Yearly Archives: 2021

Ensuring equitable access to vaccines for refugees and migrants during the COVID-19 pandemic

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Bulletin of the World Health Organization
Volume 99, Number 1, January 2021, 1-76
https://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/99/1/en/

 

Ensuring equitable access to vaccines for refugees and migrants during the COVID-19 pandemic
— Jozef Bartovic, Siddharta Sankar Datta, Santino Severoni & Veronika D’Anna
http://dx.doi.org/10.2471/BLT.20.267690
…To address these issues, national vaccination policies need to adopt innovative measures. Immunization doses missed as a result of COVID-19 pandemic containment measures should be offered as quickly as possible to refugees and migrants. Mobile vaccination clinics, combined health-care services (such as antenatal care and vaccination programmes) and mass vaccination campaigns should be considered to address existing immunity gaps. All efforts must consider delivery of immunization services in hard-to-reach settings and to hard-to-reach population groups…
…Effective measures to address barriers to immunization for refugees and migrants must include strengthening the capacity of health systems and primary health-care providers; setting up or expanding immunization information systems to monitor vaccination coverage; developing training and awareness of health-care providers; establishing health literacy education programmes; and ensuring national immunization programmes are resilient to humanitarian or health crises.3

Informed Consent for Genetic and Genomic Research

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Current Protocols in Human Genetics
Volume 108, Issue 1 December 2020
https://currentprotocols.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/19348258/current

 

OVERVIEW
Informed Consent for Genetic and Genomic Research
Jeffrey R. Botkin jeffrey.botkin@hsc.utah.edu
First Published:17 November 2020
Abstract
Genetic research often utilizes or generates information that is potentially sensitive to individuals, families, or communities. For these reasons, genetic research may warrant additional scrutiny from investigators and governmental regulators, compared to other types of biomedical research. The informed consent process should address the range of social and psychological issues that may arise in genetic research. This article addresses a number of these issues, including recruitment of participants, disclosure of results, psychological impact of results, insurance and employment discrimination, community engagement, consent for tissue banking, and intellectual property issues. Points of consideration are offered to assist in the development of protocols and consent processes in light of contemporary debates on a number of these issues.

Nature and history of the CIOMS International Ethical Guidelines and implications for local implementation: A perspective from East Africa

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Developing World Bioethics
Volume 20, Issue 4 Pages: 173-230 December 2020
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/14718847/current

 

ORIGINAL ARTICLES
Nature and history of the CIOMS International Ethical Guidelines and implications for local implementation: A perspective from East Africa
John Barugahare, Paul Kutyabami
Pages: 175-183
First Published: 23 October 2019

Context matters: On the road to responsible biosafety technologies in synthetic biology

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EMBO Reports
Volume 22 Issue 1 7 January 2021
https://www.embopress.org/toc/14693178/current

 

Science & Society 28 December 2020 Open Access
Context matters: On the road to responsible biosafety technologies in synthetic biology
Amalia Kallergi, Enrique Asin‐Garcia, Vitor AP Martins dos Santos, Laurens Landeweerd
Biosafety is a major challenge for developing for synthetic organisms. An early focus on application and their context could assist with the design of appropriate genetic safeguards.

Correlation of population mortality of COVID-19 and testing coverage: a comparison among 36 OECD countries

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Epidemiology and Infection
Volume 149 – 2021
https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/epidemiology-and-infection/latest-issue

 

Short Paper
Correlation of population mortality of COVID-19 and testing coverage: a comparison among 36 OECD countries
C. Wei, C. C. Lee, T. C. Hsu, W. T. Hsu, C. C. Chan, S. C. Chen, C. J. Chen
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 28 December 2020, e1

From impact evaluation to decision-analysis: assessing the extent and quality of evidence on ‘value for money’ in health impact evaluations in low- and middle-income countries [version 1; peer review: awaiting peer review]

