Innovation in public health surveillance for social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic: A deep learning and object detection based novel approach.

The Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19) has a huge impact on all of humanity, and people's disregard for COVID-19 regulations has sped up the disease's spread. Our study uses a state-of-the-art object detection model like YOLOv4 (You Only Look Once, version 4), a very effective tool, on real-time 25fps, 1920 X 1080 video data streamed live by a camera-mounted Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) quad-copter to observe proper maintenance of social distance in an area of 35m range in this study. The model has demonstrated remarkable efficacy in identifying and quantifying instances of social distancing, with an accuracy of 82% and little latency. It has been able to work efficiently with real-time streaming at 25-30 ms. Our model is based on CSPDarkNet-53, which was trained on the MS COCO dataset for image classification. It includes additional layers to capture feature maps from different phases. Additionally, the model's neck is made up of PANet, which is used to aggregate the parameters from various CSPDarkNet-53 layers. The CSPDarkNet-53's 53 convolutional layers are followed by 53 more layers in the model head, for a total of 106 completely convolutional layers in the design. This architecture is further integrated with YOLOv3, resulting in the YOLOv4 model, which will be used by our detection model. Furthermore, to differentiate humans The aforementioned method was used to evaluate drone footage and count social distance violations in real time. Our findings show that our model was reliable and successful at detecting social distance violations in real-time with an average accuracy of 82%.

Developing a digital data platform for surveillance of food and water-borne pathogens in North East India: insight for public health advocacy.

Robust digital infrastructure is vital and the need of the hour, especially in the healthcare sector, for real-time data generation, analysis, and quick decision-making. Food- and water-borne illnesses represent a prominent cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. India, a developing nation with diverse cultures and food practices, poses a high risk of food-borne diseases and outbreaks, yet is often underreported and ineffectively researched. Also, the unique socio-economic and environmental factors of the Northeast (NE) region contribute to the high burden of food-borne diseases. To address these trepidations, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has undertaken a study for the surveillance of food-borne pathogens in NE India. The present study focuses on the development of a digital database system for the systematic surveillance of foodborne disease outbreaks, aiming to address the gaps in traditional surveillance methods and improve disease detection and response capabilities. The digital system integrates mobile applications, web-based platforms, and advanced analytics tools to enable real-time data collection, dissemination, and analysis of food-borne illness data. Additionally, the secure and scalable nature of the system enhances data accuracy and accessibility, making it a valuable tool for enhancing food-borne disease surveillance efforts in resource-constrained settings.

Fortalecimiento de la planificación de la preparación para pandemias causadas por agentes patógenos respiratorios: Sinopsis de política, 27 de abril del 2022

Atendiendo a las resoluciones WHA58.5 y WHA74.7, la Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS) se ha comprometido a brindar apoyo a los Estados Miembros en la planificación de la preparación para pandemias mediante la prestación de orientación y asistencia técnica. Esta sinopsis de política responde a las solicitudes nacionales y regionales de un enfoque integrado de la preparación para pandemias causadas por agentes patógenos respiratorios que esté en consonancia con el Reglamento Sanitario Internacional (2005) (RSI) y las orientaciones de la OMS relativas a la preparación de la respuesta nacional frente a emergencias de salud y desastres. En esta sinopsis de política se presentan los elementos fundamentales con los que se alienta a los Estados Miembros a: a) formular un enfoque integrado para la planificación de la preparación para pandemias causadas por agentes patógenos respiratorios y b) mejorar las capacidades funcionales subnacionales y nacionales para la preparación. Además, se destacan las medidas recomendadas a los Estados Miembros cuando estos inician o actualizan el proceso de planificación de la preparación para una pandemia a nivel subnacional y nacional. La sinopsis sirve para brindar a los Estados Miembros y a los asociados un fundamento y una orientación sobre estos elementos básicos y las medidas recomendadas, al tiempo que la OMS colabora con ellos en la elaboración de un conjunto de recursos para pandemias causadas por agentes patógenos respiratorios, un repositorio virtual de materiales sobre la planificación de la preparación para las partes interesadas nacionales, regionales y mundiales. La planificación de la preparación para pandemias causadas por agentes patógenos respiratorios permite a los Estados Miembros formular planes en relación con los aspectos que son comunes a los agentes patógenos con una vía de transmisión respiratoria, tanto ya conocidos como nuevos. En consonancia con el plan estratégico de preparación, disposición operativa y respuesta para poner fin a la emergencia mundial causada por la COVID-19 para el 2022, la OMS alienta a los Estados Miembros a considerar un enfoque integrado de la planificación de la preparación frente a los agentes patógenos respiratorios que se ajuste a sus procesos de planificación nacional y ciclos presupuestarios existentes

