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Tonga: Chronic Diseases, Muhammad Taimoor

Global Public Health

Tonga is an Archipelago in the south Pacific Ocean, south of Samoa. The public health brief project is on chronic diseases in Tonga. The total population of Tonga was 107,122 in 2010. The Free Wesleyan Church of Tonga is the established religion in Tonga. Tongan’s make up the majority of the population but there are other ethnicities such as Euromericans and Europeans too. The major challenges faced by Tonga are decaying infrastructure, low economy, and political corruption. The widespread of non-communicable diseases such as cancer is a major health issue in Tonga. 74% of all adults in Tonga are the …

Improving Public Health Readiness For Sea Level Rise: A New Initiative In Coastal Virginia, Steven M. Becker

Community & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Sea level has been rising around the world, and in recent decades, the rate has been accelerating. Because rising seas have the potential to directly or indirectly affect the health of vast numbers of coastal communities and inhabitants, public health agencies and professionals—in conjunction with other fields—have a pivotal role to play in helping to protect populations, reduce and prevent health impacts, and foster resilience. This article discusses a novel effort that has been undertaken in Coastal Virginia to help prepare the next generation of public health professionals to grapple with sea level rise issues. The effort grew out of …

The Built Environment, Justin Gundlach, Jennier Klein

Sabin Center for Climate Change Law

The built environment, which includes not only buildings but infrastructure, mediates several important climate impacts on public health and is also subject to diverse legal requirements. It is a subject of particular focus for policy efforts aimed at promoting adaptive responses to climate change on the part of institutions and individuals. This chapter presents key examples of public health impacts that arise from climate change but are mediated – possibly mitigated, possibly exacerbated - by elements of the built environment. It also describes the process and substance of adaptive responses to those impacts. Having presented these physical and policy contexts …

Implementation Of An Evidenced-Based Opioid Treatment Program To Improve Maternal-Child Outcomes In Eastern Kentucky, Jordan Rice

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

The Kentucky River Area District Health Department proposes implementation of CHARM-Kentucky, a treatment program for pregnant women with opioid use disorder (OUD), in eastern Kentucky. Over 115 Americans die each day from an opioid overdose, resulting in approximately 42,000 deaths in 2016. In addition to an overall increase in opioid use in recent years, the use of opioids in pregnancy has also increased from 1.19 per 1,000 hospital births in 2000 to 5.63 in 2009. Opioid use during pregnancy results in poor neonatal outcomes including: low birth weight, preterm delivery, small head circumference, increased child maltreatment, and risk for long-term …

An Assessment Of Agreement In Detection Methods For Histophilus Somni In Bovine Lungs, Laura Michelle Arnold

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

Objectives: To examine the inter-laboratory agreement between multiplex realtime quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assay results and aerobic culture results on bovine lung samples for detection of Histophilus somni (HS), and to assess associations of laboratory-derived factors on test agreement.

Methods: A survey of records from the University of Kentucky Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (UKVDL) was conducted to evaluate test results from grossly pneumonic bovine lung samples submitted during the period April 1, 2015 through August 31, 2018. Cohen’s kappa coefficient with 95% confidence interval (CI) was calculated to describe the extent of agreement. Animal, environmental and laboratory factors were examined …

Witch Doctors, Zombies, And Oracles: Rethinking Health In America, Ali S. Khan

Health Matrix: The Journal of Law-Medicine

To the extent we can even refer to an American healthcare "system," it functions brilliantly ... to make money. The system is designed to reward executives or major shareholders of pharmaceutical & health insurance companies, healthcare facilities, and related entities. With a rapidly aging population, healthcare will soon surpass a fifth of our economy. Of course, the American healthcare system does not function brilliantly when one considers the perspective of patients and over-extended primary care providers. Prices are growing faster than inflation or wages, healthcare is twice as costly as other comparable nations, and one third is a result of …