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Gates Open Research
https://gatesopenresearch.org/browse/articles
[Accessed 9 Jan 2021]

 

Research Article metrics AWAITING PEER REVIEW
From impact evaluation to decision-analysis: assessing the extent and quality of evidence on ‘value for money’ in health impact evaluations in low- and middle-income countries [version 1; peer review: awaiting peer review]
Noemi Kreif, Andrew J. Mirelman, James Love-Koh, Sangjun Kim, Rodrigo Moreno-Serra, Paul Revill, Mark Sculpher, Marc Suhrcke
Peer Reviewers: Invited
Funders: National Institute for Health Research, Gates Foundation
PUBLISHED 07 Jan 2021

An integrated in silico immuno-genetic analytical platform provides insights into COVID-19 serological and vaccine targets

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Genome Medicine
https://genomemedicine.biomedcentral.com/articles
[Accessed 9 Jan 2021]

 

An integrated in silico immuno-genetic analytical platform provides insights into COVID-19 serological and vaccine targets
During COVID-19, diagnostic serological tools and vaccines have been developed. To inform control activities in a post-vaccine surveillance setting, we have developed an online “immuno-analytics” resource that…
Authors: Daniel Ward, Matthew Higgins, Jody E. Phelan, Martin L. Hibberd, Susana Campino and Taane G. Clark
Citation: Genome Medicine 2021 13:4
Content type: Database
Published on: 7 January 2021

Sociocultural, behavioural and political factors shaping the COVID-19 pandemic: the need for a biocultural approach to understanding pandemics and (re)emerging pathogens

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Global Public Health
Volume 16, 2021 Issue 1
http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/rgph20/current

 

Article
Sociocultural, behavioural and political factors shaping the COVID-19 pandemic: the need for a biocultural approach to understanding pandemics and (re)emerging pathogens
Anna Friedler
Pages: 17-35
Published online: 06 Oct 2020

Regional cooperation is essential to combatting health emergencies in the Global South

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Globalization and Health
http://www.globalizationandhealth.com/
[Accessed 9 Jan 2021]

 

Regional cooperation is essential to combatting health emergencies in the Global South
Since COVID-19 was first discovered, it exploded into a pandemic resulting in devastating effects on human lives and a global recession. While there have been discussions that COVID-19 will accelerate the ‘end…
Authors: Ana B. Amaya and Philippe De Lombaerde
Citation: Globalization and Health 2021 17:9
Content type: Commentary
Published on: 9 January 2021

Disability inclusion in humanitarian action

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Humanitarian Exchange Magazine
Number 78, October 2020
https://odihpn.org/magazine/inclusion-of-persons-with-disabilities-in-humanitarian-action-what-now/

 

Disability inclusion in humanitarian action
by HPN October 2020
The theme of this edition of Humanitarian Exchange, co-edited with Sherin Alsheikh Ahmed from Islamic Relief Worldwide, is disability inclusion in humanitarian action. Persons with disabilities are not only disproportionately impacted by conflicts, disasters and other emergencies, but also face barriers to accessing humanitarian assistance. At the same time, global commitments and standards and the IASC Guidelines on the inclusion of persons with disabilities in humanitarian action all emphasise how persons with disabilities are also active agents of change. Disability and age-focused organisations have led on testing and demonstrating how inclusion can be done better. Yet despite this progress, challenges to effective inclusion remain.

As Kirstin Lange notes in the lead article, chief among these challenges is humanitarian agencies’ lack of engagement with organisations of persons with disabilities. Simione Bula, Elizabeth Morgan and Teresa Thomson look at disability inclusion in humanitarian response in the Pacific, and Kathy Al Jubeh and Alradi Abdalla argue for a ‘participation revolution’, building on learning from the gender movement. Tchaurea Fleury and Sulayman AbdulMumuni Ujah outline how the Bridge Article 11 training initiative is encouraging constructive exchange between humanitarian and disability actors. The lack of good, disaggregated data is highlighted by Sarah Collinson; Frances Hill, Jim Cranshaw and Carys Hughes emphasise the need for training resources in local languages and accessible formats; and Sophie Van Eetvelt and colleagues report on a review of the evidence on inclusion of people with disabilities and older people.

