Last data update: May 13, 2024. (Total: 46773 publications since 2009)
Records 1-9 (of 9 Records) |
Query Trace: Telfer J[original query] |
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Human plague: An old scourge that needs new answers.
Vallès X , Stenseth NC , Demeure C , Horby P , Mead PS , Cabanillas O , Ratsitorahina M , Rajerison M , Andrianaivoarimanana V , Ramasindrazana B , Pizarro-Cerda J , Scholz HC , Girod R , Hinnebusch BJ , Vigan-Womas I , Fontanet A , Wagner DM , Telfer S , Yazdanpanah Y , Tortosa P , Carrara G , Deuve J , Belmain SR , D'Ortenzio E , Baril L . PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2020 14 (8) e0008251 Yersinia pestis, the bacterial causative agent of plague, remains an important threat to human health. Plague is a rodent-borne disease that has historically shown an outstanding ability to colonize and persist across different species, habitats, and environments while provoking sporadic cases, outbreaks, and deadly global epidemics among humans. Between September and November 2017, an outbreak of urban pneumonic plague was declared in Madagascar, which refocused the attention of the scientific community on this ancient human scourge. Given recent trends and plague's resilience to control in the wild, its high fatality rate in humans without early treatment, and its capacity to disrupt social and healthcare systems, human plague should be considered as a neglected threat. A workshop was held in Paris in July 2018 to review current knowledge about plague and to identify the scientific research priorities to eradicate plague as a human threat. It was concluded that an urgent commitment is needed to develop and fund a strong research agenda aiming to fill the current knowledge gaps structured around 4 main axes: (i) an improved understanding of the ecological interactions among the reservoir, vector, pathogen, and environment; (ii) human and societal responses; (iii) improved diagnostic tools and case management; and (iv) vaccine development. These axes should be cross-cutting, translational, and focused on delivering context-specific strategies. Results of this research should feed a global control and prevention strategy within a "One Health" approach. |
Use of personal hearing protection devices at loud athletic or entertainment events among adults - United States, 2018
Eichwald J , Scinicariello F , Telfer JL , Carroll YI . MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2018 67 (41) 1151-1155 Tens of millions of U.S. residents have a range of adverse health outcomes caused by noise exposure (1). During 2011-2012, 21 million U.S. adults who reported no exposure to loud or very loud noise at work exhibited hearing damage suggestive of noise-induced hearing loss (2). In addition to the known risk for hearing damage, nonauditory adverse health outcomes and health risks from excessive environmental sound exposure can include effects on the cardiovascular system, metabolism, blood pressure, body weight, cognition, sleep, mental health, quality of life, and overall well-being (1,3,4). CDC analyzed a representative sample of the U.S. adult population (aged >/=18 years) from a 2018 national marketing survey (50 states and the District of Columbia) that included questions about use of hearing protection devices (HPDs) (e.g., ear plugs or ear muffs) during recreational exposure to loud athletic and entertainment events; approximately 8% of respondents reported consistent use of an HPD at these types of events. Among those adults more likely to wear an HPD, 63.8% had at least some college education, and 49.1% had higher income levels. Women and older adults were significantly less likely to use HPDs. These findings suggest a need to strengthen a public health focus on the adverse health effects of excessive noise exposure at home and in recreational settings as well as a need for continued efforts to raise public awareness about the protective value of HPDs. |
Lessons of risk communication and health promotion - West Africa and United States
