Virus Diseases Commons^™

Non-State Actors’ Covid-19 Response In Nepal, Jenna Mae Biedscheid

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This research explores the ways in which non-state actors have responded to the COVID-19 pandemic in Nepal and the needs present in the months before drastic increases in cases began on May 11th. In doing so, it describes how social and political inequality within Nepal has caused people experiencing the most need to be left out of early phases of the COVID-19 pandemic relief effort. This research includes a literature review which situates Nepal amidst the global pandemic as well as interviews with non-state actors currently responding in Nepal. It finds that migrant workers, daily wage earners, Dalits, Janajati/Adivasi peoples, …

The Current State Of Migrant Health In Morocco: Pre-And Peri-Covid-19 Pandemic, Layla Babahaji

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In the early 21st century, Morocco transitioned from being a predominantly transit migration country into both a transit and destination country for migrants. In 2013, the Moroccan government took significant steps to adapt the healthcare system in better integrating migrants in its policies. The government implemented the National Strategy on Immigration and Asylum that improved access to public health care for migrants. Recently, in March of 2020, Morocco declared a state of medical emergency due to the current COVID-19 pandemic that continues today. This paper addresses the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the current state of migrant health in …

El Rol Del Gobierno En Las Campañas Sanitarias De Vih, Covid-19 E Influenza, Sydney Reyes

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Research Question: What are the differences and similarities between the three health campaigns — the flu, HIV, and COVID-19 — that the Chilean government has spread to population?

Objectives: The primary objective of this study was to describe and compare the three public health campaigns — the flu, HIV, and COVID-19 — to examine the role that the Chilean government has in health education and heath promotion. The secondary objectives were to identify the differences in national health campaigns and regional campaigns as well as to show the interactions between health campaigns and indigenous people. Overall, the research project looked …

Covid 19 In U.S. Migrant Detention Centers: The Call For Freedom In The Face Of A Global Pandemic, Salma Rojas

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

My research paper investigates the responses of the U.S. immigration detention system to the COVID 19 pandemic and determines the capacity of the detention centers to keep detained individuals alive and healthy. As I analyze their capacities, I look to past detention center outbreaks, updated public health resources, reports on ICE facility conditions and the testimonies of migrant people who were detained during the COVID 19 crisis. The urgency of the COVID 19 pandemic is why I dedicate part of my paper to what needs to be done to prevent the situation from worsening. In drawing from these various sources, …

Ua94/6/1 Covid-19 Diary, Anonymous

Student/Alumni Personal Papers

COVID-19 diary submitted to WKU Archives by a healthcare worker.

On The Inadequacy Of Species Distribution Models For Modelling The Spread Of Sars-Cov-2: Response To Araújo And Naimi, Joseph D. Chipperfield, Blas M. Benito, Robert B. O'Hara, Richard J. Telford, Colin J. Carlson

United States Public Health Resources

The ongoing pandemic of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is causing significant damage to public health and economic livelihoods, and is putting significant strains on healthcare services globally. This unfolding emergency has prompted the preparation and dissemination of the article “Spread of SARS-CoV-2 Coronavirus likely to be constrained by climate” by Araújo and Naimi (2020). The authors present the results of an ensemble forecast made from a suite of species distribution models (SDMs), where they attempt to predict the suitability of the climate for the spread of SARS-CoV-2 over the coming months. They argue that climate is …

Ua94/6/1 My Story: Wku Women's Basketball's Sandra Skinner, Sandra Skinner

Student/Alumni Personal Papers

My Story is a series of first-person feature articles written by WKU student-athletes. The student-athletes will be telling their own stories in their own words. This article written by women’s basketball redshirt senior Sandra Skinner, whose final season was cut short because of the cancellation of the Conference USA Tournament earlier this month.

Ua94/6/1 Covid-19 Diary, Missy Thomas

Student/Alumni Personal Papers

COVID-19 diary submitted to WKU Archives by student Missy Thomas for fall 2020 semester.

