Pandemic agreement—Urgency over complacency; unity over fragmentation

Bauernfeind, A., Reid, J., Mccallum, A., Sheek-Hussein, M., Magid, A., Lopes, H., Cunningham, C., Green, M. S., Koivusalo, M., Sakar, A., Middleton, J., & Davidovitch, N. (2024). No time to lose: Pandemic agreement—Urgency over complacency; unity over fragmentation. International Journal Of Health Planning And Management, 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1002/hpm.3847 --- Nadav Davidovitch leads the ASPHER Public Health Emergency Task Force, providing crucial oversight and direction. John Middleton served as the former lead of the COVID-19 Task Force, contributing significant expertise and guidance. Their combined efforts were instrumental in the development and execution of this work. We thank all ASPHER members who have contributed to both Task Forces since March 2020.The 77th World Health Assembly (WHA) concluded in June 2024, and global leaders have shared their reflections, drawing lessons from COVID-19 that highlight common shortcomings. These include deficiencies in research and development, technology transfer, access and benefit-sharing, supply chain logistics, regulatory enhancements, and international coordination and communication. Ironically, these very issues have stalled progress on the pandemic agreement. What lies ahead? Will delays in preparation prove costly? While not meeting treaty or convention status, the Pandemic Agreement is evolving into a comprehensive global framework for pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response. From a global public health and security perspective, expanding beyond superficial statements of readiness is necessary. Critical aspects must accelerate.publishersversionepub_ahead_of_prin

ASPHER statement: planning for winter 2022-23

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Sexually transmitted diseases knowledge assessment and associated factors among university students in the United Arab Emirates: a cross-sectional study

BackgroundSexually transmitted diseases and infections (STDIs) remain a serious public health menace with over 350 million cases each year. Poor knowledge of STDIs has been identified as one of the bottlenecks in their control and prevention. Hence, assessment of knowledge, both general and domain-specific, is key to the prevention and control of these diseases. This study assessed the knowledge of STDIs and identified factors associated with STDI knowledge among university students in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).MethodsThis is a cross-sectional study among 778 UAE University students across all colleges. An online data collection tool was used to collect data regarding the participants' demographics and their level of knowledge of STDIs across different domains including general STDI pathogens knowledge (8 items), signs and symptoms (9 items), mode of transmission (5 items), and prevention (5 items). Knowledge was presented both as absolute and percentage scores. Differences in STDI knowledge were statistically assessed using Mann-Whitney U and Chi-squared tests. Logistic regression models were further used to identify factors associated with STDI knowledge.ResultsA total of 778 students participated in the study with a median age of 21 years (IQR = 19, 23). The overall median STDI knowledge score of the participants was 7 (out of 27), with some differences within STDI domains–signs & symptoms (1 out of 9), modes of transmission (2 out of 5), general STDI pathogens (2 out of 8), and prevention (1 out of 5). Higher STDI knowledge was significantly associated with being non-Emirati (OR = 1.85, 95% CI = 1.24–2.75), being married (OR = 2.89, 95% CI = 1.50–5.56), residing in emirates other than Abu Dhabi (OR = 1.61, 95% CI = 1.16–2.25), and being a student of health sciences (OR = 4.45, 95% CI = 3.07–6.45).ConclusionIn general, STDI knowledge was low among the students. Having good knowledge of STDIs is essential for their prevention and control. Therefore, there is a need for informed interventions to address the knowledge gap among students, youths, and the general population at large

Toward ‘Vaccine Internationalism’: The Need for an Equitable and Coordinated Global Vaccination Approach to Effectively Combat COVID-19

From Frontiers via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: collection 2021, received 2021-03-10, accepted 2021-03-15, epub 2021-04-14Publication status: Publishe

A snapshot of summer 2020

Publisher Copyright: © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.The study aim was to understand the availability of personal protective equipment (PPE) and the levels of anxiety, depression, and burnout of healthcare workers (HCWs) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This study was an online‐based, cross‐sectional survey during July and August 2020. Participants were eligible from the entire country, and 1290 agreed to participate. The majority of HCWs were females aged 30–39 years old, working as nurses, and 80% considered PPE to be available. Twelve percent of respondents tested positive for SARS‐CoV‐2. Half of HCWs considered themselves physically tired (52.2%), reported musculoskeletal pain or discomfort (54.2%), and perceived moderate‐to‐high levels of burnout on at least one of three burnout domains (52.8%). A quarter of HCWs reported anxiety (26.3%) or depression (28.1%). HCWs reporting not having musculoskeletal pain, having performed physical activity, and higher scores of available PPE reported lower scores of anxiety, depression, and burnout. UAE HCWs experienced more access to PPE and less anxiety, depression, and burnout compared with HCWs in other countries. Study findings can be used by healthcare organizations and policymakers to ensure adequate measures are implemented to maximize the health and wellbeing of HCWs during the current COVID‐19 and future pandemics.publishersversionpublishe

ASPHER Statement: Planning for Winter 2022-23

From Frontiers via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: collection 2022, received 2022-09-14, accepted 2022-09-20, epub 2022-10-03Peer reviewed: TrueAcknowledgements: Thanks to Catarina Hermenegildo, Catolica University, Lisbon, Portugal.Publication status: Publishe