack of a standardized methodology to define what will be included under an epidemic disaster.

Schools of public health as a cornerstone for pandemic preparedness and response: the Africa COVID-19 experience.

Background: The Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic caused significant morbidity and mortality in Africa, in addition to other socio-economic consequences. Across the continent, Schools of Public Health (SPHs) played several roles in supporting national, regional, and global response to the pandemic. Following a published and grey literature search, this paper reviews and analyses the contribution of SPHs in Africa during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Unravelling demographic and socioeconomic patterns of COVID-19 death and other causes of death: results of an individual-level analysis of exhaustive cause of death data in Belgium, 2020.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic led to significant excess mortality in 2020 in Belgium. By using microlevel cause-specific mortality data for the total adult population in Belgium in 2020, three outcomes were considered in this study aiming at predicting sociodemographic (SD) and socioeconomic (SE) patterns of (1) COVID-19 specific death compared to survival; (2) all other causes of death (OCOD) compared to survival; and (3) COVID-19 specific death compared to all OCOD.

Methods: Two complementary statistical methods were used.

Recurrence patterns and evolution of submicroscopic and asymptomatic Plasmodium vivax infections in malaria-endemic areas of the Peruvian Amazon.

Background: In the Peruvian Amazon, Plasmodium vivax malaria transmission is maintained due to the high frequency of recurrences. By understanding the recurrence rates of submicroscopic and asymptomatic cases, we can develop informed strategies to prevent transmission more efficiently and disrupt the silent transmission cycle.

Methods: A three-year, population-based cohort study was conducted in two sites, Cahuide and Lupuna, within the Loreto region in Peru from 2013 to 2015.

Correction: Evaluating the health and health economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on delayed cancer care in Belgium: A Markov model study protocol.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.

Malaria infection among adults residing in a highly endemic region from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Background: Adults infected with Plasmodium spp. in endemic areas need to be re-evaluated in light of global malaria elimination goals. They potentially undermine malaria interventions but remain an overlooked aspect of public health strategies.

Multimorbidity and frailty are associated with poorer SARS-CoV-2-related outcomes: systematic review of population-based studies.

Background: Estimating the risks and impacts of COVID-19 for different health groups at the population level is essential for orienting public health measures. Adopting a population-based approach, we conducted a systematic review to explore: (1) the etiological role of multimorbidity and frailty in developing SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19-related short-term outcomes; and (2) the prognostic role of multimorbidity and frailty in developing short- and long-term outcomes. This review presents the state of the evidence in the early years of the pandemic.

Sociodemographic and socioeconomic disparities in COVID-19 vaccine uptake in Belgium: a nationwide record linkage study.

Background: Recent studies have identified important social inequalities in SARS-CoV-2 infections and related COVID-19 outcomes in the Belgian population. The aim of our study was to investigate the sociodemographic and socioeconomic characteristics associated with the uptake of COVID-19 vaccine in Belgium.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of the uptake of a first COVID-19 vaccine dose among 5 342 110 adults (≥18 years) in Belgium on 31 August 2021.

Trajectories of health behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic: a longitudinal analysis of handwashing, mask wearing, social contact limitations, and physical distancing.

Aim: This study aimed to investigate the associations between health behavior adherence and psychological factors during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a particular focus on identifying trajectories of handwashing, mask wearing, social contact limitations, and physical distancing.

Methods: We employed a multi-trajectory group-based approach to analyze data from 6026 Belgian residents, including 60% women, with an average age of 52.65.

The landscape of drug resistance in Plasmodium falciparum malaria in the Democratic Republic of Congo: a mapping systematic review.

Context: The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), one of the most malaria-affected countries worldwide, is a potential hub for global drug-resistant malaria. This study aimed at summarizing and mapping surveys of malaria parasites carrying molecular markers of drug-resistance across the country.

Methods: A systematic mapping review was carried out before July 2023 by searching for relevant articles through seven databases (PubMed, Embase, Scopus, African Journal Online, African Index Medicus, Bioline and Web of Science).

COVID-19 contact tracing at work in Belgium - how tracers tweak guidelines for the better.

Background: When conducting COVID-19 contact tracing, pre-defined criteria allow differentiating high-risk contacts (HRC) from low-risk contacts (LRC). Our study aimed to evaluate whether contact tracers in Belgium followed these criteria in practice and whether their deviations improved the infection risk assessment.