Bedrosian SR , Young CE , Smith LA , Cox JD , Manning C , Pechta L , Telfer JL , Gaines-McCollom M , Harben K , Holmes W , Lubell KM , McQuiston JH , Nordlund K , O'Connor J , Reynolds BS , Schindelar JA , Shelley G , Daniel KL . MMWR Suppl 2016 65 (3) 68-74 During the response to the 2014-2016 Ebola virus disease (Ebola) epidemic in West Africa, CDC addressed the disease on two fronts: in the epidemic epicenter of West Africa and at home in the United States. Different needs drove the demand for information in these two regions. The severity of the epidemic was reflected not only in lives lost but also in the amount of fear, misinformation, and stigma that it generated worldwide. CDC helped increase awareness, promoted actions to stop the spread of Ebola, and coordinated CDC communication efforts with multiple international and domestic partners. CDC, with input from partners, vastly increased the number of Ebola communication materials for groups with different needs, levels of health literacy, and cultural preferences. CDC deployed health communicators to West Africa to support ministries of health in developing and disseminating clear, science-based messages and promoting science-based behavioral interventions. Partnerships in West Africa with local radio, television, and cell phone businesses made possible the dissemination of messages appropriate for maximum effect. CDC and its partners communicated evolving science and risk in a culturally appropriate way to motivate persons to adapt their behavior and prevent infection with and spread of Ebola virus. Acknowledging what is and is not known is key to effective risk communication, and CDC worked with partners to integrate health promotion and behavioral and cultural knowledge into the response to increase awareness of the actual risk for Ebola and to promote protective actions and specific steps to stop its spread. The activities summarized in this report would not have been possible without collaboration with many U.S. and international partners (http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/outbreaks/2014-west-africa/partners.html). |
Ebola and its control in Liberia, 2014-2015
Nyenswah TG , Kateh F , Bawo L , Massaquoi M , Gbanyan M , Fallah M , Nagbe TK , Karsor KK , Wesseh CS , Sieh S , Gasasira A , Graaff P , Hensley L , Rosling H , Lo T , Pillai SK , Gupta N , Montgomery JM , Ransom RL , Williams D , Laney AS , Lindblade KA , Slutsker L , Telfer JL , Christie A , Mahoney F , De Cock KM . Emerg Infect Dis 2016 22 (2) 169-77 The severe epidemic of Ebola virus disease in Liberia started in March 2014. On May 9, 2015, the World Health Organization declared Liberia free of Ebola, 42 days after safe burial of the last known case-patient. However, another 6 cases occurred during June-July; on September 3, 2015, the country was again declared free of Ebola. Liberia had by then reported 10,672 cases of Ebola and 4,808 deaths, 37.0% and 42.6%, respectively, of the 28,103 cases and 11,290 deaths reported from the 3 countries that were heavily affected at that time. Essential components of the response included government leadership and sense of urgency, coordinated international assistance, sound technical work, flexibility guided by epidemiologic data, transparency and effective communication, and efforts by communities themselves. Priorities after the epidemic include surveillance in case of resurgence, restoration of health services, infection control in healthcare settings, and strengthening of basic public health systems. |
A non-stationary relationship between global climate phenomena and human plague incidence in Madagascar
Kreppel KS , Caminade C , Telfer S , Rajerison M , Rahalison L , Morse A , Baylis M . PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2014 8 (10) e3155 BACKGROUND: Plague, a zoonosis caused by Yersinia pestis, is found in Asia and the Americas, but predominantly in Africa, with the island of Madagascar reporting almost one third of human cases worldwide. Plague's occurrence is affected by local climate factors which in turn are influenced by large-scale climate phenomena such as the El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO). The effects of ENSO on regional climate are often enhanced or reduced by a second large-scale climate phenomenon, the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD). It is known that ENSO and the IOD interact as drivers of disease. Yet the impacts of these phenomena in driving plague dynamics via their effect on regional climate, and specifically contributing to the foci of transmission on Madagascar, are unknown. Here we present the first analysis of the effects of ENSO and IOD on plague in Madagascar. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We use a forty-eight year monthly time-series of reported human plague cases from 1960 to 2008. Using wavelet analysis, we show that over the last fifty years there have been complex non-stationary associations between ENSO/IOD and the dynamics of plague in Madagascar. We demonstrate that ENSO and IOD influence temperature in Madagascar and that temperature and plague cycles are associated. The effects on plague appear to be mediated more by temperature, but precipitation also undoubtedly influences plague in Madagascar. Our results confirm a relationship between plague anomalies and an increase in the intensity of ENSO events and precipitation. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: This work widens the understanding of how climate factors acting over different temporal scales can combine to drive local disease dynamics. Given the association of increasing ENSO strength and plague anomalies in Madagascar it may in future be possible to forecast plague outbreaks in Madagascar. The study gives insight into the complex and changing relationship between climate factors and plague in Madagascar. |
