Biomedical Research, A Tool to Address the Health Issues that Affect African Populations.

Traditionally, biomedical research endeavors in low to middle resources countries have focused on communicable diseases. However, data collected over the past 20 years by the World Health Organization (WHO) show a significant increase in the number of people suffering from non-communicable diseases (e.g. heart disease, diabetes, cancer and pulmonary diseases). Within the coming years, WHO predicts significant decreases in communicable diseases while non-communicable diseases are expected to double in low and middle income countries in sub-Saharan Africa. The predicted increase in the non-communicable diseases population could be economically burdensome for the basic healthcare infrastructure of countries that lack resources to address this emerging disease burden. Biomedical research could stimulate development of healthcare and biomedical infrastructure. If this development is sustainable, it provides an opportunity to alleviate the burden of both communicable and non-communicable diseases through diagnosis, prevention and treatment. In this paper, we discuss how research using biomedical technology, especially genomics, has produced data that enhances the understanding and treatment of both communicable and non-communicable diseases in sub-Saharan Africa. We further discuss how scientific development can provide opportunities to pursue research areas responsive to the African populations. We limit our discussion to biomedical research in the areas of genomics due to its substantial impact on the scientific community in recent years however, we also recognize that targeted investments in other scientific disciplines could also foster further development in African countries

Communicable Diseases and the Workplace

[Excerpt] Coming to work when we are sick raises some interesting questions: How contagious are we? Should we stay home? What could be done to prevent disease transmission to others, with its effects on absenteeism, performance, and efficiency, as well as in the interests of public health? Is working from home an option? Shouldn’t the employer provide sick leave or flextime to discourage working when sick? Without sick leave, aren’t people more likely to go to work sick, as well as send sick kids to school? Should an employer sponsor, or even require, vaccinations? When trying to change policy and attitudes on communicable infectious diseases in the workplace, there is a good business case to be made. Workplaces traditionally plan for a variety of crises – especially infrastructure damage and its recovery – but planning and prevention for diseases seems to get overlooked, despite its very significant cost in both human suffering and dollars. Some diseases that have had a costly impact on businesses include mumps, measles, norovirus, SARS, tuberculosis, and whooping cough

The burden of non communicable diseases in developing countries

Background: By the dawn of the third millennium, non communicable diseases are sweeping the entire globe, with an increasing trend in developing countries where, the transition imposes more constraints to deal with the double burden of infective and non-infective diseases in a poor environment characterised by ill-health systems. By 2020, it is predicted that these diseases will be causing seven out of every 10 deaths in developing countries. Many of the non communicable diseases can be prevented by tackling associated risk factors. Methods: Data from national registries and international organisms are collected, compared and analyzed. The focus is made on the growing burden of non communicable diseases in developing countries. Results: Among non communicable diseases, special attention is devoted to cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancer and chronic pulmonary diseases. Their burden is affecting countries worldwide but with a growing trend in developing countries. Preventive strategies must take into account the growing trend of risk factors correlated to these diseases. Conclusion: Non communicable diseases are more and more prevalent in developing countries where they double the burden of infective diseases. If the present trend is maintained, the health systems in low-and middle-income countries will be unable to support the burden of disease. Prominent causes for heart disease, diabetes, cancer and pulmonary diseases can be prevented but urgent (preventive) actions are needed and efficient strategies should deal seriously with risk factors like smoking, alcohol, physical inactivity and western diet

Market Structure and Communicable Diseases

Communicable diseases pose a formidable challenge for public policy. Using numerical simulations, we show under which scenarios a monopolist’s price and prevalence paths converge to a nonzero steady-state. In contrast, a planner typically eradicates the disease. If eradication is impossible, the planner subsidizes treatments as long as the prevalence can be controlled. Drug resistance exacerbates the welfare difference between monopoly and first best outcomes. Nevertheless, because the negative externalities from resistance compete with the positive externalities of treatment, a mixed competition/monopoly regime may perform better than competition alone. This result has important implications for the design of many drug patents.communicable disease, resistance, epidemiology, patent

Controlling malaria in Africa: progress and priorities

"This work was supported ... by the Africa Bureau, Office of Operation and New Initiatives (ONI) and the Office of Analysis, Research and Technical Support (ARTS), United States Agency for International Development (A.I.D.) through the Africa Child Survival Initiative - Combatting Childhood Communicable Diseases (ACSI-CCCD) Project, Africa Regional Project (698-0421) Washington, D.C."--P. 2 of cover.Includes reports from Burundi, Central African Republic, Congo, Co?te d'Ivoire, Guinea, Liberia, Malawi, Nigeria, Rwanda, Swaziland, Togo, and Zaire."Malaria"--cover.Includes bibliographical references

Laboratory surveillance of communicable diseases : enteric pathogens

Laboratories represent a crucial link in the surveillance chain. Since only a small proportion of cases of enteric infections are asked to submit a stool sample, one needs to assess the practices for testing for enteric pathogens and their notification practices. Five local laboratories participated in this study. This included a description of the laboratory practices; capacity for stool sample analysis; awareness of the notification system and the factors which could improve the system at laboratory level.peer-reviewe

Communicable Diseases Epidemiology

In March 2017 I commenced the Master of Applied Epidemiology program, hosted in the Communicable Diseases Branch at Health Protection New South Wales (NSW). Presented in this bound volume are four research projects: an epidemiological study, data analysis study, outbreak response, and an evaluation of a public health surveillance system. I was also heavily involved in routine public health work including on-call, outbreak investigations and follow-up of laboratory notifications. The epidemiological study was an audit that estimated true immunisation coverage of NSW children at one year of age on the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR), and explored reasons associated with under-reporting. Our estimate of true coverage was 96.2% with a 95% Confidence Interval 95.9%-96.4%; 2.1% higher than AIR reported coverage of 94.1%. The under-reporting was mainly due to data errors at the provider level and duplicate records. Included is a peer-reviewed article that I wrote and published on the subject in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health. The data analysis project investigated the over-representation of Aboriginal people diagnosed with Q fever in NSW, particularly in Western NSW. Following indirect standardisation, we found that Aboriginal people across Western NSW were notified with Q fever almost 35% more often as non-Indigenous people living in the same area. Aboriginal people reported working in occupations such as shearing at a much younger age than non-Indigenous people. Aboriginal community governance over the public health actions that arose from this analysis is provided in detail. I led an investigation into a large protracted outbreak of Salmonella Typhimurium with a novel multi-locus variable number tandem repeat analysis type profile that affected 235 people in the Australian Capital Territory, NSW and Queensland from 10 October 2018 to 31 May 2019. The chapter describes the outbreak investigation including epidemiological, environmental and laboratory components, and control actions taken. I evaluated the NSW Acute Rheumatic Fever (ARF) and Rheumatic Heart Disease (RHD) Surveillance System, including the RHD Register. Using open ended and closed question surveys, network consultation and analysis of data, the system was found to be useful in improving the management of ARF/RHD. Recommendations for improving attributes were made based on the Updated Guidelines for Evaluating Public Health Surveillance Systems by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. I had the opportunity to teach and present my research during the MAE and through concurrent employment as an academic tutor. I delivered presentations at local, state, national and international conferences throughout the placement, and produced a Lesson from the Field competency with the Gamilaraay title 'nginda MAE waala wiitha' (throwing the MAE into the fire); an acknowledgement of the feeling many peers felt undertaking data linkage projects with inconsistent or missing data. I saw an opportunity to start a conversation about reasons why Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander identity data may be missing in datasets, which prompted the group to explore why an individual may identify in one place and not another