Rebecca Molyneux and co-authors analyse the findings of a review of a DFID programme in north-east Nigeria, while Carolin Funke highlights the importance of strategic partnerships between disability-focused organisations, drawing on her research in Cox’s Bazar. Sherin Alsheikh Ahmed describes Islamic Relief Worldwide’s approach to mainstreaming protection and inclusion, while Pauline Thivillier and Valentina Shafina outline IRC’s Client Responsive Programming. The edition ends with reflections by Mirela Turcanu and Yves Ngunzi Kahashi on CAFOD’s SADI approach.

Accessing the syndemic of COVID-19 and malaria intervention in Africa

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Infectious Diseases of Poverty
http://www.idpjournal.com/content
[Accessed 9 Jan 2021]

 

Accessing the syndemic of COVID-19 and malaria intervention in Africa
The pandemic of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has caused substantial disruptions to health services in the low and middle-income countries with a high burden of other diseases, such as malaria in sub…
Authors: Benyun Shi, Jinxin Zheng, Shang Xia, Shan Lin, Xinyi Wang, Yang Liu, Xiao-Nong Zhou and Jiming Liu
Citation: Infectious Diseases of Poverty 2021 10:5
Content type: Research Article
Published on: 7 January 2021

Efforts to mitigate the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic: potential entry points for neglected tropical diseases

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Infectious Diseases of Poverty
http://www.idpjournal.com/content
[Accessed 9 Jan 2021]

 

Efforts to mitigate the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic: potential entry points for neglected tropical diseases
The damage inflicted by the coronavirus diseases 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic upon humanity is and will continue to be considerable. Unprecedented progress made in global health over the past 20 years has reverted…
Authors: John P. Ehrenberg, Jürg Utzinger, Gilberto Fontes, Eliana Maria Mauricio da Rocha, Nieves Ehrenberg, Xiao-Nong Zhou and Peter Steinmann
Citation: Infectious Diseases of Poverty 2021 10:2
Content type: Scoping Review
Published on: 4 January 2021

Healthcare worker infections and deaths due to COVID-19: A survey from 37 nations and a call for WHO to post national data on their website

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International Journal of Infectious Diseases
January 2021 Volume 102 p1-590
https://www.ijidonline.com/current

 

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Collection
Healthcare worker infections and deaths due to COVID-19: A survey from 37 nations and a call for WHO to post national data on their website
Hakan Erdem, Daniel R. Lucey
Published online: October 29, 2020

Effect of High-Dose Trivalent vs Standard-Dose Quadrivalent Influenza Vaccine on Mortality or Cardiopulmonary Hospitalization in Patients With High-risk Cardiovascular DiseaseA Randomized Clinical Trial

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JAMA
January 5, 2021, Vol 325, No. 1, Pages 9-96
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/currentissue

 

Original Investigation
Effect of High-Dose Trivalent vs Standard-Dose Quadrivalent Influenza Vaccine on Mortality or Cardiopulmonary Hospitalization in Patients With High-risk Cardiovascular DiseaseA Randomized Clinical Trial
Orly Vardeny, PharmD, MS; KyungMann Kim, PhD; Jacob A. Udell, MD, MPH; et al.
JAMA. 2021;325(1):39-49. doi:10.1001/jama.2020.23649
This randomized clinical trial compares the effect of high-dose vs standard-dose influenza vaccine on all-cause mortality and hospitalizations due to cardiovascular or pulmonary causes in patients with high-risk cardiovascular disease.