Modeling The Impact Of 13rs-Hb358: Hpv Vaccination For School Entry In A High-Prevalence State, Stacy Lee Ware

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

Prophylactic cancer vaccination presents novel opportunities to improve the health and well-being of populations. Since the approval of a cervical cancer vaccine against human papillomavirus (HPV) in 2006, only three states have passed legislation adding it to their school-entry schedules of required vaccinations. Despite ample evidence of its safety and efficacy, the vaccine remains controversial, and national vaccination rates among both girls and boys remain low. Risk for HPV-related cancers varies by population, and Appalachian Kentucky has among the highest HPV-related morbidity and mortality in the nation. Annual attempts to pass HPV vaccine legislation in Kentucky have so far failed …

Statistical Analysis Of Rabies Submissions In Kentucky And Weather As A Potential Predictor Of Positive Cases, Hannah Free

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

Background

The rabies virus is a zoonotic pathogen that is nearly 100 percent fatal once symptoms occur. Because it is still active in wildlife populations in Kentucky, the need for preventive measures and surveillance is critical. Temperature and precipitation have been shown to affect rabies. This study examined rabies submissions in Kentucky, weather and geographical distribution to both describe and predict cases.

Methods

Data from the University of Kentucky Veterinary Diagnostics laboratory were used to assess rabies submissions from 2005 through 2015. These submissions were anonymously submitted by the public and the Florescent Antibody Test was used to determine infection …

The Ecology Of Antibiotic Resistance: Sources And Persistence Of Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci And Antibiotic Resistant Genes In Aquatic Environments, Suzanne M. Young

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The growing crisis of antibiotic resistance is a major threat to ecosystems and human health. Infections caused by known and emerging antibiotic resistant pathogens are on the rise globally, with approximately 700,000 deaths per year caused by antibiotic resistant bacteria (1). In the United States, infections from antibiotic resistant bacteria cause more than 2 million illnesses and 23,000 deaths (2). Antibiotic resistant bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes are released into aquatic ecosystems through hospital waste, residential sewer lines and animal agricultural waste streams. Animal agriculture accounts for approximately 70% of antibiotic use in the United States (3). In agricultural ecosystems, …

Epid 7233 - Public Health Surveillance Methods, Jian Zhang

College of Public Health: Faculty Syllabi (2014-2021)

This course will provide students with a strong foundation in public health surveillance of both health conditions and risk factors. The course will teach the theory and practice of surveillance supported by many examples of surveillance systems from the developed and developing world. The class will build on and reinforce basic epidemiologic concepts. Students will be given the opportunity to design and evaluate a surveillance system.

Public Health Applications Of Gis: A Spatial Analysis Of Tobacco Sales And Violations For The Worcester Division Of Public Health, Thomas M. Caywood

Sustainability and Social Justice

Performed as part of an internship with the Worcester Division of Public Health in the summer of 2016, this spatial analysis examines the proximity of tobacco retailers to the city’s public schools and finds that those in low-income neighborhoods tend to have greater numbers of tobacco sales outlets in the immediate area than do schools in more-affluent neighborhoods. The analysis also finds that the racial composition of student bodies at individual schools is moderately correlated with the number of tobacco points of purchase located near those schools. Because proximity to tobacco sales outlets is known to be a factor in …

Reducing Tobacco-Related Health Disparities : Exploring The Barriers And Facilitators To Smoking Cessation Among Individuals Experiencing Homelessness., Bernadette Guzman Antoon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Although the prevalence of smoking has declined in the U.S., vulnerable populations continue to suffer from tobacco-related health disparities. An estimated 68.0-80.0% of homeless adults are current cigarette smokers compared to 15.1% in the general population. The large gap in smoking rates suggests that current tobacco cessation programs designed to reduce smoking have little impact among individuals experiencing homelessness. The purpose of this study was to explore the barriers and facilitators to smoking cessation among the homeless. The second aim of this study was to explore if the barriers and facilitators to tobacco cessation differed among male smokers experiencing homelessness …

