Recent autochthonous cases of leishmaniasis in residents of the Republic of Dagestan, Russian Federation

Eighty years after the last published record of human leishmaniasis from Dagestan, Russian Federation, we report two recent cases which were most probably acquired locally: one case of visceral leishmaniasis in a 2-year old child, and one cutaneous leishmaniasis case in a 39-year-old man co-infected with HIV, both resident in Dagestan. Keywords: Visceral leishmaniasis, Cutaneous leishmaniasis, HIV infection, Dagestan, Russian Federatio

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever in pregnancy: A systematic review and case series from Russia, Kazakhstan and Turkey.

Background Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is acute viral infection and a major emerging infectious diseases threat, affecting a large geographical area. There is no proven antiviral therapy and it has a case fatality rate of 4–30%. The natural history of disease and outcomes of CCHF in pregnant women is poorly understood. Objectives To systematically review the characteristics of CCHF in pregnancy, and report a case series of 8 CCHF cases in pregnant women from Russia, Kazakhstan and Turkey. Methods A systematic review was performed following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement protocol. PubMed, SCOPUS, Science Citation Index (SCI) were searched for reports published between January 1960 and June 2016. Two independent reviewers selected and reviewed studies and extracted data. Results Thirty-four cases of CCHF in pregnancy were identified, and combined with the case series data, 42 cases were analyzed. The majority of cases originated in Turkey (14), Iran (10) and Russia (6). There was a maternal mortality of 14/41(34%) and fetal/neonatal mortality of in 24/41 cases (58.5%). Hemorrhage was associated with maternal (p = 0.009) and fetal/neonatal death (p < 0.0001). There was nosocomial transmission to 38 cases from 6/37 index pregnant cases. Conclusion Cases of CCHF in pregnancy are rare, but associated with high rates of maternal and fetal mortality, and nosocomial transmission

The COVID-19 vaccination acceptance/hesitancy rate and its determinants among healthcare workers of 91 Countries: A multicenter cross-sectional study.

The aim of this study was to investigate the COVID-19 vaccination acceptance rate and its determinants among healthcare workers in a multicenter study. This was a cross-sectional multi-center survey conducted from February 5 to April 29, 2021. The questionnaire consisted of 26 items in 6 subscales. The English version of the questionnaire was translated into seven languages and distributed through Google Forms using snowball sampling; a colleague in each country was responsible for the forward and backward translation, and also the distribution of the questionnaire. A forward stepwise logistic regression was utilized to explore the variables and questionnaire factors tied to the intention to COVID-19 vaccination. 4630 participants from 91 countries completed the questionnaire. According to the United Nations Development Program 2020, 43.6 % of participants were from low Human Development Index (HDI) regions, 48.3 % high and very high, and 8.1 % from medium. The overall vaccination hesitancy rate was 37 %. Three out of six factors of the questionnaire were significantly related to intention to the vaccination. While 'Perceived benefits of the COVID-19 vaccination' (OR: 3.82, p-value<0.001) and 'Prosocial norms' (OR: 5.18, p-value<0.001) were associated with vaccination acceptance, 'The vaccine safety/cost concerns' with OR: 3.52, p-value<0.001 was tied to vaccination hesitancy. Medical doctors and pharmacists were more willing to take the vaccine in comparison to others. Importantly, HDI with OR: 12.28, 95 % CI: 6.10-24.72 was a strong positive determinant of COVID-19 vaccination acceptance. This study highlighted the vaccination hesitancy rate of 37 % in our sample among HCWs. Increasing awareness regarding vaccination benefits, confronting the misinformation, and strengthening the prosocial norms would be the primary domains for maximizing the vaccination coverage. The study also showed that the HDI is strongly associated with the vaccination acceptance/hesitancy, in a way that those living in low HDI contexts are more hesitant to receive the vaccine

Infection prevention and control practice for Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever - A multicenter cross-sectional survey in Eurasia

<div><p>Background</p><p>Crimean Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) is a life threatening acute viral infection that presents significant risk of nosocomial transmission to healthcare workers.</p><p>Aim</p><p>Evaluation of CCHF infection prevention and control (IP&C) practices in healthcare facilities that routinely manage CCHF cases in Eurasia.</p><p>Methods</p><p>A cross-sectional CCHF IP&C survey was designed and distributed to CCHF centers in 10 endemic Eurasian countries in 2016.</p><p>Results</p><p>Twenty-three responses were received from centers in Turkey, Pakistan, Russia, Georgia, Kosovo, Bulgaria, Oman, Iran, India and Kazakhstan. All units had dedicated isolation rooms for CCHF, with cohorting of confirmed cases in 15/23 centers and cohorting of suspect and confirmed cases in 9/23 centers. There was adequate personal protective equipment (PPE) in 22/23 facilities, with 21/23 facilities reporting routine use of PPE for CCHF patients. Adequate staffing levels to provide care reported in 14/23 locations. All centers reported having a high risk CCHFV nosocomial exposure in last five years, with 5 centers reporting more than 5 exposures. Education was provided annually in most centers (13/23), with additional training requested in PPE use (11/23), PPE donning/doffing (12/23), environmental disinfection (12/23) and waste management (14/23).</p><p>Conclusions</p><p>Staff and patient safety must be improved and healthcare associated CCHF exposure and transmission eliminated. Improvements are recommended in isolation capacity in healthcare facilities, use of PPE and maintenance of adequate staffing levels. We recommend further audit of IP&C practice at individual units in endemic areas, as part of national quality assurance programs.</p></div

A living WHO guideline on drugs for covid-19

CITATION: Agarwal, A. et al. 2022. A living WHO guideline on drugs for covid-19. British Medical Journal, 370. doi:10.1136/bmj.m3379The original publication is available at https://jcp.bmj.com/This living guideline by Arnav Agarwal and colleagues (BMJ 2020;370:m3379, doi:10.1136/bmj.m3379) was last updated on 22 April 2022, but the infographic contained two dosing errors: the dose of ritonavir with renal failure should have read 100 mg, not 50 mg; and the suggested regimen for remdesivir should have been 3 days, not 5-10 days. The infographic has now been corrected.Publishers versio

EPIDEMIC CHARACTERISTICS OF PATIENTS WITH COVID-19 IN RUSSIA.