Ua94/6/1 Covid-19 Diary, Anonymous

Student/Alumni Personal Papers

COVID-19 diary submitted to WKU Archives by student Isabelle Hobbs for fall semester 2020.

The Problem With Relying On Profit-Driven Models To Produce Pandemic Drugs, Ana Santos Rutschman

All Faculty Scholarship

The longstanding problems of relying on a market response to a pandemic are becoming readily apparent in the United States, which has quickly become the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak. The problems are particularly pronounced in pharmaceutical markets, where we are pinning our hopes for both cures and vaccines. In previous work we have shown how characteristics of healthcare markets in the United States create a divergence between the private incentives of for-profit companies and public health needs, leading to sub-optimal health outcomes in what is a uniquely market-driven healthcare system. In this Essay, written as the COVID-19 pandemic unfolds, …

Leveraging Technology To Blend Large-Scale Epidemiologic Surveillance With Social And Behavioral Science Methods: Successes, Challenges, And Lessons Learned Implementing The Unite Longitudinal Cohort Study Of Hiv Risk Factors Among Sexual Minority Men In The United States, H. Jonathon Rendina, Ali J. Talan, Nicola F. Tavella, Jonathan Lopez Matos, Ruben H. Jimenez, S. Scott Jones, Brian Salfas, Drew Westmoreland

Publications and Research

The use of digital technologies to conduct large-scale research with limited interaction (i.e., no in-person contact) and objective endpoints (i.e., biological testing) has significant potential for the field of epidemiology, but limited research to date has been published on the successes and challenges of such approaches. We analyzed data from a cohort study of sexual minority men across the United States, collected using digital strategies during a 10-month period from 2017 to 2018. Overall, 113,874 individuals were screened, of whom 26,000 were invited to the study, 10,691 joined the study, and 7,957 completed all enrollment steps, including return of a …

Covid-19: A Simple Curve Approximation Tool, Jane Courtney

Articles

In the current COVID-19 pandemic, much focus is put on ‘flattening the curve’. This ‘curve’ refers to the cases versus time graph, which shows the rise of a disease to its peak before descending. The aim in a pandemic is to flatten this curve by reducing the peak and spreading out the timeline. However, the models used to predict this curve are often not clearly outlined, no model parameters are given, and models are not tested against real data. This lack of detail makes it difficult to recreate the curve from these models. What is much needed is a simple …

Comorbidities And Medication Adherence Among Older Individuals Living With Hiv In The United States, Amanda M. Kong

Dissertations and Theses

The number of people living with HIV (PLWH) ≥65 years old is increasing in the United States (US) as PLWH live longer. In 2015, there were nearly 1 million people living with diagnosed HIV in the US and under 10% were age ≥65. By 2035, the proportion of PLWH in this age group is projected to be 27%. Like the general population of elderly individuals, as they age, PLWH face age-related comorbidities, many of which require routine medical care and daily medications, in addition to daily antiretroviral therapy (ART) for treatment of HIV. Previous research has found that PLWH develop …

The Association Between Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 Reactivation And Alzheimer’S Disease, Andrew Allee

BIO 410 Spring 2019 Research Papers

This review will focus on the interaction of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and its causative role in pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) noting specifically, the epidemiological relevance of addressing this problem, as well as the molecular pathways associated. HSV-1 reactivation tends to be one of the primary causative events that is responsible for many of the pathologies associated with AD, such as: amyloid beta (Aβ) accumulation caused by malfunctioning cleavage of amyloid precursor protein (APP) as well as tau hyperphosphorylation. HSV-1 reactivation is a primary causative event in downstream dysfunction and is also shown to be directed by …

Shingrix Revaccination And Vaccination In Vulnerable Populations, Laressa Bethishou, Luma Munjy, John Andraos