How to Leverage the Medicare Program for a COVID-19 Vaccination Campaign

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JAMA
January 5, 2021, Vol 325, No. 1, Pages 9-96
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/currentissue

 

Viewpoint
How to Leverage the Medicare Program for a COVID-19 Vaccination Campaign
Nicole Lurie, MD, MSPH; Bettina Experton, MD, MPH
free access has active quiz
JAMA. 2021;325(1):21-22. doi:10.1001/jama.2020.22720
This Viewpoint proposes that Medicare claims data could inform the rollout of a COVID-19 vaccination program in the US, including notifying beneficiaries of their risk and prioritization and supporting efforts to allocate the vaccine and monitor its uptake, immunogenicity, and safety.

Young Adult Human Papillomavirus and Influenza Vaccine Coverage: A Comparison Across College Enrollment Status

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Journal of Community Health
Volume 46, issue 1, February 2021
https://link.springer.com/journal/10900/volumes-and-issues/46-1

 

Articles
Young Adult Human Papillomavirus and Influenza Vaccine Coverage: A Comparison Across College Enrollment Status
Authors: Kara Mathewson, Maria Sundaram, Robert A. Bednarczyk,
Content type: Original Paper
Published: 15 May 2020
Pages: 13 – 21

Implication of a High Risk for Type 2 Vaccine-Derived Poliovirus Emergence and Transmission After the Switch From Trivalent to Bivalent Oral Poliovirus Vaccine

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Journal of Infectious Diseases
Volume 223, Issue 1, 1 January 2021
https://academic.oup.com/jid/issue/223/1

 

VIRUSES
Implication of a High Risk for Type 2 Vaccine-Derived Poliovirus Emergence and Transmission After the Switch From Trivalent to Bivalent Oral Poliovirus Vaccine
Dongmei Yan, Dongyan Wang, Yong Zhang, Xiaolei Li, Haishu Tang …
The Journal of Infectious Diseases, Volume 223, Issue 1, 1 January 2021, Pages 113–118, https://doi.org/10.1093/infdis/jiaa386
The switch from trivalent to bivalent oral poliovirus vaccine can provide high-level immunity against type 1 and 3 poliovirus but not against type 2, indicating a high risk of type 2 vaccine-derived poliovirus emergence and transmission.

A Randomized Phase 4 Study of Immunogenicity and Safety After Monovalent Oral Type 2 Sabin Poliovirus Vaccine Challenge in Children Vaccinated with Inactivated Poliovirus Vaccine in Lithuania

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Journal of Infectious Diseases
Volume 223, Issue 1, 1 January 2021
https://academic.oup.com/jid/issue/223/1

 

A Randomized Phase 4 Study of Immunogenicity and Safety After Monovalent Oral Type 2 Sabin Poliovirus Vaccine Challenge in Children Vaccinated with Inactivated Poliovirus Vaccine in Lithuania
Ananda S Bandyopadhyay, Chris Gast, Elizabeth B Brickley, Ricardo Rüttimann, Ralf Clemens …
The Journal of Infectious Diseases, Volume 223, Issue 1, 1 January 2021, Pages 119–127, https://doi.org/10.1093/infdis/jiaa390

Ten recommendations to improve pharmacy practice in low and middle-income countries (LMICs)

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Journal of Pharmaceutical Policy and Practice
https://joppp.biomedcentral.com/
[Accessed 9 Jan 2021]

 

Ten recommendations to improve pharmacy practice in low and middle-income countries (LMICs)
Medicines are important health interventions and their appropriate use could improve health outcomes. Throughout the globe, pharmacists play a very important role to improve the use of medicines. Though high-i…
Authors: Zaheer-Ud-Din Babar
Citation: Journal of Pharmaceutical Policy and Practice 2021 14:6
Content type: Commentary
Published on: 6 January 2021

Exploring healthcare professionals’ knowledge, attitude, and practices towards pharmacovigilance: a cross-sectional survey

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Journal of Pharmaceutical Policy and Practice
https://joppp.biomedcentral.com/
[Accessed 9 Jan 2021]

 

