Articles: pandemics.
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Epidemiol Mikrobiol Imunol · Jan 2020
The duration of SARS-CoV-2 shedding in patients recovering from COVID-19.
The knowledge of SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) shedding is highly relevant to the diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of patients with COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019). Deep nasopharyngeal swabs repeatedly collected from a cohort of one hundred patients with COVID-19 were tested for SARS-CoV-2 RNA using RT-PCR (real-time polymerase chain reaction). ⋯ Furthermore, the authors tested the hypothesis on the relationship between the severity of COVID-19 and the period in which the viral genome is detectable. They did not find any statistically significant difference in the duration of viral clearance between patients with asymptomatic to mild disease or severe disease.
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Forecasting the extent of the domestic health risk of epidemics by mathematical modeling is a useful tool for evaluating the feasibility of policies for controlling outbreaks. The objective of this study was to develop a time-dependent dynamic simulation model to forecast the COVID-19 autumn-winter outbreak in the metropolitan area of Buenos Aires, and to assess the effect of social distancing on epidemic spread. The model used was the "Susceptible-Exposed-Infectious-Recovered" framework which incorporated appropriate compartments relevant to interventions such as quarantine, isolation and treatment. ⋯ The maximum peak was expected to appear between May 8 and Jul 8 depending on the quarantine strategy, and the average number of infectious symptomatic cases were 46 840, 30 494, 23 164, 16 179, and 13 196 when 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, and 50% of the population remained in a 5-month-term continuous quarantine, respectively. Only mandatory quarantine was able to delay the maximum peak of infection and significantly reduce the total number of infected individuals and deaths at a 150-day term. The interruption of the quarantine before 120 days of its beginning could generate an even more serious outbreak 30 days later, and surpass the scarce medical resources available for the intensive care of critically-ill patients.
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Brazil has rapidly developed the second-highest number of COVID-19 cases in the world. As such, proper symptom identification, including gastrointestinal manifestations, and relationship to health outcomes remains key. We aimed to assess the prevalence and impact of gastrointestinal symptoms associated with COVID-19 in a large quaternary referral center in South America. ⋯ Based upon this Brazilian study, gastrointestinal manifestations of COVID-19 are common but do not appear to impact clinically relevant hospitalization outcomes including the need for ICU admission, mechanical ventilation, or mortality.
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The current coronavirus pandemic is an unprecedented public health challenge that is having a devastating economic impact on households. Using a sample of 230,540 respondents to an online survey from 17 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, the study shows that the economic impacts are large and unequal: 45 percent of respondents report that a household member has lost their job and, among households owning small businesses, 59 percent of respondents report that a household member has closed their business. ⋯ Declines in food security and health are among the disproportionate impacts. The findings provide evidence that the current public health crisis will exacerbate economic inequality and provides some of the first estimates of the impact of the pandemic on the labor market and well-being in developing countries.
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Frontiers in immunology · Jan 2020
ReviewViral Evasion of the Complement System and Its Importance for Vaccines and Therapeutics.
The complement system is a key component of innate immunity which readily responds to invading microorganisms. Activation of the complement system typically occurs via three main pathways and can induce various antimicrobial effects, including: neutralization of pathogens, regulation of inflammatory responses, promotion of chemotaxis, and enhancement of the adaptive immune response. These can be vital host responses to protect against acute, chronic, and recurrent viral infections. ⋯ A better understanding of this virus-host interplay and its contribution to pathogenesis has previously led to: the identification of genetic factors which influence viral infection and disease outcome, the development of novel antivirals, and the production of safer, more effective vaccines. This review will discuss the antiviral effects of the complement system against numerous viruses, the mechanisms employed by these viruses to then evade or manipulate this system, and how these interactions have informed vaccine/therapeutic development. Where relevant, conflicting findings and current research gaps are highlighted to aid future developments in virology and immunology, with potential applications to the current COVID-19 pandemic.