Digital Commons Network^™

Infectious Disease As A Security Threat, With Particular Application To The Migration Context, Marielena Faria

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper analyzes the threat infectious diseases impose on global security, specifically in the migration context. Infectious diseases can threaten security through a variety of areas, and this paper aims to identify the global spread of infectious diseases through migration, international crises, humanitarian emergencies, HIV/AIDS, and emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases. This paper explores global health, security, and migration in an attempt to determine if combining these three areas can be meaningful. Generally, studies approach only two of the three areas to examine a topic, but this paper will assess and point out when combining all three fields is relevant. …

Poor Women With Sexually Transmitted Infections: Providers’ Perspectives On Diagnoses, Genevieve R. Cox

Sociology

This article presents results from a study of health care providers, mainly nurses and nurse practitioners, who routinely diagnose sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) in rural low-income populations in West Virginia (WV). A qualitative analysis of eighteen semi-structured interviews reveals that providers who consistently work with low-income populations believe patients undergo a negative change in self-image in response to a chronic STD diagnosis. Providers express concerns about a number of issues related to low-income, rural women’s access to sexual health care and see the need for more sexuality education, more funding for free and reduced cost clinics, and more available health …

Assessment Of Refugees’ Health In Montgomery County: A Case Study Of Refugees From Rwanda And Burundi, Jean De Dieu Mukunzi

Master of Public Health Program Student Publications

The purpose of this research study was to identify health needs and health problems experienced by a refugee/asylee population in Montgomery County. Montgomery County hosts a large number of refugees, asylees and asylum seekers from countries such as Iraq, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Soudan, Rwanda, Burundi and Congo.

A public health challenge is limited demographic data about this population. The scarce data on their health needs slows down not only their successful resettlement but also limits community organizations, health and human services agencies to improve the delivery of health care services and health promotion programs to refugees and immigrants in Montgomery County. …

Effectively Filling Gaps In Care: A Comparative Study Of Models Of Government Partnerships With Community Health Organizations In Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa, Madeline Ross

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This study conducted Amatkiulu, Impendle, and Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, utilizes three case studies to form a comparative analysisof the effectiveness of different models of public-private partnerships. Two expert interviews, three informal interviews, and many hours of observation inform this analysis of community health worker organizations employed through government clinics, tuberculosis tracer teams hired by government clinics, and independent non-governmental organizations heavily subsidized by the government. Subjective analysis found that the partnership between the Department of Health and a primary healthcare NGO, providing a wide range of comprehensive services, operated with the best efficiency and quality of care.

Use Of Dried-Blood-Spot Samples And In-House Assays To Identify Antiretroviral Drug Resistance In Hiv-Infected Children In Resource-Constrained Settings, Carrie Ziemniak, Yohannes Mengistu, Andrea Ruff, Ya-Hui Chen, Leila Khaki, Abubaker Bedri, Birgitte B. Simen, Paul Palumbo

Dartmouth Scholarship

Monitoring HIV drug resistance is an important component of the World Health Organization's global HIV program. HIV drug resistance testing is optimal with commercially available clinically validated test kits using plasma; however, that type of testing may not be feasible or affordable in resource-constrained settings. HIV genotyping from dried blood spots (DBS) with noncommercial (in-house) assays may facilitate the capture of HIV drug resistance outcomes in resource-constrained settings but has had varying rates of success. With in-house assays for HIV reverse transcriptase, we evaluated the yield of genotyping DBS samples collected from HIV-infected children who were enrolled in two clinical …

Hiv And Concurrent Sexual Partnerships: Modelling The Role Of Coital Dilution, Larry Sawers, Alan G. Isaac, Eileen Stillwaggon

Economics Faculty Publications

Background: The concurrency hypothesis asserts that high prevalence of overlapping sexual partnerships explains extraordinarily high HIV levels in sub-Saharan Africa. Earlier simulation models show that the network effect of concurrency can increase HIV incidence, but those models do not account for the coital dilution effect (nonprimary partnerships have lower coital frequency than primary partnerships).