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

"Herpes zoster, also known as shingles, is a painful cutaneous eruption that develops following the reactivation of the varicella zoster virus (VZV), the same virus that causes chickenpox.¹ About 1 in 3 people in the United States will develop shingles, with an estimated 1 million cases occurring annually. Anyone with a history of chickenpox is at risk for shingles, but the risk increases with age and in patients who are immunocompromised.²"

Examining The Impact Of Hiv Medical And Social Case Management Program On Viral Load For Clients Living With Hiv/Aids In Nebraska, Abdulla Munir

Capstone Experience: Master of Public Health

Abstract

Case management (CM) is one of the standard practices that has been implemented since 1990 to help people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) in the United States. The program is designed for low-income populations and it aims to address the barriers related to access to health care and improve the HIV outcomes. Previous studies identified a positive association with the provision of CM and improvement in viral outcomes. Increasing the viral suppression rates among HIV diagnosed individuals proved to reduce the risk of transmitting the infection, and disease incidence. Although CM program is provided to Nebraskans diagnosed with HIV, but …

The Distribution Of Hepatitis C Virus Genotypes In Us Population. Data From Nhanes 2006-2016, Hilary Elom, Shimin Zheng

Appalachian Student Research Forum

Background: Unlike other non-hepatitis c viral infection, hepatitis c viral infection is a non-vaccine preventable disease. Thus, effective treatment is an important part in the prevention of complication of chronic hepatitis c infection. The viral genotype plays a significant role in the choice of treatment regimen.

Aim: the purpose of this study is to estimate the prevalence of hepatitis c viral infection and the distribution of viral genotype in the US population.

Methods: Diagnosis of Hepatitis C viral infection was made by assaying the blood specimen collected from the study participants using Ampiclor monitor (Roche Diagnostic System, Inc Branchburg …

Somalia: Rift Valley Fever, Alyson Meeks

Global Public Health

This walks readers through the basic demographics of Somalia, a country located in the horn of Africa. After learning about the government in Somalia and the problems that the people of the country face, this focuses on the problem of Rift Valley Fever. Rift Valley Fever is a virus that year after year strikes Somalia and surrounding countries. Weather patterns seem to help predict when Rift Valley Fever will be at the highest risk for an outbreak. This outlines the steps the current government and people are trying to take to help prevent outbreaks of RVF. But the solutions currently …

Hiv/Aids: Nigeria, Lauren Tropinski

Global Issues in Public Health

Nigeria has one of the largest prevalence rates of HIV infections in Africa. HIV is a communicable disease that is transmitted by bodily fluids through unprotected sex, using contaminated needles, or mother to child. The most affected populations include heterosexuals who have unprotected sex, followed by sex workers, and men who have sex with men. People will experience three stages of HIV before the last stage referred to as AIDS. Rapid diagnostic tests are used to diagnose the disease. There is no cure for HIV/AIDS. However, people with HIV are given antiretrovirals to keep HIV at a low level throughout …

Type 1 Diabetes, Dan Bornstein

Global Issues in Public Health

The aim of this research was to increase the awareness of this disease and show the range of which it travels. Type 1 Diabetes, although not as common as Type 2 Diabetes, is a very serious disease present well around the world. Between the two forms, there are nearly 1.5 million people diagnosed with diabetes each year (American Diabetes Association, 2015). Northern European countries tend to have the highest prevalence of Type 1 diabetes. Younger children on average ages of 0-14 years, are most frequently struck with this disease (American Diabetes Association, 2015). With the given amount of symptoms that …

Impact Of Chronic Sexual Abuse And Depression On Inflammation And Wound Healing In The Female Reproductive Tract Of Hiv-Uninfected And Hiv-Infected Women., Mimi Ghosh, Jason Daniels, Maria Pyra, Monika Juzumaite, Mariel Jais, Kerry Murphy, Tonya N Taylor, Seble Kassaye, Lorie Benning, Mardge Cohen, Kathleen Weber

