Lessons From the Wrong Isolation Policy Violating Human Rights for Leprosy in Japan.

Leprosy, caused by Mycobacterium leprae , is one of the so-called "neglected tropical diseases" and is found today mainly in Africa, Asia and South America. Although oral antibiotics capable of curing leprosy are now available, the disease is still misunderstood and feared by the public because of the unsightly deformities that it may cause. In Japan, leprosy has been present since the 8th century and was regarded as a hereditary disease; people avoided marrying into a family with a member affected by leprosy. At the beginning of the 20th century, the Japanese government instituted a policy of lifetime quarantine of individuals with leprosy to eradicate the disease, thereby purposely disseminating negative and inaccurate perceptions of the disease as deadly and highly contagious and fostering a long-lasting prejudice among the general public towards those affected. Even after effective treatments became available, the government continued quarantining patients until 1996. The government has since then apologized to the patients for violating their constitutionally guaranteed human rights. Children with leprosy and children born to parents with leprosy were also victims of the policy and prejudice created. We describe herein the history of leprosy-related policies in Japan to emphasize the importance of balancing public health policy with human rights.

[Historical milestones for the control of severe infections and sepsis in pediatrics. Approach through medical philately]. / Hitos históricos para el control de las infecciones graves y la sepsis en pediatría. Aproximación a través de la filatelia médica.

Medical philately, with its diverse themes, is a faithful testimony of the historical events that have affected humanity. Likewise, it allows us to evidence its role as a diffuser of diverse prevention cam paigns carried out to control and eradicate serious infections, together with other achievements of health policy in the child population. Nowadays, the knowledge and collection of postage stamps is an increasingly unusual pastime. On the other hand, sometimes there is a marked historical ignoran ce and lack of appreciation of the effective actions for the control of infectious diseases, forgetting the enormous effect of these on the daily life of the current society. Through the visual testimony offe red by the postage stamps, we review the sanitary, educational, and therapeutic actions destined to control the infections in the pediatric patient, with emphasis on our country. In addition, we discuss the new populations at risk for the appearance of septic episodes. Even today, serious infections and sepsis represent an important public health problem.

Las epidemias en La Pampa (Argentina), en perspectiva histórica* / The epidemics in La Pampa (Argentina), from a historical perspective

Resumen Este artículo describe el inicio de las preocupaciones sanitarias vinculadas a las epidemias ocurridas durante el siglo XX en La Pampa, provincia argentina. Las epidemias, como las de la viruela, fueron un estímulo para estas políticas que frecuentemente tuvieron origen en Buenos Aires, la capital del país. El contagio de muchas epidemias dependía de carencias de infraestructura: agua, desagüe y desecho adecuado de basuras, de la ausencia de un número suficiente de trabajadores de salud, de la presencia de vectores transmisores de enfermedades como los mosquitos y, en última instancia, de la pobreza. La experiencia histórica descrita en este texto resalta la importancia de analizar el impacto del SARS-CoV-2 más allá de las grandes ciudades.

Abstract This article describes the emergence of health concerns relating to the epidemics that occurred during the twentieth century in La Pampa, a province in Argentina. Epidemics such as smallpox drove such policies, which frequently originated in Buenos Aires, the country's capital. The spread of many epidemics was due to shortages: water, sewage and adequate refuse disposal, an insufficient number of health care workers, the presence of disease transmission vectors such as mosquitos, and, ultimately, poverty. The historical experience described in this text highlights the importance of analyzing the impact of SARS-CoV-2 beyond the big cities.

[The epidemics in La Pampa (Argentina), from a historical perspective]. / Las epidemias en La Pampa (Argentina), en perspectiva histórica.

This article describes the emergence of health concerns relating to the epidemics that occurred during the twentieth century in La Pampa, a province in Argentina. Epidemics such as smallpox drove such policies, which frequently originated in Buenos Aires, the country's capital. The spread of many epidemics was due to shortages: water, sewage and adequate refuse disposal, an insufficient number of health care workers, the presence of disease transmission vectors such as mosquitos, and, ultimately, poverty. The historical experience described in this text highlights the importance of analyzing the impact of SARS-CoV-2 beyond the big cities.

Este artículo describe el inicio de las preocupaciones sanitarias vinculadas a las epidemias ocurridas durante el siglo XX en La Pampa, provincia argentina. Las epidemias, como las de la viruela, fueron un estímulo para estas políticas que frecuentemente tuvieron origen en Buenos Aires, la capital del país. El contagio de muchas epidemias dependía de carencias de infraestructura: agua, desagüe y desecho adecuado de basuras, de la ausencia de un número suficiente de trabajadores de salud, de la presencia de vectores transmisores de enfermedades como los mosquitos y, en última instancia, de la pobreza. La experiencia histórica descrita en este texto resalta la importancia de analizar el impacto del SARS-CoV-2 más allá de las grandes ciudades.