Exploring healthcare professionals’ knowledge, attitude, and practices towards pharmacovigilance: a cross-sectional survey
Spontaneous reporting of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) is a method of monitoring the safety of drugs and is the basic strategy for the post-marketing surveillance of the suspected drugs. Despite its importance…
Authors: Rabia Hussain, Mohamed Azmi Hassali, Furqan Hashmi and Tayyaba Akram
Citation: Journal of Pharmaceutical Policy and Practice 2021 14:5
Content type: Research
Published on: 4 January 2021

Neglected tropical diseases in non-endemic countries in the era of COVID-19 pandemic: the great forgotten

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Journal of Travel Medicine
Volume 28, Issue 1, January 2021
https://academic.oup.com/jtm/issue

 

Perspectives
Neglected tropical diseases in non-endemic countries in the era of COVID-19 pandemic: the great forgotten
Marta Tilli, MD, Piero Olliaro, PhD, Federico Gobbi, PhD, Zeno Bisoffi, PhD, Alessandro Bartoloni, MD …
Journal of Travel Medicine, Volume 28, Issue 1, January 2021, taaa179, https://doi.org/10.1093/jtm/taaa179
In non-endemic countries, the access to healthcare for migrants and other patients with NTDs may be hampered by new barriers linked to the COVID-19 pandemic. Low awareness of health care professionals on the opportunistic potential of some NTDs may lead to unfavorable outcome of COVID-19 patients treated with immunomodulatory drugs.

Safety and efficacy of the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine (AZD1222) against SARS-CoV-2: an interim analysis of four randomised controlled trials in Brazil, South Africa, and the UK

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The Lancet
Jan 09, 2021 Volume 397 Number 10269 p71-170
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/issue/current

 

Articles
Safety and efficacy of the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine (AZD1222) against SARS-CoV-2: an interim analysis of four randomised controlled trials in Brazil, South Africa, and the UK
Merryn Voysey, et al. on behalf of the Oxford COVID Vaccine Trial Group
Open Access
A safe and efficacious vaccine against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), if deployed with high coverage, could contribute to the control of the COVID-19 pandemic. We evaluated the safety and efficacy of the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine in a pooled interim analysis of four trials.

The 2020 report of The Lancet Countdown on health and climate change: responding to converging crises

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The Lancet
Jan 09, 2021 Volume 397 Number 10269 p71-170
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/issue/current

 

Review
The 2020 report of The Lancet Countdown on health and climate change: responding to converging crises
Nick Watts, et al
Executive summary
The Lancet Countdown is an international collaboration established to provide an independent, global monitoring system dedicated to tracking the emerging health profile of the changing climate.
The 2020 report presents 43 indicators across five sections: climate change impacts, exposures, and vulnerabilities; adaptation, planning, and resilience for health; mitigation actions and health co-benefits; economics and finance; and public and political engagement. This report represents the findings and consensus of the 35 leading academic institutions and UN agencies that make up The Lancet Countdown, and draws on the expertise of climate scientists, geographers, engineers, experts in energy, food, and transport, economists, social, and political scientists, data scientists, public health professionals, and doctors.

Immunogenicity and safety of fractional doses of yellow fever vaccines: a randomised, double-blind, non-inferiority trial

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The Lancet
Jan 09, 2021 Volume 397 Number 10269 p71-170
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/issue/current

 

Immunogenicity and safety of fractional doses of yellow fever vaccines: a randomised, double-blind, non-inferiority trial
Aitana Juan-Giner, et al
Stocks of yellow fever vaccine are insufficient to cover exceptional demands for outbreak response. Fractional dosing has shown efficacy, but evidence is limited to the 17DD substrain vaccine. We assessed the immunogenicity and safety of one-fifth fractional dose compared with standard dose of four WHO-prequalified yellow fever vaccines produced from three substrains.