Epidemiology Faculty Publications

Sexual violence is associated with increased risk of HIV acquisition/transmission in women. Forced sex can result in physical trauma to the reproductive tract as well as severe psychological distress. However, immuno-biological mechanisms linking sexual violence and HIV susceptibility are incompletely understood. Using the Women's Interagency HIV Study repository, a total of 77 women were selected to form 4 groups, stratified by HIV serostatus, in the following categories: 1) no sexual abuse history and low depressive symptom score (below clinically significant cut-off, scores

Sexually Transmitted Infections Among Hiv-Infected Individuals In The District Of Columbia And Estimated Hiv Transmission Risk: Data From The Dc Cohort, Jose Lucar, Rachel Hart, Nabil Rayeed, Arpi Terzian, Amy Weintrob, Amanda D. Castel, Debra A. Benator, Dc Cohort Executive Committee

Epidemiology Faculty Publications

Background

Washington, DC, has one of the highest rates of HIV infection in the United States. Sexual intercourse is the leading mode of HIV transmission, and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are a risk factor for HIV acquisition and transmission.

Methods

We evaluated the incidence and demographic factors associated with chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis among HIV-infected persons enrolled at 13 DC Cohort sites from 2011 to 2015. Using Poisson regression, we assessed covariates of risk for incident STIs. We also examined HIV viral loads (VLs) at the time of STI diagnosis as a proxy for HIV transmission risk.

Results

Six point …

Gender Differences In Virologic Response After Antiretroviral Therapy In Treatment-Naïve Hiv-Infected Individuals: Results From The 550 Clinic Hiv Cohort Study., Andrea Reyes-Vega, Alejandra Loban, Kavitha Srinivasan, Stephen P. Furmanek, Conner English, Mary Bishop, Cathy Spencer, Daniel Truelove, Julio A. Ramirez, Anupama Raghuram, Paula Peyrani

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Background

Controversy still exists regarding gender differences in virologic response between treatment-na•ve HIV-infected individuals. The objective of this study was to evaluate gender difference in virologic and immunologic response to antiretroviral therapy in treatment-na•ve HIV-infected individuals. Methods

This was a retrospective, observational study of treatment-na•ve HIV-infected individuals managed at the 550 clinic who started antiretroviral therapy (ART) between January 1st, 2010 and December 31, 2015. Patients with available viral load and CD4 counts before and one year after initiating ART were included in this study. Virologic suppression was defined as < 48 HIV-1 RNA copies/mL, and mmunologic recovery was defined as a CD4 count increase of at least 150 cells/mm3. Dichotomous variables were reported in number and percentages and analyzed using Chi-squared tests and Fisher’s exact (whichever was appropriate). Continuous variables were reported as median and interquartile range (IQR) and analyzed using Wilcox rank-sum tests. Multivariate analyses performed were logistic regressions with adjustment for other covariates. P value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. R version 3.3.2 was used for the statistical analysis. Results

A total of 70 women and 90 men were included …

Analyzing Sexual Transmission In The Spread Of The Zika Virus In Colombia, Victoria M. Kelley

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.

Trinidad & Tobago : Hiv Epidemic, Madison Caldwell

Global Public Health

Trinidad and Tobago are twin islands located in the Caribbean off the coast of Venezuela. In the recent years since about 1990, citizens of this country have been greatly affected by the HIV epidemic. HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus and is spread through infected seman, blood, or vaginal fluids usually through sexual intercourse. As this virus continues to progress in the body, it will eventually turn into AIDS, which stands for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. Once HIV progresses to AIDS, the outcome is ultimately fatal, hence why there is a dire need to promote awareness and methods of intervention to …

Chad : Hepatitis E, Hanna Pegarsch

Global Public Health

Contaminated drinking water in Chad is the main source for a Hepatitis E outbreak, leading Chad citizens to develop severe illness including jaundice, liver-failure, miscarriage, and death. There are 0.4 physicians for every 10,000 people living in Chad needing healthcare. Of the citizens in Chad, only 42% have access to uncontaminated drinking water. With such a long incubation period for Hepatitis E, the citizens don’t know they are spreading the illness to the rest of their community. Even with the symptoms, the citizens don’t have the access or the capacity for treatment, making Hepatitis E an epidemic in Chad.