An Ontology to Bridge the Clinical Management of Patients and Public Health Responses for Strengthening Infectious Disease Surveillance: Design Science Study.

BACKGROUND: Novel surveillance approaches using digital technologies, including the Internet of Things (IoT), have evolved, enhancing traditional infectious disease surveillance systems by enabling real-time detection of outbreaks and reaching a wider population. However, disparate, heterogenous infectious disease surveillance systems often operate in silos due to a lack of interoperability. As a life-changing clinical use case, the COVID-19 pandemic has manifested that a lack of interoperability can severely inhibit public health responses to emerging infectious diseases. Interoperability is thus critical for building a robust ecosystem of infectious disease surveillance and enhancing preparedness for future outbreaks. The primary enabler for semantic interoperability is ontology. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to design the IoT-based management of infectious disease ontology (IoT-MIDO) to enhance data sharing and integration of data collected from IoT-driven patient health monitoring, clinical management of individual patients, and disparate heterogeneous infectious disease surveillance. METHODS: The ontology modeling approach was chosen for its semantic richness in knowledge representation, flexibility, ease of extensibility, and capability for knowledge inference and reasoning. The IoT-MIDO was developed using the basic formal ontology (BFO) as the top-level ontology. We reused the classes from existing BFO-based ontologies as much as possible to maximize the interoperability with other BFO-based ontologies and databases that rely on them. We formulated the competency questions as requirements for the ontology to achieve the intended goals. RESULTS: We designed an ontology to integrate data from heterogeneous sources, including IoT-driven patient monitoring, clinical management of individual patients, and infectious disease surveillance systems. This integration aims to facilitate the collaboration between clinical care and public health domains. We also demonstrate five use cases using the simplified ontological models to show the potential applications of IoT-MIDO: (1) IoT-driven patient monitoring, risk assessment, early warning, and risk management; (2) clinical management of patients with infectious diseases; (3) epidemic risk analysis for timely response at the public health level; (4) infectious disease surveillance; and (5) transforming patient information into surveillance information. CONCLUSIONS: The development of the IoT-MIDO was driven by competency questions. Being able to answer all the formulated competency questions, we successfully demonstrated that our ontology has the potential to facilitate data sharing and integration for orchestrating IoT-driven patient health monitoring in the context of an infectious disease epidemic, clinical patient management, infectious disease surveillance, and epidemic risk analysis. The novelty and uniqueness of the ontology lie in building a bridge to link IoT-based individual patient monitoring and early warning based on patient risk assessment to infectious disease epidemic surveillance at the public health level. The ontology can also serve as a starting point to enable potential decision support systems, providing actionable insights to support public health organizations and practitioners in making informed decisions in a timely manner.

Advancing Public Health Surveillance in Child Care Centers: Stakeholder-Informed Redesign and User Satisfaction Evaluation of the MCRISP Network.

Unlabelled: Leveraging user feedback, we redesigned a novel disease monitoring utility to allow for bidirectional data flow and in this letter offer insights into that process as well as lessons learned.

Entenda o que é licença sanitária | Coisa de Homem

E aí, parça, tudo bem? Neste episódio do Coisa de Homem, vamos te mostrar a importância da licença sanitária e como esse trabalho, da Coordenadoria de Vigilância em Saúde, é fundamental para o funcionamento de estabelecimentos, em especial os que oferecem serviços de alimentação e saúde.

Linking Maternal and Child Health Data to Enhance Public Health Surveillance and Implement Sustainable Interventions.