Toward better governance of human genomic data

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Nature Genetics
Volume 53 Issue 1, January 2021
https://www.nature.com/ng/volumes/53/issues/1

 

Comment | 07 January 2021
Toward better governance of human genomic data
Here, we argue that, in line with the dramatic increase in the collection, storage and curation of human genomic data for biomedical research, genomic data repositories and consortia have adopted governance frameworks to both enable wide access and protect against possible harms. However, the merits and limitations of different governance frameworks in achieving these twin aims are a matter of ongoing debate in the scientific community; indeed, best practices and points for consideration are notably absent in devising governance frameworks for genomic databases. According to our collective experience in devising and assessing governance frameworks, we identify five key functions of ‘good governance’ (or ‘better governance’) and three areas in which trade-offs should be considered when specifying policies within those functions. We apply these functions as a benchmark to describe, as an example, the governance frameworks of six large-scale international genomic projects.
Kieran C. O’Doherty, Mahsa Shabani[…] & Wylie Burke

Improving data sharing to increase the efficiency of antibiotic R&D

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Nature Reviews Drug Discovery
Volume 20 Issue 1, January 2021
https://www.nature.com/nrd/volumes/20/issues/1

 

Comment | 23 October 2020
Improving data sharing to increase the efficiency of antibiotic R&D
Greater investment is needed in antibiotic R&D, and more must be done to maximize the impact of such investments. More widespread data sharing, such as the recent joint data contribution from Merck and Kyorin to the Pew Charitable Trusts’ SPARK platform, has a key role.
Wes Kim, Kevin Krause[…] & Kevin Outterson

Emer Cooke

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An Audience With | 11 December 2020
Emer Cooke
With multiple COVID-19 vaccines approaching the finish line, and dozens of COVID-19 drugs in development, more eyes are on the European Medicines Agency (EMA)’s decisions than ever before. Emer Cooke, who started as Executive Director of the EMA in November, is ready. Cooke, a pharmacist by training, has more than 30 years’ experience in pharmaceutical regulation. During this time, she has seen the system transform: the typewriters and carbon copy are gone, replaced by unprecedented volumes of data and complexity. With prior roles that have included oversight of the regulation of medical products at the World Health Organization, Head of Inspections at the EMA and Head of International Affairs at the EMA, she is prepared for the multidisciplinary nature of the challenges ahead. She spoke with Asher Mullard about the speed of progress with COVID-19 vaccines, the potential longer-term impacts of the pandemic on regulatory affairs and her goals for the EMA once the world returns to business as usual.
Asher Mullard

Nature Reviews Drug Discovery
Volume 20 Issue 1, January 2021
https://www.nature.com/nrd/volumes/20/issues/1

 

An Audience With | 11 December 2020
Emer Cooke
With multiple COVID-19 vaccines approaching the finish line, and dozens of COVID-19 drugs in development, more eyes are on the European Medicines Agency (EMA)’s decisions than ever before. Emer Cooke, who started as Executive Director of the EMA in November, is ready. Cooke, a pharmacist by training, has more than 30 years’ experience in pharmaceutical regulation. During this time, she has seen the system transform: the typewriters and carbon copy are gone, replaced by unprecedented volumes of data and complexity. With prior roles that have included oversight of the regulation of medical products at the World Health Organization, Head of Inspections at the EMA and Head of International Affairs at the EMA, she is prepared for the multidisciplinary nature of the challenges ahead. She spoke with Asher Mullard about the speed of progress with COVID-19 vaccines, the potential longer-term impacts of the pandemic on regulatory affairs and her goals for the EMA once the world returns to business as usual.
Asher Mullard

Improving target assessment in biomedical research: the GOT-IT recommendations

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Nature Reviews Drug Discovery
Volume 20 Issue 1, January 2021
https://www.nature.com/nrd/volumes/20/issues/1

 

