To better inform public health officials during a flu pandemic, this study analyzes a representative statewide telephone survey among 1,602 adults to examine knowledge and perceptions about a flu pandemic, trust in government, and support for government actions in a flu pandemic. The findings show citizens do not understand what avian/bird flu is and how it evolves into a pandemic. They also seem to have divergent perceptions regarding the susceptibility and severity of a flu pandemic. More than half of the respondents trust the government to handle a flu pandemic and show strong support for many proposed government actions in a pandemic, except for offering non-fully approved drugs. The findings suggest public health and risk communicators should reinforce support for controversial actions through trust building and personalization of risks rather than mere education or publicity. Public education and engagement should also begin pre-pandemic and continue throughout all phases of the event.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1524839908322114 | DOI Listing |
Alzheimers Dement
December 2024
Noesis Cognitive Center & Tech Solutions Ltd, Nicosia, Cyprus.
Background: A 69-year-old retired businessman, born in 1954, with 12 years of education, had been participating in cognitive enhancement sessions for the past 5 years. His medical history included two ischemic strokes, left hemiplegia, as well as disturbances in the left visual field. This study aimed to examine the individual's cognitive performance over the course of these 5 years, including the COVID-19 pandemic period.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInfluenza Other Respir Viruses
January 2025
Netherlands Institute for Health Services Research (Nivel), Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Background: Vaccination is a key measure in influenza control, yet global coverage rates remain low, although previous research reported an increase in influenza vaccination coverage rates (VCR) after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aims to assess whether these changes were sustained over time by analyzing VCR trends from 2012 to 2023 in the countries included in the FluCov project.
Methods: Data on influenza VCR from 2012 to 2023 for different age and risk groups were extracted from national health organizations and international sources for countries included in the FluCov project.
Drugs Aging
January 2025
University Hospitals of Cleveland, 11100 Euclid Ave, Mailstop 5083, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA.
Influenza, a highly contagious respiratory viral illness, poses significant global health risks, particularly affecting older and those with chronic health conditions. Influenza viruses, primarily types A and B, are responsible for seasonal human infections and exhibit a propensity for antigenic drift and shift, contributing to seasonal epidemics and pandemics. The severity of influenza varies, but severe cases often lead to pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, and multiorgan failure.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNat Commun
January 2025
Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
The continuing emergence of immune evasive SARS-CoV-2 variants and the previous SARS-CoV-1 outbreak collectively underscore the need for broadly protective sarbecovirus vaccines. Targeting the conserved S2 subunit of SARS-CoV-2 is a particularly promising approach to elicit broad protection. Here, we describe a nanoparticle vaccine displaying multiple copies of the SARS-CoV-1 S2 subunit.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNat Commun
January 2025
School of Public Health, Key Laboratory of Public Health Safety, Ministry of Education, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
East, South, and Southeast Asia (together referred to as Southeastern Asia hereafter) have been recognized as critical areas fuelling the global circulation of seasonal influenza. However, the seasonal influenza migration network within Southeastern Asia remains unclear, including how pandemic-related disruptions altered this network. We leveraged genetic, epidemiological, and airline travel data between 2007-2023 to characterise the dispersal patterns of influenza A/H3N2 and B/Victoria viruses both out of and within Southeastern Asia, including during perturbations by the 2009 A/H1N1 and COVID-19 pandemics.
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