RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to investigate the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of the Greek general population toward coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) during the lockdown period in April 2020, to examine factors associated with misperceptions and to determine behavioral patterns that may require interventions. METHODS: A cross-sectional study of the general Greek population (N = 1858) was conducted. A geographically stratified cluster sampling was implemented. A questionnaire was composed consisting of 35 questions. Data collection took place from 15 April to 2 May 2020. A random-digit dialing survey was conducted by 29 interviewers. RESULTS: The majority of respondents (62.7%) answered ≥12/17 questions correctly. Participants aged 18-44 years, male gender, specific occupations (freelancer, unemployed, housewife, retiree) and those who sought information about COVID-19 from less than two sources received lower aggregated scores on knowledge questions. Regarding attitudes toward future vaccination, 18.9% declared that were against it, while 81.1% that they may consider or will be vaccinated. About 40% were not using a face mask and only 42% washed their hands appropriately. CONCLUSION: Adjusting information campaigns targeting especially people below 45 years of age can help to sensitize them and realise their role to control the spread. Further targeted surveys are needed to adjust/design prevention campaigns.
Asunto(s)
COVID-19/prevención & control , Control de Enfermedades Transmisibles/estadística & datos numéricos , Conocimientos, Actitudes y Práctica en Salud , Adolescente , Adulto , Estudios Transversales , Femenino , Grecia , Humanos , Masculino , Pandemias , Encuestas y Cuestionarios , Adulto JovenRESUMEN
A scoping search and a systematic literature review were conducted to give an insight on entry and exit screening referring to travelers at points of entry, by analyzing published evidence on practices, guidelines, and experiences in the past 15 years worldwide. Grey literature, PubMed. and Scopus were searched using specific terms. Most of the available data identified through the systematic literature review concerned entry screening measures at airports. Little evidence is available about entry and exit screening measure implementation and effectiveness at ports and ground crossings. Exit screening was part of the World Health Organisation's (WHO) temporary recommendations for implementation in certain points of entry, for specific time periods. Exit screening measures for Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in the three most affected West African countries did not identify any cases and showed zero sensitivity and very low specificity. The percentages of confirmed cases identified out of the total numbers of travelers that passed through entry screening measures in various countries worldwide for Influenza Pandemic (H1N1) and EVD in West Africa were zero or extremely low. Entry screening measures for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) did not detect any confirmed SARS cases in Australia, Canada, and Singapore. Despite the ineffectiveness of entry and exit screening measures, authors reported several important concomitant positive effects that their impact is difficult to assess, including discouraging travel of ill persons, raising awareness, and educating the traveling public and maintaining operation of flights from/to the affected areas. Exit screening measures in affected areas are important and should be applied jointly with other measures including information strategies, epidemiological investigation, contact tracing, vaccination, and quarantine to achieve a comprehensive outbreak management response. Based on review results, an algorithm about decision-making for entry/exit screening was developed.
Asunto(s)
Control de Enfermedades Transmisibles/métodos , Enfermedades Transmisibles/diagnóstico , Enfermedades Transmisibles/epidemiología , Tamizaje Masivo/estadística & datos numéricos , Viaje , África Occidental/epidemiología , Aeronaves , Brotes de Enfermedades/prevención & control , Fiebre Hemorrágica Ebola/epidemiología , Fiebre Hemorrágica Ebola/prevención & control , Humanos , Subtipo H1N1 del Virus de la Influenza A , Gripe Humana/epidemiología , Gripe Humana/prevención & control , Tamizaje Masivo/normas , Salud Pública , Síndrome Respiratorio Agudo Grave/epidemiología , Síndrome Respiratorio Agudo Grave/prevención & controlRESUMEN
Exposure to inorganic arsenic (As) through drinking water is a major international public health issue. We carried out a systematic review of the existing literature examining the association between the risk of bladder cancer in humans and exposure to arsenic through drinking water. We searched electronic databases for studies published from January 2000 up to April 2013. Eight ecological studies, six case-control studies, four cohort studies and two meta-analyses were identified. The vast majority of the studies were carried out in areas with high arsenic concentrations in drinking water such as southwestern and northeastern Taiwan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Argentina (Cordoba Province), USA (southeastern Michigan, Florida, Idaho) and Chile. Most of the studies reported higher risks of bladder cancer incidence or mortality in areas with high arsenic concentrations in drinking water compared to the general population or a low arsenic exposed control group. The quality assessment showed that among the studies identified, arsenic exposure was assessed at the individual level only in half of them and only three assessed exposure using a biomarker. Further, five out of eight ecological studies presented results with adjustment for potential confounders except for age; all cohort and case-control studies presented results with adjustment for cigarette smoking status in the analysis. The majority of the studies with varying study designs carried out in different areas provided evidence of statistically siginificant increases in bladder cancer risk at high concentrations of arsenic (>50 µg L(-1)). Assessing bladder cancer risk at lower exposure concentrations requires further investigation.