Methods: We modify the model of Eaton et al (AIDS and Behavior, September 2010) to incorporate coital dilution by assigning lower coital frequencies to non-primary partnerships. We parameterize coital dilution based on the empirical work of Morris et al (PLoS ONE, December …

Use Of Optimal Control Models To Predict Treatment Time For Managing Tick-Borne Disease, Holly D. Gaff, Elsa Schaefer, Suzanne Lenhart

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Tick-borne diseases have been on the rise recently, and correspondingly, there is an increased interest in implementing control measures to decrease the risk. Optimal control provides an ideal tool to identify the best method for reducing risk while accounting for the associated costs. Using a previously published model, a variety of frameworks are assessed to identify the key factors influencing mitigation strategies. The level and duration of tick-reducing efforts are key metrics for understanding the successful reduction in tick-borne disease incidence. The results show that the punctuated nature of the tick's life history plays a critical role in reducing risk …

Setting Research Priorities To Reduce Global Mortality From Childhood Pneumonia By 2015, Igor Rudan, Shams El Arifeen, Zulfiqar Ahmed Bhutta, Robert E. Black, Abdullah Brooks, Kit Yee Chan, Mickey Chopra, Trevor Duke, David Marsh, Antonio Pio, Eric A. F. Simoes, Giorgio Tamburlini, Evropi Theodoratou, Martin W. Weber, Cynthia G. Whitney, Harry Campbell, Shamim A. Qazi

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

No abstract provided.

The Holistic Complementary Structure Of Western Bio-Medicine And Traditional Healing And Achieving Complete Health, Candace Gail Oubre

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Achieving complete health requires a deep understanding of complementary cultural competency sensitivity between physician and patient. This may include but is not limited to access to preventative health care resources, access to health educational resources and access to cultural healing resources, for example, shamans, Ayurvedic physicians, and herbal healers. Advocates of cultural competency emphasize great importance on knowledge of the patients' cultural background; however, the transcendence of this knowledge can be explained further through complementary cultural competency sensitivity. This is when the cultures of the physician and patient complement each other in terms of understanding what is in the patients' …

The Health Status, Concerns, And Reform In Uruguay With An Emphasis On Health Promotion Programs Geared Towards The Care And Development Of The Country's Children And Adolescents, Melissa Raquel Ramírez

Honors Scholar Theses

This study was conducted in Montevideo, Uruguay, where I examined the actions that the country and society as a whole, its various communities, the Uruguayan government, and the people take in order to prevent disease and promote a healthy society. An ethnographic experiential and evidence-based approach, including personal experience, interviews, and official government documents, was used to fully describe the way the system operates. Due to Uruguay's demographic characteristics, particular attention was paid to children and adolescents. For this thesis, Uruguay is described in terms of its history, physical and mental health issues, society's shared health concerns, and its vulnerable …

Gambling With Lives: A History Of Occupational Health In Southern Nevada, 1905--2010, Michelle Ann Turk

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

In April 2009, the Pulitzer committee awarded its public service prize to the Las Vegas Sun for its coverage of the high fatalities on Las Vegas Strip construction sites. The newspaper attributed failures in safety policy to "the exponential growth in the Las Vegas market." In fact, since Las Vegas' founding in 1905, rapid development in the region has always strained occupational health standards. From transporting hazardous railroad cargoes to building Hoover Dam, chemical processing at Basic Magnesium, nuclear testing, and dense megaresort construction on the Strip, workers, residents, and tourists alike have been exposed to the threat of living …

Characterization Of The Serologic Responses To Plasmodium Vivax Dbpii Variants Among Inhabitants Of Pursat Province, Cambodia, Samantha Jones Barnes

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Plasmodium vivax Duffy Binding Protein (DBP) is the ligand in the major pathway for P. vivax invasion of human reticulocytes, making it an appealing vaccine candidate. Region II of DBP (DBP-RII) is the minimal portion of the ligand that mediates recognition of the Duffy Antigen Receptor for Chemokines (DARC receptor) on the reticulocyte surface and constitutes the primary vaccine target. Analysis of natural variation in the coding sequences of DBP-RII revealed signature evidence for selective pressure driving variation in the residues of the putative receptor-binding site. We hypothesize that anti-DBP immunity in P. vivax infections is strain-specific and hindered …

The Non-Infectious Disease Implications Of Bed Bug Infestations, Christopher T. Balster