Perspective | 16 November 2020
Improving target assessment in biomedical research: the GOT-IT recommendations
Academic research has a key role in identifying new drug targets, but to lead to new drugs this research must progress to testing drug candidates in clinical trials, which are typically conducted by industry. This Perspective presents a framework to support academic scientists and funders in prioritizing target assessment activities and in defining a critical path to reach scientific goals as well as goals related to licensing, partnering with industry or initiating clinical trials.
Christoph H. Emmerich, Lorena Martinez Gamboa[…] & Michael J. Parnham

Audio Interview: Planning for the SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine Rollout

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New England Journal of Medicine
January 7, 2021 Vol. 384 No. 1
http://www.nejm.org/toc/nejm/medical-journal

 

Editorials
Audio Interview: Planning for the SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine Rollout
In this audio interview conducted on January 6, 2021, the editors are joined by cardiologist and primary care physician Thomas H. Lee to discuss how health care organizations are planning vaccine rollout and uptake both among their staffs and in their communities.

A Half-Century of Progress in Health: The National Academy of Medicine at 50: Human Molecular Genetics and Genomics — Important Advances and Exciting Possibilities

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New England Journal of Medicine
January 7, 2021 Vol. 384 No. 1
http://www.nejm.org/toc/nejm/medical-journal

 

Perspective
A Half-Century of Progress in Health: The National Academy of Medicine at 50: Human Molecular Genetics and Genomics — Important Advances and Exciting Possibilities
Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D., Jennifer A. Doudna, Ph.D., Eric S. Lander, Ph.D., and Charles N. Rotimi, Ph.D.

The development of nations conditions the disease space

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PLoS One
http://www.plosone.org/
[Accessed 9 Jan 2021]

 

The development of nations conditions the disease space
Antonios Garas, Sophie Guthmuller, Athanasios Lapatinas
Research Article | published 07 Jan 2021 PLOS ONE
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0244843
Using the economic complexity methodology on data for disease prevalence in 195 countries during the period of 1990-2016, we propose two new metrics for quantifying the disease space of countries. With these metrics, we analyze the geography of diseases and empirically investigate the effect of economic development on the health complexity of countries. We show that a higher income per capita increases the complexity of countries’ diseases. We also show that complex diseases tend to be non-ubiquitous diseases that are prevalent in disease-diversified (complex) countries, while non-complex diseases tend to be non-ubiquitous diseases that are prevalent in non-diversified (non-complex) countries. Furthermore, we build a disease-level index that links a disease to the average level of GDP per capita of the countries in which the disease is prevalent. With this index, we highlight the link between economic development and the complexity of diseases and illustrate how increases in income per capita are associated with more complex diseases.

COVID-19 and the public response: Knowledge, attitude and practice of the public in mitigating the pandemic in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

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PLoS One
http://www.plosone.org/
[Accessed 9 Jan 2021]

 

COVID-19 and the public response: Knowledge, attitude and practice of the public in mitigating the pandemic in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Zelalem Desalegn, Negussie Deyessa, Brhanu Teka, Welelta Shiferaw, Damen Hailemariam, Adamu Addissie, Abdulnasir Abagero, Mirgissa Kaba, Workeabeba Abebe, Berhanu Nega, Wondimu Ayele, Tewodros Haile, Yirgu Gebrehiwot, Wondwossen Amogne, Eva Johanna Kantelhardt, Tamrat Abebe
Research Article | published 07 Jan 2021 PLOS ONE
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0244780

The winding road to health: A systematic scoping review on the effect of geographical accessibility to health care on infectious diseases in low- and middle-income countries

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PLoS One
http://www.plosone.org/
[Accessed 9 Jan 2021]

 

The winding road to health: A systematic scoping review on the effect of geographical accessibility to health care on infectious diseases in low- and middle-income countries
Fleur Hierink, Emelda A. Okiro, Antoine Flahault, Nicolas Ray
Research Article | published 04 Jan 2021 PLOS ONE
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0244921

Consolidated Framework for Collaboration Research derived from a systematic review of theories, models, frameworks and principles for cross-sector collaboration

