INTRODUCTION

Rabies is a public health concern in the Philippines, where gaps in animal bite prevention and control persist despite national mandates. The One Health approach is a framework which recognizes the interconnectedness of human, animal, and environmental health. Although the Anti-Rabies Act of 2007 aligns with the One Health strategies, its implementation at the local level faced many challenges in coordination, delivery of service, and program sustainability.

This study aimed to determine the factors influencing the acceptability of One Health approach among key stakeholders as a strategy in the prevention and control of animal bites and rabies in the municipality of Alaminos, Laguna.

A qualitative Grounded Theory design was used in the study. Eleven key informants from the provincial, municipal, and barangay levels were interviewed.

Thematic analysis of key informants’ responses revealed that, despite limited awareness of the One Health approach, multi-sectoral coordination aids program implementation, although operational gaps remain. Fragmented program delivery, lack of formal training and certification, unclear roles, poor communication, inactive task forces, outdated ordinances, weak enforcement, limited community engagement, and low prioritization of rabies prevention collectively hinder effective implementation.

The study highlights the complex challenges of implementing the One Health approach for animal bites and rabies control in rural communities. Effective implementation requires strengthened stakeholder capacity-building and training, enhanced community engagement, improved access to veterinary services, reinforced intersectoral coordination and policy enforcement through revitalized task forces, and ongoing monitoring of progress through vaccination coverage and incidence data.

BACKGROUND: Exposure to environmental noise may have a negative impact on a population's mental health. We estimated the prevalence of exposure perception to high environmental noise in the Valencian Community, a region on the Mediterranean coast of Spain, and analysed its association with poor mental health risk, adjusting for demographic, socioeconomic and health status variables. METHODS: Cross-sectional study based on a sample of 5.485 subjects, aged 15 or above, of the 2016 Valencian Community Health Survey. The risk of poor mental health was assessed via Goldberg's questionnaire, a highly standardized self-reported questionnaire designed to screen for general psychological distress in the general population. Noise perception were determined in the home environment based on individuals' responses to the Valencian Survey question about external noise problems. Sociodemographic variables, such as sex, age, level of education, or country of birth, and health variables, such as self-perceived health, or chronic diseases, were also considered. Logistic regression was used to estimate the Odds Ratios and confidence intervals of association between variables according to sex. RESULTS: The prevalence of poor mental health was 26.2% [n = 2665; 95% CI: 24.5-27.9] in men and 33.6% [n = 2820; 95% CI: 31.9-35.3] in women. A total of 7.8% [n = 5485; 95% CI: 6.8-8.8] presented exposure to high noise perception, with no differences according to sex. Being at risk of poor mental health was significantly associated (p < 0.05) with high noise perception after adjusting for the rest of the variables (OR: 2.16 [95% CI: 1.46-3.19] in men; 2.46 [95% CI: 1.72-3.50] in women). CONCLUSIONS Although the prevalence of exposure perception to high noise was not very high, population subgroups presenting high values were detected. High noise perception was related to the risk of poor mental health, regardless of other variables. Poor mental health risk was associated with exposure perception to high noise, other socioeconomic determinants, and health status. Improving noise exposure conditions could reduce the risk of poor mental health.
Humans ; Spain/epidemiology* ; Male ; Female ; Adult ; Middle Aged ; Noise/adverse effects* ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Young Adult ; Adolescent ; Environmental Exposure/adverse effects* ; Aged ; Mental Health/statistics & numerical data* ; Prevalence ; Mental Disorders/epidemiology* ; Risk Factors

COVID-19, caused by the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), was first identified in Wuhan, China in late 2019. Rapidly spreading worldwide, it was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) in early 2020 [1]. Various mitigation strategies, such as physical distancing, travel restrictions, and other public health protocols, were enforced globally to curb virus transmission [2,3]. However, these measures also disrupted daily life, work environments, and public health systems, posing significant challenges in balancing virus prevention and continuation of economic activity [4]. This paper aimed to highlight key lessons from the Third Environmental and Occupational Health (EOH) Forum on public health emergency response as demonstrated by selected Asian countries. Proceedings from the forum were reviewed and analyzed, arriving at the following lessons and themes: proactive and strategic public health interventions, leadership and governance, community participation, policy adjustments, technological integration and innovation, and balancing health and economic activities. The forum, themed “Environmental and Occupational Health Initiatives During the COVID-19 Pandemic,” was held virtually in November 2020 [5]. Understanding environmental and occupational health interventions as well as the themes of strategies by Asian countries, provides valuable insights into early pandemic management and contributes to a repository of knowledge that can be adapted and applied globally, enhancing the overall effectiveness of pandemic responses.
Occupational Health ; Environmental Health ; Publich Health ; COVID-19 ; Pandemics ; Asia

Climate change is the great health challenge for human beings in the 21^st century. Air pollution is also an important public health problem worldwide. China announced the climate commitment to achieve carbon peaking by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060. Achieving these goals would not only have far-reaching effects on air pollution control and climate change, but also improve the population health in China. Air pollution and climate change epidemiology are important aspects of environmental epidemiology. In this paper, we discuss the current status and future development of epidemiological research of air pollution and climate change in the context of achieving carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals to provide ideas and suggestions for environmental and health studies in the future.
Humans ; Climate Change ; Goals ; Air Pollution/analysis* ; Environmental Health ; Public Health ; China/epidemiology* ; Carbon

