Articles: pandemics.
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Asia Pac J Public Health · May 2020
ReviewCOVID-19-A Novel Zoonotic Disease: A Review of the Disease, the Virus, and Public Health Measures.
A cluster of cases of pneumonia of unknown etiology emerged in Wuhan, China, at the end of December 2019. The cluster was largely associated with a seafood and animal market. A novel Betacoronavirus was quickly identified as the causative agent, and it is shown to be related genetically to SARS-CoV and other bat-borne SARS-related Betacoronaviruses. ⋯ The virus is the third zoonotic coronavirus, after SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV, but appears to be the only one with pandemic potential. However, a number of important properties of the virus are still not well understood, and there is an urgent need to learn more about its transmission dynamics, its spectrum of clinical severity, its wildlife origin, and its genetic stability. In addition, more research is needed on possible interventions, particularly therapeutic and vaccines.
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The COVID-19 pandemic will give rise to long-term changes in neurological care, which are not easily predictable. ⋯ The key informant survey identified the foreseeable changes in neurological care after the pandemic.
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J Am Soc Cytopathol · May 2020
ReviewThe COVID-19 pandemic: implications for the cytology laboratory.
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The infection has predominantly respiratory transmission and is transmitted through large droplets or aerosols, and less commonly by contact with infected surfaces or fomites. The alarming spread of the infection and the severe clinical disease that it may cause have led to the widespread institution of social distancing measures. ⋯ This review paper provides an assessment of the current state of knowledge about the disease and its pathology, and the potential presence of the virus in cytology specimens. It also discusses the measures that cytology laboratories can take to function during the pandemic, and minimize the risk to their personnel, trainees, and pathologists. In addition, it explores potential means to continue to educate trainees during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has rendered the world completely unaware and off-balance. Most of the countries of the world are in a lockdown of varying severity to break the chain of transmission. Many non-essential healthcare practices have been shut down to impose social distancing against a population whose slogan has been freedom of movement. ⋯ In this article, we identify the challenges faced by the oral and dental care providers, whose procedures generate a significant amount of aerosol, which can be a significant source of disease transmission within the community. It further describes the dynamics of aerosol spread and various strategies to minimise aerosol generation. Guidelines for the delivery of emergency dental treatment are formulated based on different guidelines from various international dental associations and organisations.