A double dose of fear: a theory-based content analysis of news articles surrounding the 2006 cough syrup contamination crisis in Panama
Turner MM , Boudewyns V , Kirby-Straker R , Telfer J . Risk Manage 2013 15 (2) 79-99 This study applied the extended parallel process model (EPPM) to evaluate the crisis messages employed by the mainstream media and the government during the 2006 diethylene glycol (DEG) poisoning crisis in Panama. Messages were content analyzed for its use of tenets of the EPPM. Overall, the findings reveal that the news coverage clearly emphasized the threat of DEC poisoning over the efficacy of avoiding being poisoned. In addition, quantitative analyses showed that the information provided by Ministry of Health of Panama (MINSA) and the local news outlets were widely divergent. These data indicate that the majority (82 per cent) of MINSA press releases included a balance of both threat and efficacy elements, compared with only 29 per cent of Panama newspapers. Panama newspapers tended to emphasize threat alone. |
Disaster preparation: lessons from Japan
Coleman CN , Simon SL , Noska MA , Telfer JL , Bowman T . Science 2011 332 (6036) 1379 On 11 March 2011, the earthquake and tsunami in Japan claimed thousands of lives, disrupted the lives of hundreds of thousands, and destroyed regional power and transportation infrastructure. Backup systems intended to maintain cooling for three operating nuclear reactors and the spent-fuel pools failed. Experts in various technical fields from Japan, the United States, and around the world worked to understand and mitigate the consequences of unplanned releases of radioactivity. As a team of U.S. health and medical subject matter experts deployed to Japan in the early days after the tsunami, we have identified the elements that remain most challenging in preparing for future disasters. |
Developing new hazard category language for the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry's public health assessment products
Ulirsch G , Orloff K , Alexanian D , Allen-Lewis S , Fagliano J , Langmann DM , Larson K , Miles D , Prohonic E , Telfer J , Robinson S , Turner MM , Berkowitz J . J Environ Health 2011 73 (6) 76-8 The Agency for Toxic Substances and | Disease Registry (ATSDR) determines | public health implications associated with | hazardous waste sites and other environmental releases. Since its inception, ATSDR | has continued to improve its approach to | evaluating public health hazards in light of | evolving science. For example, in response | to concerns about the clarity, meaning, and | understandability of the fi ve conclusion | categories outlined in its Public Health Assessment Guidance Manual (www.atsdr.cdc. | gov/HAC/PHAmanual/index.html), ATSDR | established an ad hoc work group to evaluate and recommend changes to the categories based on health and risk communication science. | All site-specifi c public health assessment | reports must include a statement that assigns a hazard conclusion category to the | site, a time period for exposure (e.g., past, | current, or future), or an exposure pathway, | as appropriate. This statement refl ects one | of the following: that the site does not pose | a public health hazard, that the site poses | a public health hazard, or that data are insuffi cient to determine whether any public | health hazard exists. The language used to | convey these categories, however, was diffi cult for community members and lay audiences to understand because it was not written clearly. |
Communication as an essential component of environmental health science
Beato RR , Telfer J . J Environ Health 2010 73 (1) 24-25 The science of health communication | is becoming as central to the field of | environmental health as the science of | epidemiology. Within the 21st century, such | events as Hurricane Katrina, H1N1 influenza, | and concerns about chemical exposure in imported drywall have demonstrated the value | of communication as a means of protecting public health. When such events occur, health | professionals must seek disease control interventions but also address audiences’ information needs. Health communication science is | an essential underpinning for such activities. |
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