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Population Health: Infectious Disease Research
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Population Health: Infectious Disease Research

A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Infectious Disease Epidemiology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2023) | Viewed by 7435

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Christos Hadjichristodoulou

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Laboratory of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Thessaly, 41222 Larissa, Greece
Interests: infectious diseases; epidemiology; surveillance; infection prevention and control; environmental health and hygiene; points of entry; cross-border health threats; maritime health
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

While the development of vaccinations, antimicrobial treatments and improved water, sanitation, and hygiene conditions have advanced the prevention and control of infectious diseases, they still place a high disease burden on populations. Infectious diseases continue to be a major cause of mortality and morbidity in countries around the world, with globalization contributing to the potential for their rapid spread across borders. COVID-19 demonstrated more than ever in recent history the serious impact that infectious diseases can play in all areas of human activity, with gaps revealed in global preparedness to quickly and effectively respond to emerging diseases. A strong scientific evidence base is needed to continue improving infectious disease prevention and control. Quality research can contribute to this evidence base, with observational and experimental studies identifying risk factors, disease dynamics and evaluating interventions to prevent infectious disease and protect population health.

For this Special Issue of the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (IJERPH), we invite the submission of manuscripts exploring any topic related to infectious disease and human health, including those that will contribute to or influence infectious disease prevention, mitigation, control and management. Manuscript types accepted can include but are not limited to new research papers, systematic reviews and meta-analyses, methodological papers, brief reports and position papers. Infectious diseases to be addressed can include but are not limited to emerging or re-emerging infectious diseases and neglected tropical diseases. We will accept manuscripts from different disciplines including epidemiology, public health, environmental health, travel medicine, infectious disease modelling, immunology, and microbiology among others. 

Prof. Dr. Christos Hadjichristodoulou
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • communicable diseases
  • infectious disease epidemiology
  • emerging infectious diseases
  • neglected tropical diseases
  • infection prevention
  • infection control
  • population health
  • anti-infective therapy and immunization
  • bacterial, viral, fungal, and parasitic infections

Published Papers (4 papers)

