International journal of infectious diseases : IJID : official publication of the International Society for Infectious Diseases
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Int. J. Infect. Dis. · Apr 2020
Observational StudyEvaluating the impact of a mass gathering (2018 Commonwealth Games) on emergency department presentations with communicable diseases: A retrospective cohort study.
To identify the impact of a mass gathering event (MGE) on emergency department (ED) patient presentations with communicable diseases and underpinning syndromic indicators (SIs). ⋯ The 2018 Commonwealth Games had an impact on ED presentations with communicable diseases, in terms of LOS. A longer LOS and higher percentage of patients with a LOS of more than 4 hrs in the ED were noted following the MGE period. This outcome indicates a potential need to continue with up-scaled services. Future research is required to understand the broader impact on other EDs in the area, and longitudinal patient follow-up is needed to determine the potential spread of communicable diseases.
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Since the first case of 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) identified on Jan 20, 2020, in South Korea, the number of cases rapidly increased, resulting in 6284 cases including 42 deaths as of Mar 6, 2020. To examine the growth rate of the outbreak, we present the first study to report the reproduction number of COVID-19 in South Korea. ⋯ Our results indicate an early sustained transmission of COVID-19 in South Korea and support the implementation of social distancing measures to rapidly control the outbreak.
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Int. J. Infect. Dis. · Apr 2020
Case ReportsRecurrence of positive SARS-CoV-2 RNA in COVID-19: A case report.
The ongoing outbreak of COVID-19 that began in Wuhan, China, has constituted a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, with cases confirmed in multiple countries. Currently, patients are the primary source of infection. We report a confirmed case of COVID-19 whose oropharyngeal swab test of SARS-CoV-2 RNA turned positive in convalescence. This case highlights the importance of active surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 RNA for infectivity assessment.
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Int. J. Infect. Dis. · Apr 2020
Estimation of the reproductive number of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) and the probable outbreak size on the Diamond Princess cruise ship: A data-driven analysis.
Up to February 16, 2020, 355 cases have been confirmed as having COVID-19 infection on the Diamond Princess cruise ship. It is of crucial importance to estimate the reproductive number (R0) of the novel virus in the early stage of outbreak and make a prediction of daily new cases on the ship. ⋯ The median with 95% CI of R0 of COVID-19 was about 2.28 (2.06-2.52) during the early stage experienced on the Diamond Princess cruise ship. The future daily incidence and probable outbreak size is largely dependent on the change of R0. Unless strict infection management and control are taken, our findings indicate the potential of COVID-19 to cause greater outbreak on the ship.
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Int. J. Infect. Dis. · Apr 2020
Multicenter StudyEvaluation of first-line therapies for the treatment of candidemia in ICU patients: A propensity score analysis.
Candidemia is a major cause of mortality in the intensive care unit (ICU). According to the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), an echinocandin is recommended as initial therapy and fluconazole as an alternative. In a context of echinocandin resistance development, the question arising is whether azoles are a suitable alternative to echinocandins for the treatment of candidemia in critically ill patients. ⋯ This study confirms that the use of azoles recommended for candidemia, mostly fluconazole, as a first-line therapy is a reasonable alternative to caspofungin for ICU patients in our institution. This needs to be included in local guidelines through antifungal stewardship programs.