An Examination Of Medicinal Ethnobotany And Biomedicine Use In Two Villages On The Phnom Kulen Plateau, Taylor Walker

Undergraduate Research Awards

Cambodians address symptomatic illness in two ways: they use traditional medicine, including medicinal plants, and biomedicine. Despite various attempts to quantify medicinal ethnobotany in Cambodia, no national ethnopharmacopoeia exists, and there is a gap in the literature regarding the mechanisms through which traditional medicines are prepared and used. This report presents an examination of the ethnopharmacopoeia of two villages within Phnom Kulen National Park, a study site chosen for its unique ecology and status as one of Cambodia’s last remaining regions with lowland evergreen and semi-evergreen forest. The report also investigates the mechanisms through which villagers make decisions regarding illness …

Rabid Response: Unpacking The History Of The Rabies Virus To Examine Resource Allocation, Eliza C. Ramsey

International Studies Honors Projects

Rabies is a neurological disease transmitted by the bite of an infected animal and has assured fatal consequences if untreated. Despite the existence of an effective vaccine, the virus kills more than 50,000 people every year, primarily in low-income countries where dog-mediated strains of rabies persist. The long history of the disease has seen many transitions in disease context but also given rise to salient socio-cultural narratives that shape control and elimination campaigns. Effective future address of the disease requires knitting together historical lessons with frameworks of resource allocation.

Data-Driven Identification Of Potential Zika Virus Vectors, Michelle V. Evans, Tad Dallas, Barbara A. Han, Courtney C. Murdock, John M. Drake

Faculty Publications

Zika is an emerging virus whose rapid spread is of great public health concern. Knowledge about transmission remains incomplete, especially concerning potential transmission in geographic areas in which it has not yet been introduced. To identify unknown vectors of Zika, we developed a data-driven model linking vector species and the Zika virus via vector-virus trait combinations that confer a propensity toward associations in an ecological network connecting flaviviruses and their mosquito vectors. Our model predicts that thirty-five species may be able to transmit the virus, seven of which are found in the continental United States, including Culex quinquefasciatus and Cx. …

“Looking Over The Backyard Fence”: Householders And Mosquito Control, Samir Mainali, Ram Sharan Lamichhane, Kim Clark, Shelley Beatty, Maria Fatouros, Peter Neville, Jacques Oosthuizen

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Background:

Vector-borne diseases are a significant public health problem in Western Australia. Mosquitoes are responsible for the transmission of a number of pathogens and may pose a serious nuisance problem. Prevention efforts in the State are multi-faceted and include physical, chemical, and cultural control methods for restricting mosquito breeding. This is less complex where breeding areas are located within public open spaces. In Australia’s developed urban areas, breeding sites are, however, frequently located within private residential landholdings, where the scope of public health officials to act is constrained by law and practicality. Consequently, mosquito prevention in these locations is …

Developing Local Health Policy: Profiling Needs And Opportunities In The Municipality Of Quito, Ecuador, Maria Isabel Roldós, Claudia Hopenhyan, Fernando Sacoto, Kathy Bustamante

Publications and Research

We describe the steps taken and analysis applied in developing a local health policy agenda for the city of Quito, in Ecuador. In 2014, the Health Commissioner’s Office of the Municipality of Quito analyzed the city’s epidemiological health profiles, social determinants of health, the legal authority of the Municipality, and relevant literature to understand the city’s health burden and develop a Ten-Year Health Plan (2015–2025). Results revealed that Quito’s population suffered from noncommunicable chronic diseases (diabetes and hypertension) and identified the primary risk factors (poor nutrition, physical inactivity, and resulting overweight or obesity). Other common conditions included respiratory diseases, mental …

Vaccine Coverage And Adherence To Epi Schedules In Eight Resource Poor Settings In The Mal-Ed Cohort Study, Christel Hoest, Jessica C. Seidman, Gwenyth Lee, James A. Platts-Mills, Syed Asad Ali, Maribel Paredes Olortegui, Pascal Bessong, Ram Chandyo, Sudhir Babji, Venkata Raghava Mohan