Master of Public Health Program Student Publications

The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of bed bug infestations throughout Ohio, whether the non-infectious disease implications of infestations are public health concerns, and also determine the perceived ability of public health departments to respond to outbreaks within their jurisdiction. A descriptive study was performed using survey data obtained from 79 local public health departments throughout Ohio. Overall, 79.05% of individuals surveyed agreed that bed bug outbreaks are a public health concern. The mode of responses regarding whether or not the non-infectious disease concerns of infestations are a public health concern was 4 on a scale …

Influenza Vaccination Of The Healthcare Workforce: Developing A Model State Law, Alexandra M. Stewart, Marisa A Cox

Health Policy and Management Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Suburban Poverty: Barriers To Services And Injury Prevention Among Marginalized Women Who Use Methamphetamine, Miriam W. Boeri, Benjamin Tyndall, Denise R. Woodall

Faculty Articles

Objective: This paper aims to identify the needed healthcare and social services barriers for women living in suburban communities who are using or have used methamphetamine. Drug users are vulnerable to injury, violence and transmission of infectious diseases, and having access to healthcare has been shown to positively influence prevention and intervention among this population. Yet little is known regarding the social context of suburban drug users, their risks behaviors, and their access to healthcare.

Methods: The data collection involved participant observation in the field, face-to-face interviews and focus groups. Audio-recorded in-depth life histories, drug use histories, and resource needs …

Using Modeling And Simulation To Improve Oral Health Services Delivery In Hampton Roads, Virginia, Mohammad J. Alzahrani

Health Services Research Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to examine the system performance in delivering oral health services in a public health district based on the Conceptual Framework to Measure Performance of the Public Health System (PHS). Using modeling and simulation, a predictive model based on the conceptual framework dimensions: mission, structural capacity, processes, and outcomes was developed to predict the performance of public health district in delivering oral health services.

This is a retrospective longitudinal study. The main objective of this study is to use a modeling and simulation approach to predict the performance of public health district dental clinic in …

Real-World Comparison Of Two Molecular Methods For Detection Of Respiratory Viruses, Syed Asad Ali, James E. Gern, Tina V. Hartert, Kathryn M. Edwards, Marie R. Griffin, E Kathryn Mille, Tebeb Gebretsadik, Tressa Pappas, Wai Ming Lee, John V. Williams

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

Background: Molecular polymerase chain reaction (PCR) based assays are increasingly used to diagnose viral respiratory infections and conduct epidemiology studies. Molecular assays have generally been evaluated by comparing them to conventional direct fluorescent antibody (DFA) or viral culture techniques, with few published direct comparisons between molecular methods or between institutions. We sought to perform a real-world comparison of two molecular respiratory viral diagnostic methods between two experienced respiratory virus research laboratories.
Methods: We tested nasal and throat swab specimens obtained from 225 infants with respiratory illness for 11 common respiratory viruses using both a multiplex assay (Respiratory MultiCode-PLx Assay [RMA]) …

Failures In The Veterans Administration And New Strategies For Leadership, Jarrett Nathaniel Brunny

Florida Public Health Review

World news organizations have criticized the United States Department of Veterans Affairs for endangering patient safety through negligence. Several VA medical centers - including prominent centers operating in Florida - failed to sterilize endoscopy and colonoscopy equipment. Through improper sterilization, a pathway for infection is created resulting in potential disease exposures to patients. In response, the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General investigated the reports and found that facilities did not adhere to protocol concerning reusable medical equipment (RME) problems during the practice ofperforming endoscopies and colonoscopies. The Office ofInspector General noted that the incidents reflected flaws in …

Addressing The Challenges Of Reporting On Childhood Asthma In A Changing Health Care System: Building Better Evidence For High Performance, Meagan Lyon, Anne Rossier Markus, Maya Tuchman Gerstein, Sara J. Rosenbaum

Geiger Gibson/RCHN Community Health Foundation Research Collaborative

Childhood asthma is a serious and costly chronic disease that burdens children and families as well as the health care systems that serve them. A key element to improving asthma outcomes is access to timely and useful data that can improve the quality of care and inform programs and policies to best serve those communities most burdened by asthma. This Policy Brief examines the nation’s data collection framework for childhood asthma and considers steps that might be taken to strengthen it, including the development, collection and refinement of community-level data to inform local health care systems. Through a review of …