Our initiative aims to enhance the public health informatics infrastructure for surveillance of maternal and child health (MCH) using data captured from electronic health records (EHRs), public health information systems, and administrative health data. Our work includes development, validation, and application of linkage algorithms across records for mothers and children; integration of data across myriad sources; design of routine surveillance reports; and design of longitudinal studies to examine determinants and outcomes in MCH populations. Our work is conducted in partnership with governmental public health agencies, health care providers, academic institutions, and community-based organizations. Future work will build on the enhanced informatics infrastructure to draw from additional public health data sources and/or expand surveillance efforts to include prioritized MCH outcomes. We will further translate knowledge gained from surveillance into action, working with our partners to improve and sustain better MCH equitably in our population.

Focus, vigilance, resilience: towards stronger infectious disease surveillance, threat detection and response in the EU/EEA.

This perspective summarises and explains the long-term surveillance framework 2021-2027 for infectious diseases in the European Union/European Economic Area (EU/EEA) published in April 2023. It shows how shortcomings in the areas of public health focus, vigilance and resilience will be addressed through specific strategies in the coming years and how these strategies will lead to stronger surveillance systems for early detection and monitoring of public health threats as well as informing their effective prevention and control. A sharper public health focus is expected from a more targeted list of notifiable diseases, strictly public-health-objective-driven surveillance standards, and consequently, leaner surveillance systems. Vigilance should improve through mandatory event reporting, more automated epidemic intelligence processing and increased use of genomic surveillance. Finally, EU/EEA surveillance systems should become more resilient by modernising the underlying information technology infrastructure, expanding the influenza sentinel surveillance system to other respiratory viruses for better pandemic preparedness, and increasingly exploiting potentially more robust alternative data sources, such as electronic health records and wastewater surveillance. Continued close collaboration across EU/EEA countries will be key to ensuring the full implementation of this surveillance framework and more effective disease prevention and control.

Perfil epidemiológico da hanseníase em Bacabal - MA, Brasil, 2008-2017 / Epidemiological profile of leprosy in Bacabal -Ma, Brazil, 2008-2017 / Perfil epidemiológico de la lepra en Bacabal -Ma, Brasil, 2008-2017

Introdução:A hanseníase é uma enfermidade infectocontagiosa que pode gerar desde a incapacidade as sequelas físicas quando não tratada precocemente. Objetivo:Descrever o perfil epidemiológico da Hanseníase em Bacabal no estado do Maranhão. Metodologia:Trata-se de um estudo transversal, retrospectiva com abordagem quantitativa, sobre casos de hanseníase registrados no Sistema de Informação de Agravos de Notificação no período de 2008 a 2017 sendo analisados por estatística descritiva. Resultados:Foram diagnosticados 1.309 casos, na faixa etária de 20 a 34 anos (25,7%), sexo masculino (60,2%), raça/pretos (39,8%), com ensino fundamental (63,5%), ocupação de agropecuários (32,3%), atenção básica notificou a maioria dos casos (49,9%) e residiam na zona urbana (78,7%). Verificou-se que a classificação operacional predominante foi em casos Multibacilar (76%), na forma clínica dimorfa (60,9%), múltiplas lesões de 2 a 5 (33%), sem nervos afetados (60,6%) e os pacientes não tiveram nenhuma incapacidade física (45,5%). Apenas 43% dos casos realizaram a baciloscopia e a poliquimioterapia Multibacilar com 12 doses predominou com 75,8% nos casos diagnosticados. A maioria dos casos eram classificados como novos (77,8%), foram detectados por demanda espontânea (38,5%) e mais da metade foram curados (80,3%). Conclusões:A hanseníase é uma doença endêmica na região se configurando um problema saúde pública devido a elevada magnitude dos casos. Ressalta-se a importância da realização de atividades educativas com enfoque na prevenção através da busca ativa para o diagnóstico precoce; no intuito de rastrear casos e contatos na comunidade a fim de reduzir as sequelas físicas sendo um fator determinante para o enfrentamento da doença (AU).