Method: We conducted a retrospective cohort study in Belgium, through an anonymous online survey, sent to 111,763 workers by email.

The direct disease burden of COVID-19 in Belgium in 2020 and 2021.

Background: Burden of disease estimates have become important population health metrics over the past decade to measure losses in health. In Belgium, the disease burden caused by COVID-19 has not yet been estimated, although COVID-19 has emerged as one of the most important diseases. Therefore, the current study aims to estimate the direct COVID-19 burden in Belgium, observed despite policy interventions, during 2020 and 2021, and compare it to the burden from other causes.

The global burden of neglected zoonotic diseases: Current state of evidence.

The majority of emerging infectious diseases are zoonoses, most of which are classified as "neglected". By affecting both humans and animals, zoonoses pose a dual burden. The disability-adjusted life year (DALY) metric quantifies human health burden since it combines mortality and morbidity.

Reduced polymorphism of Plasmodium vivax early transcribed membrane protein (PvETRAMP) 11.2.

Background: ETRAMP11.2 (PVX_003565) is a well-characterized protein with antigenic potential. It is considered to be a serological marker for diagnostic tools, and it has been suggested as a potential vaccine candidate.

Impact of environmental nitrogen pollution on pollen allergy: A scoping review.

The current rise in the prevalence of allergies to aeroallergens is incompletely understood and attributed to interactions with environmental changes and lifestyle changes. Environmental nitrogen pollution might be a potential driver of this increasing prevalence. While the ecological impact of excessive nitrogen pollution has been widely studied and is relatively well understood, its indirect effect on human allergies is not well documented.

Social inequalities and long-term health impact of COVID-19 in Belgium: protocol of the HELICON population data linkage.

Introduction: Data linkage systems have proven to be a powerful tool in support of combating and managing the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the interoperability and the reuse of different data sources may pose a number of technical, administrative and data security challenges.

Methods And Analysis: This protocol aims to provide a case study for linking highly sensitive individual-level information.

Addressing misclassification bias in vaccine effectiveness studies with an application to Covid-19.

Safe and effective vaccines are crucial for the control of Covid-19 and to protect individuals at higher risk of severe disease. The test-negative design is a popular option for evaluating the effectiveness of Covid-19 vaccines. However, the findings could be biased by several factors, including imperfect sensitivity and/or specificity of the test used for diagnosing the SARS-Cov-2 infection.

Long COVID in the Belgian Defence forces: prevalence, risk factors and impact on quality of daily functioning.

Introduction: Long COVID (LC) is a medical condition first described and documented through anecdotes on social media by patients prior to being recognised by WHO as a disease. Although >50 prolonged symptoms of LC have been described, it remains a diagnostic challenge for military providers and therefore threatens operational readiness.

Methods: On 9 September 2021, an online survey was emailed to 2192 Belgian Defence personnel who had previously tested PCR positive for SARS-CoV-2 between 17 August 2020 and 31 May 2021.

Lyme borreliosis in Belgium: a cost-of-illness analysis.

Background: Lyme borreliosis (LB) is the most common tick-borne disease in Europe and North America, yet its economic burden remains largely unknown. This study aimed to estimate the economic cost associated with the different clinical manifestations of LB in Belgium.

Methods: An incidence approach and societal perspective were used to estimate the total cost-of-illness for LB in Belgium.

Aetiological and prognostic roles of frailty, multimorbidity and socioeconomic characteristics in the development of SARS-CoV-2 health outcomes: protocol for systematic reviews of population-based studies.

Introduction: There is growing evidence that the impact of COVID-19 crisis may be stronger for individuals with multimorbidity, frailty and lower socioeconomic status. Existing reviews focus on few, mainly short-term effects of COVID-19 illness and patients with single chronic disease. Information is also largely missing for population representative samples.

The state of health in Belgium, 1990-2019: a benchmarking analysis based on the Global Burden of Disease 2019 study.

Background: In a context of decreasing resources and growing health needs, evidence-based health and care policies are essential. This study aims to assess the health trends in Belgium between 1990 and 2019, to compare the Belgian health status to that of the EU-15 countries, and to identify the main drivers in trends over time and country differences within the EU-15.

Methods: We extracted estimates from the GBD 2019 study via the GBD results tool and visualization tools.