Research On Healthcare Worker Personal Protective Equipment: Minimum Requirements For Isolation Gowns, F.Selcen Kilinc-Balci, Phd

Building the Chain of Safety: Stakeholders Summit

F. Selcen Kilinc-Balci, PhD, is a Senior Service Fellow at the National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory (NPPTL) of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)/National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). She works in the area of protective clothing and ensembles, including personal protective equipment for healthcare workers, mine rescue ensembles, fire fighter turnout gear, and chemical protective garments. Prior to joining NIOSH in February 2010, she worked as a senior engineer at DuPont Protection Technologies. Her work at DuPont focused on product development, product testing and certification, and promotional claim validation in personal protective clothing. She has more …

Adoption Of Protective Uniforms, Thomas J. Walsh, Md, Facp, Fccp, Faam, Fidsa

Building the Chain of Safety: Stakeholders Summit

Thomas J. Walsh, MD, FACP, FCCP, FAAM, FISDA, is Professor of Medicine (appointment pending) and Director of the new Transplantation-Oncology Infectious Diseases Program at Weill Medical College of Cornell University. Following graduation from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Dr. Walsh completed ten post-doctoral years of laboratory investigation, clinical research and patient care leading to boards in Medicine, Infectious Diseases and Oncology and laboratory expertise in pharmacology, innate host defenses, and medical mycology.

Following a distinguished career in the Pediatric Oncology Branch of the National Cancer Institute, Dr. Walsh was recruited to direct the new Transplantation-Oncology Infectious Diseases Program of …

Exposure Risks And The Chain Of Healthcare-Associated Infection, Amber Hogan Mitchell, Drph, Mph, Cph

Building the Chain of Safety: Stakeholders Summit

Amber Hogan Mitchell, DrPH(c), MPH, CPH is the Worldwide Director of Professional Education and Learning Solutions for Advanced Sterilization Products (ASP), a Johnson & Johnson Company located in Irvine, CA.  Amber is responsible for educational initiatives for ASP and its customers related to infection prevention, healthcare associated infections, sterilization, disinfection, environmental hygiene, and quality initiatives in healthcare related to safe care and quality patient outcomes.  Amber is a Doctor of Public Health Candidate (all but dissertation) in occupational and environmental health sciences at the University of Texas School of Public Health in Houston, TX.  She was a Centers for Disease …

Progress In Controlling Healthcare Associated Infections: A Historical Perspective, Richard Wenzel, Md

Building the Chain of Safety: Stakeholders Summit

Richard P. Wenzel, MD, MSc, is professor and former chairman of the Department of Internal Medicine at the Medical College of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University, in Richmond, Virginia (1995-2009).  From 2003-2008, he was President of MCV Physicians, the clinical practice plan for over 600 physicians, and Senior Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs.

For eight years (1992 to 2000), he was a member of the editorial board of The New England Journal of Medicine, and, in September 2001, became the journal’s first Editor-at-Large, a position he still holds.  He is the prolific author of over 500 publications, the editor of …

Cultural Definitions Of Health Care: A Case Study Of Burmese Refugees, Marielena Rose White

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

As a result of ongoing civil war and civil unrest in the Southeast Asian country of Myanmar, every year the United States accepts increasing numbers of refugees from Burma of which there is a population of significance within the greater Indianapolis area. When considering options for health care, Burmese refugees may opt for self care as opposed to care from a health care professional as a result of clashing cultural factors or fears of the unknown.

This study aims to uncover how members of the Chin ethnic group have been challenged or confronted by the social, cultural, and political institutions …

Interventions For Trichomoniasis In Pregnancy, A. Metin Guelmezoglu, Maimoona Azhar

Woman and Child Health

Background: Vaginitis due to Trichomonas vaginalis is one of the most common of sexually transmitted diseases. Trichomoniasis affects women during pregnancy as well but it is not clearly established whether it causes preterm birth and other pregnancy complications.
Objectives: The objective of this review was to assess the effects of various treatments for trichomoniasis during pregnancy.
Search strategy: We searched the Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group's Trials Register ( 14 January 2011).
Selection criteria: Randomized trials comparing anti-trichomonas agents during pregnancy. Trials including symptomatic or asymptomatic women with trichomoniasis were eligible.
Data collection and analysis: Two review authors assessed …