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

Background: Launched in 1974, the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) is estimated to prevent two-three million deaths annually from polio, diphtheria, tuberculosis, pertussis, measles, and tetanus. Additional lives could be saved through better understanding what influences adherence to the EPI schedule in specific settings.
Methods: The Etiology, Risk Factors and Interactions of Enteric Infections and Malnutrition and the Consequences for Child Health and Development (MAL-ED) study followed cohorts in eight sites in South Asia, Africa, and South America and monitored vaccine receipt over the first two years of life for the children enrolled in the study. Vaccination histories were obtained …

Singapore : Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (Sars), Dexter Lipps

Global Public Health

Singapore ranks as one of the healthiest countries in the world and its healthcare system has been regarded as one of the most efficient. While a minority of the population experience any chronic diseases such as diabetes or asthma, one illness, severe acute respiratory syndrome or SARS has been prevalent in the country since the global outbreak in 2003. SARS is a virus causing disease that is easily transmitted through the air. In 2003, Singapore, along with much of the world, saw a high rate of infection for the disease. An in depth look revealed that three women traveling home …

Afghanistan : Tuberculosis, Emily Fulk

Global Public Health

Afghanistan, a country in the Middle East, faces the epidemic of an infectious bacterial lung disease called Tuberculosis, or TB. Tuberculosis is fairly easy to spread, as the bacteria that causes it are spread from one person to another through tiny droplets released into the air via coughs and sneezes. Despite the widespread amounts of individuals affected with TB, it is known to be easily curable using a six month treatment. And so public health officials have implemented a program called DOTS, or Directly Observed Treatment Short Course in Kabul City to test the effectiveness of this treatment. The DOTS …

Puerto Rico : Zika Virus, Rachel Cybulski

Global Public Health

Puerto Rico has had an epidemic of Zika virus within the past few years. Considering the close distance to America, the U.S. has been up-to-date in stopping the spread of Zika from Puerto Rico to the states. In 2016 particularly, the United States declared Puerto Rico to be in a state of emergency due to the heavy presence of the virus. Although this specific outbreak has been terminated, the likelihood of another such occurrence is high, so it is important to learn about the effects of Zika and ways to prevent the spread. The major result of having the virus …

Vietnam : Dengue Fever, Brittany Hatlestad

Global Public Health

This brief covers political structure, internal challenges, and external challenges in Vietnam, as well as epidemiology, identification, intervention, challenges, and suggestions regarding dengue fever throughout Vietnam. Dengue fever, a mosquito-borne viral disease, is a leading cause of illness and death in tropical and subtropical countries. Climate variability and change has significantly increased the vector population in Vietnam, and the effects are most significant in peri-urban/rural urban areas. Dengue-related signs include flu-symptoms, leading to undiagnosed dengue fever. The citizens of Vietnam encounter challenges including lack of quality public health insurance and care, extremely high cost of treatment, prime environment for vectors, …

Christians’ Cut: Popular Religion And The Global Health Campaign For Medical Male Circumcision In Swaziland, Casey Golomski, Sonene Nyawo

Anthropology

Swaziland faces one of the worst HIV epidemics in the world and is a site for the current global health campaign in sub-Saharan Africa to medically circumcise the majority of the male population. Given that Swaziland is also majority Christian, how does the most popular religion influence acceptance, rejection or understandings of medical male circumcision? This article considers interpretive differences by Christians across the Kingdom’s three ecumenical organisations, showing how a diverse group people singly glossed as ‘Christian’ in most public health acceptability studies critically rejected the procedure in unity, but not uniformly. Participants saw medical male circumcision’s promotion and …

Public Health Measures Derived From The Jewish Tradition: Ii. Washing And Cleaning, Noam Zeffren, Tova Chien, Robert Stern

Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine (New York) Publications and Research

The authors discuss public health measures that are described in the Torah and rabbinic literature, focusing on hand washing and cleaning.