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PLoS One
http://www.plosone.org/
[Accessed 9 Jan 2021]

 

Consolidated Framework for Collaboration Research derived from a systematic review of theories, models, frameworks and principles for cross-sector collaboration
Larissa Calancie, Leah Frerichs, Melinda M. Davis, Eliana Sullivan, Ann Marie White, Dorothy Cilenti, Giselle Corbie-Smith, Kristen Hassmiller Lich
Research Article | published 04 Jan 2021 PLOS ONE
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0244501
Cross-sector collaboration is needed to address root causes of persistent public health challenges. We conducted a systematic literature review to identify studies describing theories, models, frameworks and principles for cross-sector collaboration and synthesized collaboration constructs into the Consolidated Framework for Collaboration Research (CFCR). Ninety-five articles were included in the review. Constructs were abstracted from articles and grouped into seven domains within the framework: community context; group composition; structure and internal processes; group dynamics; social capital; activities that influence or take place within the collaboration; activities that influence or take place within the broader community; and activities that influence or take place both in the collaboration and in the community. Community engagement strategies employed by collaborations are discussed, as well as recommendations for using systems science methods for testing specific mechanisms of how constructs identified in the review influence one another. Researchers, funders, and collaboration members can use the consolidated framework to articulate components of collaboration and test mechanisms explaining how collaborations function. By working from a consolidated framework of collaboration terms and using systems science methods, researchers can advance evidence for the efficacy of cross-sector collaborations.

Concerns for others increases the likelihood of vaccination against influenza and COVID-19 more in sparsely rather than densely populated areas

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PNAS – Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
http://www.pnas.org/content/early/
[Accessed 9 Jan 2021]

 

Concerns for others increases the likelihood of vaccination against influenza and COVID-19 more in sparsely rather than densely populated areas
Haesung Jung and Dolores Albarracín
PNAS January 5, 2021 118 (1) e2007538118; https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2007538118

Enforcement may crowd out voluntary support for COVID-19 policies, especially where trust in government is weak and in a liberal society

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PNAS – Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
http://www.pnas.org/content/early/
[Accessed 9 Jan 2021]

 

Enforcement may crowd out voluntary support for COVID-19 policies, especially where trust in government is weak and in a liberal society
Katrin Schmelz
PNAS January 5, 2021 118 (1) e2016385118; https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2016385118

Coevolution of policy and science during the pandemic

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Science
08 January 2021 Vol 371, Issue 6525
http://www.sciencemag.org/current.dtl

 

Policy Forum
Coevolution of policy and science during the pandemic
By Yian Yin, Jian Gao, Benjamin F. Jones, Dashun Wang
Science08 Jan 2021 : 128-130 Full Access
Recent, high-quality science is being heard, but unevenly
Summary
Disconnects between science and policy, in which important scientific insights may be missed by policymakers and bad scientific advice may infect decision-making, are a long-standing concern (1–7). Yet, our systematic understanding of the use of science in policy remains limited (1, 4–6), partly because of the difficulty in reliably tracing the coevolution of policy and science at a large, global scale (3). Today, the world faces a common emergency in the COVID-19 pandemic, which presents a dynamic, uncertain, yet extraordinarily consequential policy environment across the globe. We combined two large-scale databases that capture policy and science and their interactions, allowing us to examine the coevolution of policy and science during the pandemic. Our analysis suggests that many policy documents in the COVID-19 pandemic substantially access recent, peer-reviewed, and high-impact science. And policy documents that cite science are especially highly cited within the policy domain. At the same time, there is a heterogeneity in the use of science across policy-making institutions. The tendency for policy documents to cite science appears mostly concentrated within intergovernmental organizations (IGOs), such as the World Health Organization (WHO), and much less so in national governments, which consume science largely indirectly through the IGOs. This close coevolution between policy and science offers a useful indication that a key link is operating, but it has not been a sufficient condition for effectiveness in containing the pandemic.