Early colorectal cancer detection-Current and evolving challenges in evidence, guidelines, policy, and practices.

The understanding at the beginning of the last century that colorectal cancer began as a localized disease that progressed and became systemic, and that most colorectal cancer arose from adenomatous polyps gave rise to aggressive attempts at curative treatment and eventually attempts to detect advanced lesions before they progressed to invasive disease. In the last four decades, steadily greater uptake of screening has led to reductions in colorectal cancer incidence and mortality. However, the fullest potential of screening is not being met due to the lack of organized screening, where a systems approach could lead to higher rates of screening of average and high risk groups, higher quality screening, and prompt followup of adults with positive screening tests. ABSTRACT: Since the beginning of the 20th century, there has been a general understanding that colorectal cancer is a clonal disease that progresses from a localized stage with a favorable prognosis through progressively more advanced stages which have progressively worse prognosis. That understanding led first to determined efforts to detect and treat early stage symptomatic disease, and then to detect pre-symptomatic colorectal cancer and precursor lesions, where there was hope that the natural history of the disease could be arrested and the incidence and premature mortality of colorectal cancer averted. Toward the end of the last century, guidelines for colorectal cancer screening, growth in the number of technical options for screening, and a steady increase in the proportion of the adult population who attended screening contributed to the beginning of a significant decline in colorectal cancer incidence and mortality. Despite this progress, colorectal cancer remains the third leading cause of death among men and women in the United States. Screening for early detection of precursor lesions and localized cancer offers the single most productive opportunity to further reduce the burden of disease, and yet nearly four in five deaths from colorectal cancer are associated with having never been screened, not recently screened, or not followed up for an abnormal screening test. This simple observation is a call to action in all communities to apply existing knowledge to fulfill the potential to prevent avertable incidence and mortality.

[Between Alma-Ata and the Brazilian sanitary reform: the National Basic Health Services Program (Prev-saúde), 1979-1983]. / Entre Alma-Ata e a reforma sanitária brasileira: o Programa Nacional de Serviços Básicos de Saúde (Prev-saúde), 1979-1983.

The history of the National Basic Health Services Program (Prev-saúde) begins in 1979 with a joint effort involving the Ministries of Health, Social Security and Assistance, Interior, and Economy, as well as the Pan-American Health Organization. The objective was to reorganize basic health services in their connections with other levels of care. Internationally, it was part of the movement sparked by the International Conference on Primary Health Care in Alma-Ata in September 1978. Domestically, the program represented an accumulation of knowledge about the organization of services as well as a movement that was partially adapted to Brazilian health reform agenda. Prev-saúde was a set of health proposals that represented a technical consensus between bureaucracies and leaders of health reform.

A história do Programa Nacional de Serviços Básicos de Saúde (Prev-saúde) se inicia em 1979, na articulação entre os Ministérios da Saúde, da Previdência e Assistência Social, do Interior e da Economia e a Organização Pan-americana da Saúde. Teve como objetivo reorganizar os serviços básicos de saúde em suas conexões com os demais níveis assistenciais. Internacionalmente, inscrevia-se no movimento deflagrado pela Conferência de Alma-Ata, de setembro de 1978. Em termos nacionais, representava tanto um acúmulo de conhecimento sobre organização dos serviços quanto um movimento que se adequava, em parte, à agenda da reforma sanitária brasileira. O Prev-saúde representou um conjunto de proposições para a reorganização da saúde que, naquele contexto, era consenso técnico entre burocracias e lideranças da reforma da saúde.

Entre Alma-Ata e a reforma sanitária brasileira: o Programa Nacional de Serviços Básicos de Saúde (Prev-saúde), 1979-1983 / Between Alma-Ata and the Brazilian sanitary reform: the National Basic Health Services Program (Prev-saúde), 1979-1983

Resumo A história do Programa Nacional de Serviços Básicos de Saúde (Prev-saúde) se inicia em 1979, na articulação entre os Ministérios da Saúde, da Previdência e Assistência Social, do Interior e da Economia e a Organização Pan-americana da Saúde. Teve como objetivo reorganizar os serviços básicos de saúde em suas conexões com os demais níveis assistenciais. Internacionalmente, inscrevia-se no movimento deflagrado pela Conferência de Alma-Ata, de setembro de 1978. Em termos nacionais, representava tanto um acúmulo de conhecimento sobre organização dos serviços quanto um movimento que se adequava, em parte, à agenda da reforma sanitária brasileira. O Prev-saúde representou um conjunto de proposições para a reorganização da saúde que, naquele contexto, era consenso técnico entre burocracias e lideranças da reforma da saúde.