Influenza And Bacterial Coinfections In The 20th Century, Xuan-Yi Wang, Paul E. Kilgore, Kyung Ah Lim, Song-Mei Wang, Jeongseok Lee, Wei Deng, Mei-Qi Mo, Batmunkh Nyambat, Jing-Chen Ma, Michael O. Favorov, John D. Clemens

Department of Pharmacy Practice

To help understand the potential impact of bacterial coinfection during pandemic influenza periods, we undertook a far-reaching review of the existing literature to gain insights into the interaction of influenza and bacterial pathogens. Reports published between 1950 and 2006 were identified from scientific citation databases using standardized search terms. Study outcomes related to coinfection were subjected to a pooled analysis. Coinfection with influenza and bacterial pathogens occurred more frequently in pandemic compared with seasonal influenza periods. The most common bacterial coinfections with influenza virus were due to S. pneumoniae, H. influenzae, Staphylococcus spp., and Streptococcus spp. …

Health Status Of Children Entering Kindergarten: Results Of The 2010-2011 (Year Three) Nevada Kindergarten Health Survey, Nevada Institute For Children’S Research And Policy, Amanda Haboush, Tara Phebus, Denise Tanata Ashby, Taylor Oliver, Spencer Hensley, Enrique Lopez

Nevada Institute for Children's Research and Policy Reports

Academic achievement for children is vital to their success in life. Those that do well in school have greater opportunities for post-secondary education, and later have better prospects for employment. One of the major factors that can affect a child’s academic achievement is his or her health status. Academic outcomes and health conditions are consistently linked in the literature (Taras & Potts-Datema, 2005). Children with poor health status, and especially those with common chronic health conditions, have increased numbers of school absences and more academic deficiencies (Taras & Potts-Datema, 2005). In a study concerning excused versus unexcused absences, children with …

The Joint Action And Learning Initiative: Towards A Global Agreement On National And Global Responsibilities For Health, Lawrence O. Gostin, Eric A. Friedman, Gorik Ooms, Thomas Gebauer, Narendra Gupta, Devi Sridhar, Wang Chenguang, John-Arne Røttingen, David Sanders

O'Neill Institute Papers

A coalition of civil society organizations and academics is initiating a Joint Action and Learning Initiative on National and Global Responsibilities for Health (JALI) to research key conceptual questions involving health rights and responsibilities, with the goal of securing a global health agreement andsupporting civil society and community mobilization around the human right to health. The social mobilization is critical to creating the political space that would make such an agreement possible and to ensuring its implementation.

This agreement, such as a Framework Convention on Global Health, would inform post-Millennium Development Goal global health commitments, be grounded in the right …

The Effects Of Climate Change On Public Health And The Healthcare Provider's Role In Addressing Climate Change, Allyson J. Pfeiffer

Senior Honors Projects

“Climate change is a term that refers to major changes in temperature, rainfall, snow, or wind patterns lasting for decades or longer.  Both human-made and natural factors contribute to climate change” (EPA, p. 1, 2011).  Some examples of human-made causes of global warming include burning fossil fuels (e.g., petroleum, coal, diesel), cutting down forests, and developing land for farms, cities, and roads, because these activities all release green house gases into the atmosphere.  Green house gases are gases that trap heat in the atmosphere.  There are some greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide that occur naturally and are emitted into …

Use Of Audit, And Measures Of Drinking Frequency And Patterns To Detect Associations Between Alcohol And Sexual Behaviour In Male Sex Workers In Kenya, Stanley Luchters, Scott Geibel, Masila Syengo, Daniel Lango, Nzioki King'ola, Marleen Temmerman, Matthew F. Chersich

Population Health, East Africa

Background: Previous research has linked alcohol use with an increased number of sexual partners, inconsistent condom use and a raised incidence of sexually transmitted infections (STIs). However, alcohol measures have been poorly standardised, with many ill-suited to eliciting, with adequate precision, the relationship between alcohol use and sexual risk behaviour. This study investigates which alcohol indicator - single-item measures of frequency and patterns of drinking ( > = 6 drinks on 1 occasion), or the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) - can detect associations between alcohol use and unsafe sexual behaviour among male sex workers.

Methods: A cross-sectional …