Active epidemic process in Russia started in the March, 2020 after beginning the local transmission. At the end of June approximately 650 thousands COVID-19 cases were recorded in Russia. Aim of study: epidemical characteristics of patients with COVID-19 in Russia Materials and methods: statistic analysis of database of COVID-19 in Russia during the first half of 2020. Majority of cases in a group aged 0-17 years old was mild. Patients > 65 years and above were registered with a moderate and severe forms of COVID-19, what shows that this group needs a special attention. The biggest part of all the cases was in a group of people of employable age. This fact shows that control of restrictive measures has to be performed as a main stream in this group. In case of delayed initial medical service COVID-19 had more moderate and severe forms

CHARACTERISTICS OF COVID-19’S EPIDEMIC PROCESS IN RUSSIA, MARCH-JUNE 2020

The epidemic process with local transmission began in Russia in March 2020. Aim of study: to estimate the dynamics of epidemic process in Russia. Data analysis of report form #970 of Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing about COVID-19 cases during the first half of 2020. Russia has specific characteristics of the epidemic process with significal differences of epidemic curves in the MaMR and other regions due to less strong restrictive measures outside of MaMR

CHARACTERISTICS OF INCIDENCE RATE OF COVID-19, ACUTE RESPIRATORY DISEASES, INFLUENZA AND COMMUNITY ACQUIRED PNEUMONIA IN RUSSIA ACCORDING TO CLIMATE, GEOGRAFICAL ASPECTS AND POPULATION DENSITY

Background: Understanding the impact of geographical aspects and population density on the incidence rate (IR) of respiratory infections in Russia is necessary for successful control under the epidemic. Aim: to estimate the increase in IR of respiratory infections in 2020 compared to the same period of 2016-2019 Materials and methods: a retrospective study of IR of COVID-19, ARI, influenza and community acquired pneumonia (CAP) in summarily (respiratory infections and COVID-19 morbidity) in the first half of 2020 in comparison with morbidity of ARI, influenza and CAP (respiratory infections morbidity) the same period of 2016-2019 in 85 regions was performed. Additionally the influence of climate on COVID-19 morbidity were estimated. Results: The highest excess of respiratory infections and COVID-19 morbidity in 2020 versus the average respiratory infections morbidity in 2016-2019 was observed in Buryatia-107.61%; Zabaykalsky Krai -134.09%; Tuva – 166.34%; the Kaliningrad region – 1023.41%; the Republic of Altai – 1212.78%; Dagestan – 2030.27%. Buryatia, Tuva, Altai and Zabaykalsky Krai are located next to the China, and also border each other. The Kaliningrad region borders on the EU countries. Dagestan has a maritime border with 3 states, including Iran, where the epidemic COVID-19 began earlier. In 43 of the 85 regions of Russia, this excess was 10-50%; in 35 subjects varied from 50% to 100%. The correlation between the incidence of COVID-19 and the population density in the regions was weak (r=0.26). The air pollution, has also a weak relationship (r=0.26) to the incidence rate. Moderate relationship was observed between the severity of negative temperatures in winter and the level of morbidity(r=-0.51). Milder climate probably contributed to the longer persistence of the virus in the environment and social activity. Conclusion: Russian regions bordering the PRC, the EU, Central Asia and the Middle East demonstrated the highest IR of influenza, ARI, CAP and COVID-19in summarility in the first part of this year versus the morbidity of influenza, ARI, CAP in average in first half of 2016-2019. IR of COVID-19 has weak correlation with population density and air pollution and moderate negative correlation with winter temperature

Consolidation of rural municipal communities as a problem of mass consciousness of the population

The article discusses the issues of consolidation of rural communities, which is one of the most important conditions for the successful development of the village. Based on the study of various theories of solidarity, the article analyzes the value, projective, cognitive, practical aspects of the perception by the mass consciousness of villagers of the idea of consolidating society in the countryside. The empirical basis of the article was the results of a sociological study “Features of the processes of consolidation of rural municipal communities”, which was conducted by the Department of Social Technologies and Public Service of the National Research University “BelSU” in 2020 among the rural population of the municipal districts of the Belgorod region. The data obtained in the course of the study allow us to assert that, although subjectively, rural residents have a predisposition to perceive the idea of consolidation, and it has undoubted attractiveness, the research participants realistically and pragmatically assess the possibilities of the practical implementation of this process, which will undoubtedly act as a significant demotivator in the event of initiating a consolidation strategy in a particular region. Thus, the complexity of the consolidation process and its uncertainty are emphasized

Healthy Ecosystems Are a Prerequisite for Human Health-A Call for Action in the Era of Climate Change with a Focus on Russia

Throughout history, humans have experienced epidemics. The balance of living in nature encircled by microorganisms is delicate. More than 70% of today's emerging infections are zoonotic, i.e., those in which microorganisms transmitted from animals infect humans. Species are on the move at speeds never previously recorded, among ongoing climate change which is especially rapid at high latitudes. This calls for intensified international surveillance of Northern infectious diseases. Russia holds the largest area of thawing permafrost among Northern nations, a process which threatens to rapidly disrupt the balance of nature. In this paper, we provide details regarding Russian health infrastructure in order to take the first steps toward a collaborative international survey of Northern infections and international harmonization of the procured data