Even after two years, the COVID-19 pandemic still disrupts public activities and services as it exposes vulnerabilities among the population and negatively impacts environmental conditions. The crisis also impeded global progress toward achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). The Fourth Environmental and Occupational Health (EOH) Forum held virtually on November 25 to 26, 2021 provided a venue for learning about local and international COVID-19 responses to help prepare for the next global crisis. Through the systems thinking approach, the discussions prioritized analyses of leadership and governance, financing, human resource, technologies, information management, and service delivery. These analyses focused on community and/or workplace programs and services linked to air quality, waste management, psychosocial wellness, and COVID-19 vaccination. The forum amplified calls for climate actions and public health improvement and emphasized the significance of a collaborative, evidence-based, integrated public health response to a crisis underscoring the apparent interdependence of the SDGs.
Environmental Health ; Occupational Health ; Sustainable Development Goals ; Covid-19 ; air quality

With the progress of globalization and the improvement of transportation, a public health emergency can spread across country's boundary in a short period of time from its original place to other areas or regions, posing public health threatens. Public health emergencies not only affect human-animal/plant-environmental health, but also have long-term implications for social development, so the public health emergency response has gone beyond general public health and requires an integrated and comprehensive One Health approach. This paper analyzes the problems and shortcomings of China's current public health emergency response system in a view of One Health and put forward the recommendations based on One Health concept on integrality, collaboration, development and sustainability of public health emergency response. These recommendations can be used as reference to further optimize the response system of public health emergencies in China.
Animals ; Humans ; One Health ; Public Health ; Emergencies ; Environmental Health ; China

Objectives: Since the effectiveness of the Zero Open Defecation (ZOD) program as a scaling-up approach in lowering the rates of soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections has not yet been locally explored, this study aimed to (1) describe the association between environmental determinants and STH cumulative prevalence, and (2) to predict the 2020 STH cumulative prevalence. Methods: A generalized linear regression (GLR) model was used to determine the association of 2014–2015 environmental determinants and observed 2015 STH cumulative prevalence, while a geographically weighted regression (GWR) model was used to produce predicted 2020 STH cumulative prevalence. Results: ArcGIS’ GLR tool with R2 of 63% found that statistically significant environmental determinants include distance near to water bodies, forest land use, access to sanitary toilet, level one water source, and ZOD status, while the ArcGIS’ GWR tool found that barangays, Cabangcalan, Matalangtalang, Talabaan, and Talib in Aroroy hypothetically met the national target below 30% for 2020 STH cumulative prevalence. Conclusion This study showed that barangays with a moderately low percentage of area with freshwater bodies, a moderately high percentage of households with sanitary toilet and level one water source, and a 100% status of ZOD have lower rates of STH cumulative prevalence in preschool-aged children in the selected municipalities in Masbate.
Mass Drug Administration ; Hygiene ; Sanitation ; Geographic Information Systems

Air Pollution ; China ; Environmental Monitoring ; Goals ; Particulate Matter/analysis* ; World Health Organization

China ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Environmental Exposure/adverse effects* ; Mental Health/statistics & numerical data* ; Organophosphates/adverse effects* ; Rural Population

BACKGROUND: To protect the health and safety of healthcare workers (HCWs), it is essential to ensure the provision of sustainable water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services and standard precautions in healthcare facilities (HCF). The objectives of this short communication were 1) to assess the availability of WASH services and standard precautions in HCFs in seven provinces in Afghanistan before the COVID-19 pandemic, and 2) to elucidate the relevance of these patterns with the number of reported HCW infections from COVID-19 in the mentioned provinces. METHODS: We analyzed secondary data from the 2018-19 Afghanistan Service Provision Assessment survey, which included 142 public and private HCFs in seven major provinces in Afghanistan. Data on COVID-19 cases were obtained from the Afghanistan Ministry of Public Health Data Warehouse. Weighted prevalence of WASH services and standard precautions were calculated using frequencies and percentages. ArcGIS maps were used to visualize the distribution of COVID-19 cases, and scatter plots were created to visualize the relevance of WASH services and standard precautions to COVID-19 cases in provinces. RESULTS: Of the 142 facilities surveyed, about 97% had improved water sources, and over 94% had improved toilet for clients. Overall, HCFs had limited availability of hygiene services and standard precautions, which was lower in private than public facilities. More than half of the facilities had safe final disposal and appropriate storage of sharps and medical waste. Of the seven provinces, Herat province had the highest cumulative COVID-19 case rate among HCWs per 100,000 population and reported lower availability of WASH services and standard precautions in HCFs compared to other provinces. CONCLUSION Our findings show disparities in the availability of WASH services and standard precautions in public and private facilities. Private facilities had a lower availability of hygiene services and standard precautions than public facilities. Provinces with higher availability of WASH services and standard precautions in HCFs had a lower cumulative COVID-19 case rate among HCWs per 100,000 population. Pre-pandemic preparation of adequate WASH services and standard precautions in HCFs could be potentially important in combating infectious disease emergence.
Afghanistan/epidemiology* ; COVID-19/prevention & control* ; Delivery of Health Care ; Humans ; Hygiene ; Pandemics/prevention & control* ; Sanitation ; Water ; Water Supply