Epidemiology Of White Spot Syndrome Virus In The Daggerblade Grass Shrimp (Palaemonetes Pugio) And The Gulf Sand Fiddler Crab (Uca Panacea), Muhammad

Dissertations

Ever since the first outbreaks of White spot syndrome virus (WSSV), which causes White Spot Disease (WSD), in Asia in the early 1990s, the pathogen has been a major constraint to the profitability of the shrimp aquaculture industry across the globe. WSSV has a broad host range and is routinely detected in wild decapod crustaceans. In the present study, two common species in the tidal salt marsh along the northern coast of the Gulf of Mexico, the daggerblade grass shrimp (Palaemonetes pugio) and the Gulf sand fiddler crab (Uca panacea), were investigated for their role as …

Analysis Of Hiv Diversity In Hiv-Infected Black Men Who Have Sex With Men (Hptn 061), Iris Chen, Gordon Chau, Jing Wang, William Clarke, Mark A. Marzinke, Manya Magnus, +14 Additional Authors

Epidemiology Faculty Publications

Background

HIV populations often diversify in response to selective pressures, such as the immune response and antiretroviral drug use. We analyzed HIV diversity in Black men who have sex with men who were enrolled in the HIV Prevention Trials Network 061 study.

Methods

A high resolution melting (HRM) diversity assay was used to measure diversity in six regions of the HIV genome: two in gag, one in pol, and three in env. HIV diversity was analyzed for 146 men who were HIV infected at study enrollment, including three with acute infection and 13 with recent infection (identified …

Testing Modeling Assumptions In The West Africa Ebola Outbreak, Matthew C. Ingram, Keith Burghardt, Christopher Verzijl, Junming Huang, Binyang Song, Marie-Pierre Hasne

Political Science Faculty Scholarship

The Ebola virus in West Africa has infected almost 30,000 and killed over 11,000 people. Recent models of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) have often made assumptions about how the disease spreads, such as uniform transmissibility and homogeneous mixing within a population. In this paper, we test whether these assumptions are necessarily correct, and offer simple solutions that may improve disease model accuracy. First, we use data and models of West African migration to show that EVD does not homogeneously mix, but spreads in a predictable manner. Next, we estimate the initial growth rate of EVD within country administrative divisions and …

Surveillance, Epidemiological, And Virological Detection Of Highly Pathogenic H5n1 Avian Influenza Viruses In Duck And Poultry From Bangladesh, Wahedul Karim Ansari, Md Safiullah Parvej, Mohamed E. El Zowalaty, Sally Jackson, Stephen A. Bustin, Adel K. Ibrahim, Md Tanvir Rahman, Han Zhang, Mohammad Ferdousur Rahman Khan, Md Mostakin Ahamd, Md. Fasiur Rahman, Marzia Rahman, Khm Nazmul H. Nazir, Sultan Ahmed, Md Liakot Hossenn, Md Abdul Kafi, Mat Yamage, Nitish C. Debnath, Graba Ahmed, Hossam Ashour, Md Masoud, Ayman Noreddin, Md B. Rahman

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Avian influenza viruses (AIVs) continue to pose a global threat. Waterfowl are the main reservoir and are responsible for the spillover of AIVs to other hosts. This study was conducted as part of routine surveillance activities in Bangladesh and it reports on the serological and molecular detection of H5N1 AIV subtype. A total of 2169 cloacal and 2191 oropharyngeal swabs as well as 1725 sera samples were collected from live birds including duck and chicken in different locations in Bangladesh between the years of 2013 and 2014. Samples were tested using virus isolation, serological tests and molecular methods of RT-PCR. …