Respiratory Infection in Institutions during Early Stages of Pandemic (H1N1) 2009, Canada

Outbreaks of respiratory infection in institutions in Ontario, Canada were studied from April 20 to June 12, 2009, during the early stages of the emergence of influenza A pandemic (H1N1) 2009. Despite widespread presence of influenza in the general population, only 2 of 83 outbreaks evaluated by molecular methods were associated with pandemic (H1N1) 2009

A One Health framework for global and local stewardship across the antimicrobial lifecycle

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a One Health challenge, affecting human and animal health, plants and the environment. It has significant impacts on population health, food security and economies of all countries. AMR is a complex problem that requires broad One Health stewardship from local to global levels, encompassing infection prevention together with stewardship across the six stages of the antimicrobial lifecycle, i.e., (1) research and development, (2) production, (3) registration evaluation and market authorization, (4) selection, procurement and supply, (5) appropriate and prudent use and (6) disposal, as outlined by the World Health Organization (WHO), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH). This requires the stewardship of innovation, access, use and disposal. Such end-to-end stewardship will individually and collectively help to maintain the efficacy of existing and new antimicrobials for the optimal management and prevention of infections in humans, animals, and plants while protecting the environment. This Perspective proposes a comprehensive One Health stewardship framework that spans the entire antimicrobial lifecycle—from innovation to disposal—across humans, animals, plants, and the environment as One Health sectors. By embedding stewardship principles at all levels, the framework aims to preserve antimicrobial efficacy, mitigate resistance, and safeguard global health, animal health food security, and ecosystems

Forecasting the Fallout from AMR: Economic Impacts of Antimicrobial Resistance in Food-Producing Animals

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a silent pandemic that must be curbed via a multidisciplinary, multi-sectoral One Health approach, backed by political will, government commitment and public–private partnerships. This global threat affects the health of humans, animals and plants. Using a One Health approach, this EcoAMR study provides current estimates and up-to-date predictions of the health and economic burdens associated with AMR in humans and livestock, to facilitate policy action. EcoAMR findings underscore the severe threat caused by AMR if no action is taken. Forecasts for 2025–2050 show that 38.5 million human deaths will be associated with bacterial AMR. Moreover, the global health care costs of AMR could rise to US$159 billion a year by 2050. In the animal sector, cumulative global gross domestic product (GDP) loss due to AMR in livestock is predicted to be US$ 575 billion by 2050. These multi-sectoral results provide strong evidence that calls for urgent action to curb AMR

Identical Genotype B3 Sequences from Measles Patients in 4 Countries, 2005

Surveillance of measles virus detected an epidemiologic link between a refugee from Kenya and a Dutch tourist in New Jersey, USA. Identical genotype B3 sequences from patients with contemporaneous cases in the United States, Canada, and Mexico in November and December 2005 indicate that Kenya was likely to have been the common source of virus

Development of core competencies for field veterinary epidemiology training programs

A workforce with the adequate field epidemiology knowledge, skills and abilities is the foundation of a strong and effective animal health system. Field epidemiology training is conducted in several countries to meet the increased global demand for such a workforce. However, core competencies for field veterinary epidemiology have not been identified and agreed upon globally, leading to the development of different training curricula. Having a set of agreed core competencies can harmonize field veterinary epidemiology training. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) initiated a collective, iterative, and participative process to achieve this and organized two expert consultative workshops in 2018 to develop core competencies for field veterinary epidemiology at the frontline and intermediate levels. Based on these expert discussions, 13 competencies were identified for the frontline and intermediate levels. These competencies were organized into three domains: epidemiological surveillance and studies; field investigation, preparedness and response; and One Health, communication, ethics and professionalism. These competencies can be used to facilitate the development of field epidemiology training curricula for veterinarians, adapted to country training needs, or customized for training other close disciplines. The competencies can also be useful for mentors and employers to monitor and evaluate the progress of their mentees, or to guide the selection process during the recruitment of new staff

Development and Validation of a Standardized Tool for Prioritization of Information Sources

Purpose: To validate the utility and effectiveness of a standardized tool for prioritization of information sources for early detection of diseases. Methods: The tool was developed with input from diverse public health experts garnered through survey. Ten raters used the tool to evaluate ten information sources and reliability among raters was computed. The Proc mixed procedure with random effect statement and SAS Macros were used to compute multiple raters’ Fleiss Kappa agreement and Kendall's Coefficient of Concordance. Results: Ten disparate information sources evaluated obtained the following composite scores: ProMed 91%; WAHID 90%; Eurosurv 87%; MediSys 85%; SciDaily 84%; EurekAl 83%; CSHB 78%; GermTrax 75%; Google 74%; and CBC 70%. A Fleiss Kappa agreement of 50.7% was obtained for ten information sources and 72.5% for a sub-set of five sources rated, which is substantial agreement validating the utility and effectiveness of the tool. Conclusion: This study validated the utility and effectiveness of a standardized criteria tool developed to prioritize information sources. The new tool was used to identify five information sources suited for use by the KIWI system in the CEZD-IIR project to improve surveillance of infectious diseases. The tool can be generalized to situations when prioritization of numerous information sources is necessary