Introduction:Leprosy is an infectious disease that can cause disability and physical sequelae when not treated early.Objective:To describe the epidemiological profile of leprosy in Bacabal, state of Maranhão. Methodology:This was a cross-sectional, retrospective, quantitative study on leprosy cases reported to the Notifiable Diseases Information System from 2008 to 2017. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results:A total of 1,309 cases were diagnosed, in the age group of 20 to 34 years (25.7%), male (60.2%), black race (39.8%), with elementary education (63.5%), and working in agriculture (32.3%). Primary care reported most cases (49.9%), and the majority of cases were from urban areas (78.7%). The predominant operational classification was multibacillary cases (76%), in the dimorphic clinical form (60.9%), from 2 to 5 multiple lesions (33%), without affected nerves (60.6%), and no physical disability (45.5%). Only 43% of cases underwent bacilloscopy, and multibacillary polychemotherapy with 12 doses was the most common treatment, accounting for 75.8% of diagnosed cases. Most cases were classified as new (77.8%) and were detected by spontaneous demand (38.5%), and more than Half were cured (80.3%).Conclusions: Leprosy is a disease endemic to the region and represents a public health challenge due to the high magnitude of cases. The importance of educational activities focusing on prevention through an active search for early diagnosis is highlighted to track cases and contacts in the community toreduce physical sequelae, which are crucial in combating the disease (AU).

Introducción: La lepra es una enfermedad infectocontagiosa que puede generar desde la discapacidad a consecuencias físicas si no se trata precozmente. Objetivo:Describir el perfil epidemiológico de la Lepra en Bacabal, estado de Maranhão. Metodología:Se trata de un estudio transversal, retrospectiva con abordaje cuantitativo, sobre casos de lepra registrados en el Sistema de Información de Enfermedades de Notificación Obligatoria en el período de 2008 a 2017 analizados por estadística descriptiva. Resultados:Se diagnosticaron 1.309 casos, con edad entre 20 a 34 años (el 25,7%), varones (el 60,2%), raza/negros (el 39,8%), con enseñanza básica (el 63,5%), ocupación de agropecuarios (el 32,3%), la atención primaria reportó la mayor parte de los casos (el 49,9%) y vivían en zonas urbanas (el 78,7%). Se verificó que la clasificaciónoperacional predominante fue en casos Multibacilar (el 76%), en la forma clínica dimorfa (el 60,9%), múltiples lesiones de 2 a 5 (el 33%), sin niervos afectados (el 60,6%) y los pacientes no tuvieron ninguna incapacidad física (el 45,5%). Solo el 43% de los casos se realizaron la baciloscopia y la poliquimioterapia Multibacilar con 12 dosis predominó con el 75,8% en los casos diagnosticados. La mayoría de los casos eran clasificados como nuevos (el 77,8%), se detectó por demanda espontánea (el 38,5%) y másde la mitad se curaron (el 80,3%). Conclusiones: La lepra es una enfermedad endémica en la región se configurando un problema salud pública debido a la elevada magnitud de los casos. Se subraya la importancia de la realización de actividades educativas con hincapié en la prevención por intermedio de la búsqueda activa para el diagnóstico temprano; en el intuito de rastrear casos y contactos en la comunidad con la finalidad de reducir las discapacidades físicas que son un factor determinante para afrontar enfrentar la enfermedad (AU).

Cálculo do indicador de consumo de álcool per capita no Brasil: uso de dados nacionais / Calculation of the alcohol per capita consumption in Brazil: using national data / Cálculo del indicador del consumo de alcohol per cápita en Brasil: uso de datos nacionales