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20 pages, 2846 KiB  
Article
Identifying Barriers to Basic Needs, Academic Success, and the Vaccination Pattern among College Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic
by Subi Gandhi, Ryan Glaman, Alexandra Jordan, Dylan DiChristofaro, Katelyn Clark, Viraj Gandhi and Jade Smith
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(20), 6924; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20206924 - 14 Oct 2023
Viewed by 1773
Abstract
College students face significant challenges during large-scale disease outbreaks that potentially compromise their basic needs, vaccine confidence, and academic success. Using a cross-sectional design and convenience sampling, we examined the impact of COVID-19 among college students (N = 828). The survey was [...] Read more.
College students face significant challenges during large-scale disease outbreaks that potentially compromise their basic needs, vaccine confidence, and academic success. Using a cross-sectional design and convenience sampling, we examined the impact of COVID-19 among college students (N = 828). The survey was administered using the Qualtrics survey platform to collect data on multiple demographic and health behaviors of students in the summer semester (2021). Our study demonstrated that the most common financial shock experienced by the study participants was job loss, with less remarkable changes in food and housing insecurities. Academically, students had the most difficulty learning online compared to other modalities (face-to-face, Hyflex, etc.) and struggled with staying motivated. They also struggled with group work and finding appropriate learning spaces. However, many did not use university support systems such as career and tutoring services. Exploring the COVID-19 vaccination attitudes, we found that only age, ethnicity, classification, and health insurance status were associated with getting vaccinated (p < 0.05). When the learning environment was assessed for various modalities, only college attendance was significantly associated (p < 0.05) with the accessible platforms (online, Hyflex, face-to-face, and others); however, nearly 40% of students reported difficulty learning on an online learning platform compared other categories that had much lower proportions. Our findings underscore an immediate need for universities to take measures to improve their preparedness and response strategies to mitigate the negative effects of future large-scale public health emergencies among students. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Population Health: Infectious Disease Research)
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10 pages, 878 KiB  
Article
Evacuation of Refugees from Afghanistan: Health Control at the Spanish Border in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic
by Miguel Dávila, Patricia López, Maria Ramiro-Gonzalez, Ana M. Saénz de Urturi, Rocío del Pilar Palmera, Concepción Sánchez, Irene G. M. Wijers, Iratxe Moreno, Fernando Riesco, Lourdes Oliva, Sergio Béjar, Inmaculada Vera, Gloria González, Fernando Carreras and Pilar Aparicio
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(7), 5292; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20075292 - 28 Mar 2023
Viewed by 1487
Abstract
Following the announcement of the retreat of troops from Afghanistan, the Spanish Government organised the so-called “Antigone Operation” for the evacuation of Afghan collaborators. The most relevant ministries were involved in the response. The Ministry of Health, through the Foreign Health Department, performed [...] Read more.
Following the announcement of the retreat of troops from Afghanistan, the Spanish Government organised the so-called “Antigone Operation” for the evacuation of Afghan collaborators. The most relevant ministries were involved in the response. The Ministry of Health, through the Foreign Health Department, performed the health control on arrival. The whole operation was conducted at an air base. It included the health control of refugees composed of temperature measurement, a basic visual control and a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) rapid antigen test for those over 12 years of age; the assessment of their basic needs (food and hygiene); identification and security procedures; and the initial administrative processing. The refugees were accommodated in a temporary facility at the base, where they waited to be transferred to their final destinations. Between 19 and 27 August 2021, 2168 refugees arrived on 17 flights; 680 of them were children under 12 years of age. One thousand four hundred and ninety-nine rapid antigen tests were performed, with one positive result. “Antigone Operation” is unprecedented in Spain and is one of the most complex operations carried out in recent years. The COVID-19 pandemic required the establishment of a health control system on arrival, performed by Foreign Health, which contributed significantly to the overall success of the operation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Population Health: Infectious Disease Research)
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9 pages, 1245 KiB  
Article
Influence of COVID-19-Related Interventions on the Number of Inpatients with Acute Viral Respiratory Infections: Using Interrupted Time Series Analysis
by Jin-Won Noh, Woo-Ri Lee, Li-Hyun Kim, Jooyoung Cheon, Young Dae Kwon and Ki-Bong Yoo
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(4), 2808; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20042808 - 04 Feb 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1616
Abstract
After the first COVID-19 patient was diagnosed, non-pharmaceutical interventions such as social distancing and behavior change campaigns were implemented in South Korea. The social distancing policy restricted unnecessary gatherings and activities to prevent local transmission. This study aims to evaluate the effect of [...] Read more.
After the first COVID-19 patient was diagnosed, non-pharmaceutical interventions such as social distancing and behavior change campaigns were implemented in South Korea. The social distancing policy restricted unnecessary gatherings and activities to prevent local transmission. This study aims to evaluate the effect of social distancing, a strategy for COVID-19 prevention, on the number of acute respiratory infection inpatients. This study used the number of hospitalized patients with acute respiratory infection from the Infectious Disease Portal of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) between the first week of January 2018, to the last week of January 2021. Intervention 1t represents the first patient occurrence of COVID-19, Intervention 2t represents the relaxing of the social distancing policy. We used acute respiratory infection statistics from Korea and segmented regression analysis was used. The analysis showed that the trend of the number of acute respiratory infection inpatients decreased after the implementation of the first patient incidence of COVID-19 due to prevention activities. After the relaxing of the social distancing policy, the number of inpatients with acute respiratory infections significantly increased. This study verified the effect of social distancing on the reduction in hospital admissions for acute respiratory viral infections. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Population Health: Infectious Disease Research)
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6 pages, 983 KiB  
Brief Report
Wastewater Levels of Respiratory Syncytial Virus Associated with Influenza-like Illness Rates in Children—A Case Study in Larissa, Greece (October 2022–January 2023)
by Michalis Koureas, Kassiani Mellou, Alexandros Vontas, Maria Kyritsi, Ioannis Panagoulias, Anastasia Koutsolioutsou, Varvara A. Mouchtouri, Matthaios Speletas, Dimitrios Paraskevis and Christos Hadjichristodoulou
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(6), 5219; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20065219 - 22 Mar 2023
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 1892
Abstract
The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic has led to significant progress in the field of wastewater-based surveillance (WBS) of respiratory pathogens and highlighted its potential for a wider application in public health surveillance. This study aimed to evaluate whether monitoring of respiratory syncytial [...] Read more.
The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic has led to significant progress in the field of wastewater-based surveillance (WBS) of respiratory pathogens and highlighted its potential for a wider application in public health surveillance. This study aimed to evaluate whether monitoring of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in wastewater can provide a comprehensive picture of disease transmission at the community level. The study was conducted in Larissa (Central Greece) between October 2022 and January 2023. Forty-six wastewater samples were collected from the inlet of the wastewater treatment plant of Larissa and analyzed with a real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) based method. RSV and SARS-CoV-2 wastewater viral loads (genome copies/100,000 inhabitants) were analyzed against sentinel surveillance data on influenza-like illness (ILI) to identify potential associations. Univariate linear regression analysis revealed that RSV wastewater viral load (lagged by one week) and ILI notification rates in children up to 14 years old were strongly associated (std. Beta: 0.73 (95% CI: 0.31–1.14), p = 0.002, R2 = 0.308). A weaker association was found between SARS-CoV-2 viral load and ILI rates in the 15+ age group (std. Beta: 0.56 (95% CI: 0.06–1.05), p = 0.032, R2 = 0.527). The results support the incorporation of RSV monitoring into existing wastewater-based surveillance systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Population Health: Infectious Disease Research)
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