The Effects Of Vaccinations On Public Health, Caitlin Reveal

Bridges: A Journal of Student Research

This is a review of scholarly literature of the importance of vaccinations and the effects of vaccination uptake and vaccination refusal on public health. It assesses how vaccinations came to exist and what they do in the human body. It highlights reasons parents opt not to vaccinate their children and the side effects vaccinations may cause. There is a major emphasis on the effectiveness of vaccinations, especially in schools, where children are much more likely to be exposed to diseases than the general public. Because health care workers are often at the front line of contracting and/or transmitting diseases, the …

Madagascar : Plague In Madagascar, Matthew Donald Hesch

Global Public Health

This public health brief calls attention to a disease issue in the country Madagascar. We show reasons as to why Madagascar has such a problem with the plague and what they should do to solve the issue. Madagascar has many areas that are high poverty because of a political crisis and this results in the easy spread of the plague. We show that Madagascar needs an increase in funds so that they can get out of the political crisis and begin fixing the plague issue. I offer ideas on how Madagascar could use the extra funds to overcome the plague …

Compliance And Treatment Failure Of Hepatitis C With Direct-Acting Antivirals: A 2-Year Retrospective, Observational Study In Kentucky Medicaid Patients, Juequan Nie

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

Background: New generation Direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C infection have been on the market for more than 3 years since late 2013. Whether these medications cure patients at the rates claimed in clinical trials is not clear. Furthermore, as compliance is known to affect treatment outcomes, DAAs compliance rate is worth studying.

Methods: We analyzed the association of social-demographic, DAA use, enrollment with Kentucky Medicaid Managed Care Organizations (MCOs) and comorbidities, and DAA compliance in 1128 Kentucky Medicaid members treated with DAAs between August 07, 2014 and August 06, 2016.

Results: Age, MCOs, liver fibrosis …

Vaccine-Preventable Disease Surveillance In Kentucky, Katherine Jay

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

Background: Vaccine-preventable disease (VPD) surveillance is important component to the success of vaccines. This report examines the levels of 13 of these VPDs in the state of Kentucky from 2005 to 2015.

Methods: All reported cases in the state of Kentucky for the years 2005 to 2015 of 13 vaccine-preventable diseases were obtained from the Disease Surveillance Module (DSM) and the National Electronic Disease Surveillance System (NEDSS). Where enough cases were reported, descriptive statistics were prepared. For acute hepatitis B and pertussis, more thorough analysis was performed.

Results: Rates of acute hepatitis B in Kentucky from 2005 …

Dusty Occupations And Pulmonary Obstruction In Kentucky: A Proportionate Mortality Analysis, Neil Bradford Horsley

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

Background

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the third leading cause of death in the United States. Occupational exposure to vapors, gases, dusts, or fumes (VGDFs), in combination with smoking, significantly increases the risk of developing COPD. Amongst agricultural workers, exposure to pesticides has been found to cause significantly elevated rates of annual decline in lung function, ultimately leading to a clinical diagnosis of pulmonary obstruction if the period of exposure is sufficient.

Purpose

It is hypothesized that, when compared to the standard population, workers in “dusty” occupations (where VGDF workplace exposure is significant) die at significantly elevated rates from …

Effects Of Temperature And Precipitation On Giardiasis In Missouri, Lori Michelle Calderas

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Global Climate Change has empirical evidence to support the idea that CO2 levels may be affecting weather and health, including rates of infectious diseases. The Midwest region of the United States of America has had the highest increase in giardiasis rates in recent years, and Missouri was chosen for this study as a representative state in the Midwest. There is no definitive answer as to why the rates of giardiasis have changed from 2003 - 2013. The Theory of Climate Change was used as the theoretical framework for this study. The purpose of this research was to determine whether temperature, …