[RESUMO]. Objetivo. Calcular o indicador de consumo de álcool per capita (APC) para o Brasil utilizando dados nacio nais (APC Brasil), com vistas a estabelecê-lo como padrão ouro para o país em substituição ao indicador anteriormente calculado pela Organização Mundial da Saúde (OMS) com base em dados internacionais. Métodos. Foram selecionadas, no Brasil, as fontes públicas de dados necessárias para a composição do cálculo do APC registrado e definida a concentração alcoólica por categoria de bebida. Para as variáveis APC turista e APC não registrado, indisponíveis no Brasil, foram usadas as estimativas da Organização das Nações Unidas (ONU) e da OMS. O indicador APC Brasil foi calculado e comparado ao indicador produzido pela OMS por meio de análise das medianas para o período de 2005 a 2020. Resultados. O indicador de consumo de álcool nacional foi de 9,2 litros per capita em 2005, chegando a 9,8 em 2020. Já o indicador da OMS mostrou, para 2005, um consumo de 8,4 litros per capita, com queda até 2016 e leve aumento para 7,8 em 2020. Conclusão. O APC Brasil foi calculado com base em fontes nacionais e mostrou tendência distinta em relação ao indicador da OMS, que se mostrou em queda. A disponibilização transparente e regular desse indicador por canais governamentais permitirá o seu monitoramento, possibilitando a elaboração de políticas para o enfrentamento do consumo do álcool no país.

[ABSTRACT]. Objective. To calculate the alcohol per capita consumption (APC) in Brazil (Brazil APC) using national data and to establish the Brazil APC as gold standard for the country, replacing the indicator previously calculated by the World Health Organization (WHO) based on international data. Method. The Brazilian public data sources necessary for calculating the recorded APC were selected, and the alcohol concentration was defined by beverage category. For the variables of tourist APC and unrecorded APC, which are unavailable in Brazil, estimates from the United Nations (UN) and the WHO were used. The Brazil APC indicator was calculated and compared to the indicator produced by the WHO through analysis of the medians obtained for the period from 2005 to 2020. Results. The national alcohol consumption indicator was 9.2 liters per capita in 2005, reaching 9.8 in 2020. The WHO indicator showed a consumption of 8.4 liters per capita in 2005, decreasing until 2016 and slightly increasing to 7.8 in 2020. Conclusion. The Brazil APC was calculated based on national sources and showed a distinct trend compared to the WHO indicator, which showed a decrease. The regular and transparent provision of this indicator through government channels will support the development of policies to address alcohol consumption in the country.

[RESUMEN]. Objetivo. Calcular el indicador del consumo de alcohol per cápita en Brasil a partir de datos nacionales, con miras a establecerlo como patrón de referencia para el país en sustitución del indicador calculado anteriormente por la Organización Mundial de la Salud a partir de datos internacionales. Métodos. Se seleccionaron las fuentes públicas de datos de Brasil necesarias para estructurar el cálculo del consumo de alcohol per cápita registrado y se definió la concentración de alcohol por clase de bebida. Para las variables de consumo de alcohol per cápita por parte de turistas y consumo per cápita no registrado, que no están disponibles en Brasil, se utilizaron estimaciones de las Naciones Unidas y de la Organización Mundial de la Salud. Se calculó el indicador del consumo de alcohol per cápita en Brasil y se comparó con el indicador elaborado por la OMS mediante un análisis de las medianas correspondientes al período 2005-2020. Resultados. El indicador nacional del consumo de alcohol fue de 9,2 litros per cápita en el 2005, con un aumento a 9,8 en el 2020. El indicador de la Organización Mundial de la Salud mostró un consumo de 8,4 litros per cápita en el 2005, con una reducción hasta el 2016 y un leve aumento a 7,8 en el 2020. Conclusión. Se calculó el consumo de alcohol per cápita en Brasil a partir de fuentes nacionales, lo que mostró una tendencia distinta de la tendencia descendente del indicador de la Organización Mundial de la Salud. La disponibilidad transparente y regular de este indicador por medio de los canales gubernamentales permitirá su seguimiento, con lo cual se podrán formular políticas para enfrentar el consumo de alcohol en el país.

Bodies-territories and intersectionalities: contributions to public health surveillance. / Corpos-territórios e interseccionalidades: contribuições para uma vigilância popular em saúde.

