Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) interventions aim to improve health outcomes through provision of safe water supplies and improved sanitation facilities, while also promoting better hygiene practices in communities. Population Services International introduced a WASH intervention project in the Hiri District, Central Province in May 2012. Shortly after its introduction we conducted a survey to determine the uptake of the intervention and gauge its impact. We invited 400 households to participate in the study, which consisted of a questionnaire for the head of the household. A total of 395 questionnaires were completed: 314 from households that had participated in the WASH intervention and 81 that had not (controls). Results demonstrated that improved water sources were not routinely used, with a high dependence on well and surface water. While self-reported handwashing was common, use of soap was not common. Treatment of water inside the house was common in the intervention group (95%), compared to 49% in the non-WASH group. The study indicates that people in the Hiri District are supportive of a WASH intervention, with good uptake of some aspects of the intervention. The sustainability of the intervention remains unknown. Targetted interventions focusing on community priorities might be beneficial in the future.
Cross-Sectional Studies ; Female ; Gastrointestinal Diseases/epidemiology/*prevention & control ; *Hand Disinfection ; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice ; Humans ; *Hygiene ; Male ; Papua New Guinea ; Population Surveillance ; Program Evaluation ; *Public Health ; Sanitation ; *Water Supply

Recent epidemics and pandemics have highlighted a number of ethical concerns about the response to the increasing threat of emerging infectious diseases. Some of these ethical concerns are very fundamental. They include why a pandemic was declared, how much clinical information can be collected for public health without threatening patient confidentiality and how to ensure fairness in the distribution of resources. We discuss these issues and suggest approaches to resolve these dilemmas as we anticipate the next pandemic.
Communicable Disease Control ; Communicable Diseases ; epidemiology ; Disease Outbreaks ; ethics ; Ethics, Medical ; Global Health ; Humans ; Pandemics ; ethics ; Public Health Practice ; ethics ; Quarantine ; Sentinel Surveillance ; Singapore ; epidemiology

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to explore the content related to nosocomial infection control in the course on Fundamentals of Nursing. METHOD: Participants were 49 faculty who were teaching courses in Fundamentals of Nursing in universities and colleges in Korea. The questionnaire was composed of 55 items related to nosocomial infection control. RESULTS: Eighteen items out of 55 items were taught in more than 80% of the universities and colleges. These included principles of infection control, principles and effect of hand washing, method of hand washing, hand scrubs, and donning sterile gown and gloves. CONCLUSION: The most effective interventions for infection control, including asepsis, hand washing, infection control for urinary catheterization, and infection control for IV sites were taught in most universities and colleges. However, the time assigned for teaching these items and the importance placed on practice were not considered sufficient.
Asepsis ; Cross Infection* ; Education* ; Hand ; Hand Disinfection ; Infection Control ; Korea ; Nursing* ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Urinary Catheterization ; Urinary Catheters

No abstract available.
Hand Disinfection*

Purpose: This study aims to compare surgical scrubbing with and without a brush in decreasing the number of germ colonies on hands. Background: Surgical scrubbing with and without a brush are currently popular worldwide. To date, the optimal method in decreasing the number of germ colonies on the hands is not known. Methods: Systematic review of effectiveness was conducted. The databases and publisher websites included PubMed, Science Direct, Google Scholar, Wiley Online Library, Cochrane Library and recruitment studies published between 2009-2019. The risk of bias was assessed utilizing Cochrane Collaboration's tool. Results: Included clinical studies consisting of five randomized controlled trials. The procedures and duration of surgical scrubbing on each study varied depending on the protocol as a reference. All clinical studies found no difference in the number of colonyforming units (CFU) on the hand between surgical scrubbing with and without a brush. Conclusions Scrubbing with and without a brush showed similar efficacy in terms of the number of germ colonies on the hands.
Hand Disinfection

OBJECTIVETo analyze and evaluate the application of China Infectious Diseases Automated-alert and Response System(CIDARS)in Zhejiang province.

METHODSData through the monitoring program in 2012 was analyzed descriptively and compared with the incidence data in the same period as well information related to public health emergency events.

RESULTSA total of 14 292 signals were generated on 28 kinds of infectious diseases in the system, in Zhejiang province. 100% of the signals had been responded and the median time to response was 0.81 hours. 123 signals (0.86%)were preliminarily verified as suspected outbreaks and 33 outbreaks were finally confirmed by further field investigation, with a positive ratio of 0.23% . Information related to regional distribution showed significant differences which reflecting a positive correlation between the numbers of diseases and the time of early-warning(r = 0. 97, P < 0.01). Distribution of information related to different types of diseases was also significantly different, showing a positive correlation between the prevalent strength of the disease and the amount of information in a specific area(r = 0.80, P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONCIDARS had a good performance which could be used to assist the local public health institutions on early detection of possible outbreaks at the early stage. However, the effectiveness was different for different regions and diseases.

China ; epidemiology ; Communicable Disease Control ; methods ; Communicable Diseases ; epidemiology ; Disease Outbreaks ; prevention & control ; Humans ; Incidence ; Population Surveillance ; methods ; Public Health

Environmental Monitoring ; Groundwater ; Refuse Disposal ; Soil ; Waste Disposal Facilities ; Water Pollutants, Chemical/analysis*

Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) is an acute viral respiratory illness with high mortality caused by a new strain of betacoronavirus (MERS-CoV). Since the report of the first patient in Saudi Arabia in 2012, large-scale outbreaks through hospital-acquired infection and inter-hospital transmission have been reported. Most of the patients reported in South Korea were also infected in hospital settings. Therefore, to eliminate the spread of MERS-CoV, infection prevention and control measures should be implemented with rigor. The present guideline has been drafted on the basis of the experiences of infection control in the South Korean hospitals involved in the recent MERS outbreak and on domestic and international infection prevention and control guidelines. To ensure efficient MERS-CoV infection prevention and control, care should be taken to provide comprehensive infection control measures including contact control, hand hygiene, personal protective equipment, disinfection, and environmental cleaning.
Delivery of Health Care* ; Disease Outbreaks ; Disinfection ; Hand Hygiene ; Humans ; Infection Control* ; Korea ; Middle East* ; Mortality ; Quarantine ; Saudi Arabia

Peri-implantitis is the most common reason for a late failure and can occur even after years of successful osseointegration. The role of microbial plaque accumulation in the development of peri-implantitis has been well documented. On the other hand, the ideal method of implant surface decontamination to re-establish the health of peri-implant tissue remains to be determined. Removal of bacterial deposits is essential in the treatment of peri-implant infections, and various therapeutic approaches have been described in the literature, including mechanical debridement, disinfection with chemotherapeutic agents, and laser therapy. Recently, there has been a plenitude of scientific data regarding the use of laser irradiation to achieve titanium surface decontamination. Thus, research is focusing on lasers' potential use in the treatment of peri-implantitis. The aim of this literature review is to analyze and evaluate the efficacy of laser therapy for the treatment of peri-implantitis.
Debridement ; Decontamination ; Dental Implants ; Disinfection ; Hand ; Laser Therapy* ; Osseointegration ; Peri-Implantitis* ; Titanium

Environmental Exposure ; adverse effects ; Humans ; Incineration ; Industrial Waste ; Neoplasms ; epidemiology ; Population Surveillance ; Refuse Disposal ; methods ; Risk Factors