Abstract The history of the National Basic Health Services Program (Prev-saúde) begins in 1979 with a joint effort involving the Ministries of Health, Social Security and Assistance, Interior, and Economy, as well as the Pan-American Health Organization. The objective was to reorganize basic health services in their connections with other levels of care. Internationally, it was part of the movement sparked by the International Conference on Primary Health Care in Alma-Ata in September 1978. Domestically, the program represented an accumulation of knowledge about the organization of services as well as a movement that was partially adapted to Brazilian health reform agenda. Prev-saúde was a set of health proposals that represented a technical consensus between bureaucracies and leaders of health reform.

The History of Saskatchewan's Public Health Association Policy Initiatives, 1954-86: A Regional Comparison for Preventative Health Policy Work in Canada.

After the Second World War, health prevention work in Canada shifted from a focus on sanitation and hygiene to illness prevention and health promotion. Canada became a significant global leader, beginning with the Lalonde Report of 1974. Yet less is known about the provincial public health associations and how their work differed from that of the national body. The purpose of this article is to examine the Saskatchewan Public Health Association's (SPHA) policy work from 1954 to 1986. Utilizing meeting minutes and newsletters, we found that while both national and provincial associations made efforts to prevent accidents, reduce tobacco use, and fluoridate water, the SPHA tended to advocate more for child health, and the cautious use of nuclear power. At the same time, the SPHA's resolutions tended to ignore emerging factors shaping health, including the social determinants of health, regional inequities, lack of public trust in experts, misinformation, and human psychology. Examining the SPHA's records revealed that region mattered in preventative policy work.

Nurse contribution to the construction of health policy in the state of Bahia (1925-1930).

OBJECTIVE: to analyze the contribution of nurses to the construction of health policy in the state of Bahia, from 1925 to 1930. METHODS: qualitative research, from a historical nature. Data were retrieved from five public archives, organized in a documentary corpus, and analyzed based on the health political analysis and the social control concepts, health policy and public health. RESULTS: from 1925 to 1930, the State seized the work of the woman/nurse and established it in public health. This fact enabled the nurse's contribution to the construction of the health policy of the state of Bahia, which took place by the implementation of sanitary education actions, home visits and hygienic surveillance. FINAL CONSIDERATIONS: the female nurse's work made the health policy of the state of Bahia viable and was an ideal instrument to access homes and instruct/advise people in their daily lives to adopt behaviors that prevent the occurrence and, above all, the spread of diseases.

Broken Promises to the People of Newark: A Historical Review of the Newark Uprising, the Newark Agreements, and Rutgers New Jersey Medical School's Commitments to Newark.

Many have referred to the coronavirus disease 2019 crisis and intertwined issues of structural racism as "twin pandemics". As healthcare workers in Newark, New Jersey, a city heavily affected by the twin pandemics, we recognize that health workforce changes must be grounded in our community's recent history. The objective of this essay is to briefly describe the relationship between organized medicine, state and local leaders, and the people of Newark. We begin with a discussion of Newark in the 1950s and 1960s: its people experienced poor socioeconomic conditions, terrible medical care, and the many sequelae of abhorrent racism. Plans to establish a New Jersey Medical School in Newark's Central Ward also threatened to displace many residents from their homes. We then describe the Newark Agreements of 1968, which formalized a social contract between the state, business leaders, and people of Newark. In part, the Medical School committed to indefinitely promoting public health in Newark. We share progress towards this goal. Finally, we document key healthcare administrative decisions facing our community today. Stakeholder opinions are shared. We conclude that the Newark Agreements set an important standard for communities across the country. Creative solutions to healthcare policy may be realized through extensive community collaboration.

COVID-19 and the reenactment of mass masking in South Korea.

How can we explain the divergence of social commitment to mass masking as public health measures in the global response to COVID-19? Rather than searching for deep-rooted cultural norms, this essay views the contemporary practice as a reenactment of multiple layers of accumulated socio-material conditions. This perspective will allow us to pursue a comparative study of the social history of mask-wearing around the world.

Historical Origins of the Personal Belief Exemption to Vaccination Mandates: The View from California.

A number of states, starting with California, have recently removed all non-medical exemptions from their laws requiring vaccinations for schoolchildren. California was also one of the earliest states to include a broad non-medical, or personal, belief exemption in its modern immunization law, which it did with a 1961 law mandating polio vaccination for school enrollment, Assembly Bill 1940 (AB 1940). This paper examines the history of AB 1940's exemption clause as a case study for shedding light on the little-examined history of the personal belief exemption to vaccination in the United States. This history shows that secular belief exemptions date back further than scholars have allowed. It demonstrates that such exemptions resulted from political negotiation critical to ensuring compulsory vaccination's political success. It challenges a historiography in which antivaccination groups and their allies led late-nineteenth and early-twentieth century opposition to vaccination mandates while religious groups drove mid-twentieth century opposition. It also complicates the historiographic idea of a return to compulsion in the late 1960s, instead dating this return a decade earlier, to a time when belief exemptions in polio vaccination mandates helped reconcile the goal of a widely vaccinated population with the sacrosanct idea of health as a personal responsibility.