Multiple bodies and territories experience impacts, conflicts, and socioenvironmental injustices in different ways. The consequences of the neoextractivist accumulation patterns weigh differently on women, especially non-white women. This text brings narratives of a wide range of women who live in different territories and experience different impacts from major undertakings. Through their narratives, we seek to understand how they constitute their territorial bodies; how they are impacted; and how they resist colonialist domination, defend life, and restore health. These impacts affect women's means and ways of life, and restrict their ways of being, power, and knowledge in these territories, rendering them vulnerable, subject to the precariousness of life, immersed in systemic intoxication, reaching situations classified as genocide. Faced with such threats, they manage collective resistance; trigger what makes them active subjectivity; and decolonize themselves as beings, knowledge, and power. In this way they defend life and restore their health and that of their environments. These experiences indicate ways to strengthen public health surveillance perspectives and networks.

Corpos e territórios múltiplos vivenciam de diferentes formas impactos, conflitos e injustiças socioambientais. As consequências do padrão de acumulação neoextrativista recai de modo diferenciado sobre as mulheres, em especial não brancas. Esse texto traz narrativas de mulheres plurais, que vivem em diferentes territórios e que experienciam distintos impactos de grandes empreendimentos. Por meio de suas narrativas, buscamos compreender como constituem seus corpos-territórios, como são impactados e como resistem a dominação colonialista, defendem a vida e restituem a saúde. Os impactos analisados atingem os meios e modos de vida das mulheres, cerceiam suas formas de ser, poder e saber nesses territórios, tornam-nas vulnerabilizadas, sujeitas à precarização dos meios e modos de vida, imersas em intoxicações sistêmicas, chegando a situações classificadas como genocídios. Frente a tais ameaças, elas agenciam a resistência coletiva, acionam o que lhes torna subjetividade ativa, descolonizam-se como ser, saber e poder. Assim defendem a vida e restituem a saúde de si mesmas e de seus ambientes. Essas experiências apontam caminhos para o fortalecimento de perspectivas e redes de vigilância popular em saúde.

Opportunities to strengthen respiratory virus surveillance systems in Australia: lessons learned from the COVID-19 response.

Abstract: Disease surveillance data was critical in supporting public health decisions throughout the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. At the same time, the unprecedented circumstances of the pandemic revealed many shortcomings of surveillance systems for viral respiratory pathogens. Strengthening of surveillance systems was identified as a priority for the recently established Australian Centre for Disease Control, which represents a critical opportunity to review pre-pandemic and pandemic surveillance practices, and to decide on future priorities, during both pandemic and inter-pandemic periods. On 20 October 2022, we ran a workshop with experts from the academic and government sectors who had contributed to the COVID-19 response in Australia on 'The role of surveillance in epidemic response', at the University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. Following the workshop, we developed five recommendations to strengthen respiratory virus surveillance systems in Australia, which we present here. Our recommendations are not intended to be exhaustive. We instead chose to focus on data types that are highly valuable yet typically overlooked by surveillance planners. Three of the recommendations focus on data collection activities that support the monitoring and prediction of disease impact and the effectiveness of interventions (what to measure) and two focus on surveillance methods and capabilities (how to measure). Implementation of our recommendations would enable more robust, timely, and impactful epidemic analysis.

Pathogen prioritisation for wastewater surveillance ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, France.

BackgroundWastewater surveillance is an effective approach to monitor population health, as exemplified by its role throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.AimThis study explores the possibility of extending wastewater surveillance to the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, focusing on identifying priority pathogen targets that are relevant and feasible to monitor in wastewater for these events.MethodsA list of 60 pathogens of interest for general public health surveillance for the Games was compiled. Each pathogen was evaluated against three inclusion criteria: (A) analytical feasibility; (B) relevance, i.e. with regards to the specificities of the event and the characteristics of the pathogen; and (C) added value to inform public health decision-making. Analytical feasibility was assessed through evidence from peer-reviewed publications demonstrating the detectability of pathogens in sewage, refining the initial list to 25 pathogens. Criteria B and C were evaluated via expert opinion using the Delphi method. The panel consisting of some 30 experts proposed five additional pathogens meeting criterion A, totalling 30 pathogens assessed throughout the three-round iterative questionnaire. Pathogens failing to reach 70% group consensus threshold underwent further deliberation by a subgroup of experts.ResultsSix priority targets suitable for wastewater surveillance during the Games were successfully identified: poliovirus, influenza A virus, influenza B virus, mpox virus, SARS-CoV-2 and measles virus.ConclusionThis study introduced a model framework for identifying context-specific wastewater surveillance targets for a mass gathering. Successful implementation of a wastewater surveillance plan for Paris 2024 could incentivise similar monitoring efforts for other mass gatherings globally.

