China
Africa
Explore chapters and articles related to this topic
Convince Them
Published in Walter DeGrange, Lucia Darrow, Field Guide to Compelling Analytics, 2022
WHAT IF we could track and predict outbreaks of a virus before cases are confirmed by in-person physician visits? This foresight would allow healthcare providers to prepare resources and reduce the overall impact of a virus on the community. In 2008, Google attempted to do just that for the seasonal influenza with the search engine-based tool, Google Flu Trends. The idea behind the tool was relatively simple: utilize trending search queries to predict regional influenza-like illness physician visits within the United States. For example, if someone enters a query such as “do I have the flu?” or “flu symptoms,” there is a strong likelihood this searcher is experiencing flu-like indicators. By using the wealth of search query data available, Google could crowdsource flu outbreak detection.
Pathogens and their removal
Published in Nick F. Gray, Water Science and Technology: An Introduction, 2017
The family Cryptosporidiidae are intracellular coccidian protozoan parasites. There are many species found in a wide range of animals, and while many have been confirmed as having infecting humans, two in particular are widespread and waterborne. These are C. parvum and C. hominis, the latter being specific to humans (Chalmers, 2014). The first case of human infection was not recorded until 1976. Cryptosporidiosis is acquired by ingesting viable oocysts that are ovoid, between 4 and 6 μm in diameter, and generally occur in low numbers in water. Clinical symptoms of cryptosporidiosis include an influenza-like illness, diarrhoea, malaise, abdominal pain, anorexia, nausea, flatulence, malabsorption, vomiting, mild fever and weight loss. Generally, this disease is not fatal among healthy individuals. However, in young malnourished children, it can cause severe dehydration and sometimes death. In the immunocompromised, including those with AIDS or those receiving immunosuppressive drugs, and also those with severe malnutrition, cryptosporidiosis can become a life-threatening condition causing profuse intractable diarrhoea with severe dehydration, malabsorption and wasting. Sometimes, the disease spreads to other organs. These symptoms can persist unabated until the patient eventually dies. Little is known of the exact infectious dose size, but a single oocyst may be enough to cause infection, although outbreaks of cryptosporidiosis are usually associated with gross contamination. The organism is not host specific and is capable of infecting many species of mammals, birds and reptiles. Oocysts from humans are infective for numerous mammals.
Technology and Innovation in COVID-19 Pandemic Response in the Philippines
Published in Suman Lata Tripathi, Kanav Dhir, Deepika Ghai, Shashikant Patil, Health Informatics and Technological Solutions for Coronavirus (COVID-19), 2021
Miriam Caryl Carada, Ginbert Permejo Cuaton
The second set of categorizations was used on 9 April 2020 as an adoption of the 20 March 2020 guidelines issued by the WHO. The three new case categorizations are (1) suspected, (2) probable, and (3) confirmed and, as of writing, is still used by the national government. A suspected case according to the DOH can be classified into four. The first classification is a person with severe acute respiratory illness (SARI), and the second classification is a person with influenza-like illness (ILI). Both SARI and ILI share similar features. Their symptoms include a person having a fever of exactly or greater than 38°C and sore throat or cough. Unique to those classified as SARI is the difficulty of breathing, and they may also have severe pneumonia with undetermined cause prior to the COVID-19 testing. ILI on the other hand is different as they have travel history in an area with reported local virus transmission within 14 days when the other symptoms show, or they have recorded contact with, or living with a person confirmed to have the virus. The third classification is a person with ILI. These people were described to have contact with a confirmed or a probable case two days preceding the previous mentioned infection or before their test cases were confirmed to be negative on repeated testing. The fourth and last classification is people with either fever, cough, shortness of breath, or respiratory symptoms. They may also belong to the vulnerable population in this pandemic which includes those in their senior years (=/>60 y. o.) or with comorbidity, those with pre-existing illness, pregnant (especially those classified to have high-risk pregnancy), and health workers.
The role of absolute humidity in influenza transmission in Beijing, China: risk assessment and attributable fraction identification
Published in International Journal of Environmental Health Research, 2023
Li Zhang, Chunna Ma, Wei Duan, Jie Yuan, Shuangsheng Wu, Ying Sun, Jiaojiao Zhang, Jue Liu, Quanyi Wang, Min Liu
Influenza-like illness (ILI) was defined as temperature ≥38.0°C with either cough or sore throat. The weekly influenza positive rate was calculated as the quotient of positive influenza samples and the total number of samples tested during the week. We obtained ILI and laboratory surveillance data in Beijing through the Beijing Influenza Surveillance Network, which includes 144 sentinel hospitals and 17 network laboratories, functioning throughout the year. Twenty three of 144 sentinel hospitals collected respiratory specimens weekly and sent them to the network laboratories for testing. Weekly ILI data were obtained from surveillance units of sentinel hospitals. Weekly surveillance data were compiled from network laboratories, including the number of specimens tested and the number of testing positive for influenza virus by type and subtype. The product of weekly ILI number and weekly influenza positive rate are used as the proxy measure of influenza activity (hereafter ILI+), showing a better representation for influenza epidemic curve with linear correlation with weekly incidence (Goldstein et al. 2011, 2012).