Public Health Surveillance in Electronic Health Records: Lessons From PCORnet.

Introduction: PCORnet, the National Patient-Centered Clinical Research Network, is a large research network of health systems that map clinical data to a standardized data model. In 2018, we expanded existing infrastructure to facilitate use for public health surveillance. We describe benefits and challenges of using PCORnet for surveillance and describe case studies. Methods: In 2018, infrastructure enhancements included addition of a table to store patients' residential zip codes and expansion of a modular program to generate population health statistics across conditions. Chronic disease surveillance case studies conducted in 2019 assessed atrial fibrillation (AF) and cirrhosis. In April 2020, PCORnet established an infrastructure to support COVID-19 surveillance with institutions frequently updating their electronic health record data. Results: By August 2023, 53 PCORnet sites (84%) had a 5-digit zip code available on at least 95% of their patient populations. Among 148,223 newly diagnosed AF patients eligible for oral anticoagulant (OAC) therapy, 43.3% were on any OAC (17.8% warfarin, 28.5% any novel oral anticoagulant) within a year of the AF diagnosis. Among 60,268 patients with cirrhosis (2015-2019), common documented etiologies included unknown (48%), hepatitis C infection (23%), and alcohol use (22%). During October 2022 through December 2023, across 34 institutions, the proportion of COVID-19 patients who were cared for in the inpatient setting was 9.1% among 887,051 adults aged 20 years or older and 6.0% among 139,148 children younger than 20 years. Conclusions: PCORnet provides important data that may augment traditional public health surveillance programs across diverse conditions. PCORnet affords longitudinal population health assessments among large catchments of the population with clinical, treatment, and geographic information, with capabilities to deliver rapid information needed during public health emergencies.

Direct whole-genome sequencing of HIV-1 for clinical drug-resistance analysis and public health surveillance.

BACKGROUND: Human Immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) remains a significant global health threat partly due to its ability to develop resistance to anti-retroviral therapies. HIV-1 genotype and drug resistance analysis of the polymerase (pol) sequence is a mainstay of its clinical and public health management. However, as new treatments and resistances evolve, analysis methods must change accordingly. In this study, we outline the development and implementation of a direct whole-genome sequencing approach (dWGS) using probe-capture target-enrichment for HIV-1 genotype and drug resistance analysis. METHODS: We implemented dWGS and performed parallel pol Sanger sequencing for clinical samples, followed by comparative genotype and drug-resistance analysis. These HIV-1 WGS sequences were also utilised for a novel partitioned phylogenetic analysis. RESULTS: Optimised nucleic acid extraction and DNAse I treatment significantly increased HIV-1 whole-genome coverage and depth, and improved recovery of high-quality genomes from low viral load clinical samples, enabling routine sequencing of viral loads as low as 1000 copies/mL. Overall, dWGS was robust, accurate and more sensitive for detecting low-frequency variants at drug-resistance sites compared to Sanger sequencing. Analysis of multiple sequence regions improved phylogenetic reconstruction for recombinant HIV-1 sequences compared to analysis of pol sequence alone. CONCLUSIONS: These findings demonstrate dWGS enhances HIV-1 drug-resistance analysis by quantitative variant detection and improves reconstruction of HIV-1 phylogenies compared to traditional pol sequencing. This work supports that HIV-1 dWGS is a viable option to replace Sanger sequencing for clinical and public health applications.

Engaging Antiracist And Decolonial Praxis To Advance Equity In Oregon Public Health Surveillance Practices.

Public health surveillance and data systems in the US remain an unnamed facet of structural racism. What gets measured, which data get collected and analyzed, and how and by whom are not matters of happenstance. Rather, surveillance and data systems are productions and reproductions of political priority, epistemic privilege, and racialized state power. This has consequences for how communities of color are represented or misrepresented, viewed, and valued and for what is prioritized and viewed as legitimate cause for action. Surveillance and data systems accordingly must be understood as both an instrument of structural racism and an opportunity to dismantle it. Here, we outline a critique of standard surveillance systems and practice, drawing from the social epidemiology, critical theory, and decolonial theory literatures to illuminate matters of power germane to epistemic and procedural justice in the surveillance of communities of color. We then summarize how community partners, academics, and state health department data scientists collaborated to reimagine survey practices in Oregon, engaging public health critical race praxis and decolonial theory to reorient toward antiracist surveillance systems. We close with a brief discussion of implications for practice and areas for continued consideration and reflection.

Validation of Multi-State EHR-Based Network for Disease Surveillance (MENDS) Data and Implications for Improving Data Quality and Representativeness.

Introduction: Surveillance modernization efforts emphasize the potential use of electronic health record (EHR) data to inform public health surveillance and prevention. However, EHR data streams vary widely in their completeness, accuracy, and representativeness. Methods: We developed a validation process for the Multi-State EHR-Based Network for Disease Surveillance (MENDS) pilot project to identify and resolve data quality issues that could affect chronic disease prevalence estimates. We examined MENDS validation processes from December 2020 through August 2023 across 5 data-contributing organizations and outlined steps to resolve data quality issues. Results: We identified gaps in the EHR databases of data contributors and in the processes to extract, map, integrate, and analyze their EHR data. Examples of source-data problems included missing data on race and ethnicity and zip codes. Examples of data processing problems included duplicate or missing patient records, lower-than-expected volumes of data, use of multiple fields for a single data type, and implausible values. Conclusion: Validation protocols identified critical errors in both EHR source data and in the processes used to transform these data for analysis. Our experience highlights the value and importance of data validation to improve data quality and the accuracy of surveillance estimates that use EHR data. The validation process and lessons learned can be applied broadly to other EHR-based surveillance efforts.

The contribution of Paulo Freire's thought to Popular Health Surveillance. / A contribuição do pensamento de Paulo Freire para a Vigilância Popular em Saúde.

Paulo Freire considered Popular Education (PE) as an emancipatory process, through debate and critical action, as a dimension of human existence. This text aims to conduct a narrative literature review on the articulations of Paulo Freire's ideas with Popular Health Surveillance (PHS) actions based on his contributions to Education and Health. The text presents how the contributions of Paulo Freire and Popular Health Education inspired the construction of Popular Health Surveillance, which seeks to promote the transformation of local reality in the face of rights violations and advocate for life. Thus, experiences from vulnerable territories and populations often use Popular Education pedagogical strategies to establish PHS practices. Popular Health Education becomes crucial in the territory to stimulate the transformation of individual perception and discuss their reality. Promoting a praxis about the "critical situation" in the daily lives of social stakeholders allows diagnosing reality based on scientific information in dialogue with culture and popular organization as a possibility of building the "viable unprecedented".

Paulo Freire pensava a Educação Popular (EP) como um processo emancipatório, por meio da problematização e agir crítico como dimensões da existência humana. A partir de suas contribuições aos campos da Educação e da Saúde, este texto tem como objetivo realizar uma revisão narrativa de literatura sobre as articulações das ideias de Paulo Freire com as ações de Vigilância Popular em Saúde (VPS). O texto apresenta como a contribuição de Paulo Freire e da Educação Popular em Saúde inspirou a construção de uma Vigilância Popular em Saúde, que busca promover a transformação da realidade local frente às situações de violações de direitos e na defesa da vida. Dessa maneira, experiências dos territórios e das populações em situação de vulnerabilidade, na maioria das vezes, lançam mão de estratégias pedagógicas da Educação Popular para se constituírem como práticas de VPS. É no território que a Educação Popular em Saúde se torna fundamental para o estímulo à transformação da percepção dos indivíduos, problematizando sua realidade. A promoção de uma práxis acerca da "situação limite" no cotidiano dos atores sociais permite um diagnóstico da realidade, baseado na informação científica em diálogo com a cultura e a organização popular, como possibilidade de construção de "inéditos viáveis".