TB deadliest infectious disease worldwide after COVID-19 in 2021

The number of deaths from tuberculosis is on the rise as the illness has been recorded as the world's deadliest infectious disease after COVID-19 in 2021, killing 1.6 million people, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

Tuberculosis is an airborne contagious infection that can affect all tissues and organs such as lungs, bones, eyes and skin. Although it is possible to treat it thanks to scientific studies, tuberculosis continues to claim a serious number of lives across the world every year.

According to the WHO, an estimated 10.6 million people, including 1.2 million children, fell ill with the disease globally and 1.6 million died in 2021.

On March 24 each year, World Tuberculosis Day is observed globally to raise public awareness about the preventable and curable disease.

Tereza Kasaeva, WHO Global Tuberculosis Program director, said 2023 is a critical year to push forward the agenda toward ending the disease, as there are several high-level opportunities to raise visibility, increased political commitment and enhance investments for tuberculosis response.

"The theme of world TB day 2023 'Yes! We can end TB!', reflects this and aims to inspire hope and encourage high-level leadership, increased investments, faster uptake of new WHO recommendations, adoption of innovations, accelerated action, and multisectoral collaboration to combat the TB epidemic," Kasaeva said in a video message.

She said despite global efforts to fight tuberculosis, nearly 4,400 individuals lose their lives on a daily basis, and around 30,000 others become ill, "while global efforts to combat TB have saved an estimated 74 million lives since the year 2000."

People who suffer from undernutrition face a tripled risk compared to others. About 2.2 million cases in 2021 are estimated to be caused due to undernutrition.

More than 80% of deaths from the disease occur in low and middle-income countries.

Although it is seen in every region of the world, South Asia is at the forefront of the regions where tuberculosis was most common in 2021. According to the WHO report, 46% of cases in 2021 were seen in South Asia and 23% in Africa.

The WHO report pointed out that two-thirds of the worldwide tuberculosis cases in 2020 were seen in eight countries – India, Indonesia, China, Philippines, Pakistan, Nigeria, Bangladesh and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

After the WHO declared tuberculosis a "global emergency" in 1993, steps have been taken to combat the disease across the globe.

The United Nations has set one of its sustainable development goals to end the disease by 2030. Furthermore, the WHO has implemented the Tuberculosis Action Plan for the WHO European Region 2023-2030 as part of its end tuberculosis strategy.

The action plan aims to reduce incidence by 80% and deaths by 90% in the WHO European Region, including Türkiye.

Diagnosis and treatment services for tuberculosis are offered free of charge by all health institutions in Türkiye.

All drugs used in the treatment of tuberculosis patients are also supplied by the Health Ministry.

International Conference on Infectious Diseases

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Pathophysiology | Infectious Diseases Conference |

New, Better Models Show How Infectious Diseases Like COVID-19 Spread

 

New, Better Models Show How Infectious Diseases Like COVID-19 Spread

The COVID-19 pandemic has emphasized the significance of modeling in comprehending the spread of diseases and in providing crucial insights into disease prevention and control. A new model has utilized COVID-19 data and combined two classic methodologies to enhance predictions about disease spread.

A widely used modeling technique involves dividing the population into compartments, such as susceptible (S), infected (I), and recovered (R), in what is known as the SIR model. This approach models the rates of change that describe the movement of individuals from one compartment to another.


KAUST researchers, led by Paula Moraga, integrated SIR compartment modeling in time and a point process modeling approach in space–time, while also taking into account age-specific contact patterns. To do this, they used a two-step framework that allowed them to model data on infectious locations over time for different age groups.

“The model gives more accurate predictions than previous approaches when making short/mid-range predictions in space and time,” says lead researcher André Amaral.

Their approach paid off. In a simulation study to assess the model’s performance, and in a case study of COVID-19 cases in Cali, Colombia, the model performed better when making predictions and provided similar results for past time points, compared with models commonly used in predictive modeling.

“The model’s features can help decision-makers to identify high-risk locations and vulnerable populations to develop better strategies for disease control,” says Amaral.

It also can be used with any infectious disease that fits the compartment model assumptions, such as influenza. Furthermore, the model can account for different age groups and their associated contact patterns, meaning it allows more detailed conclusions about where, when, and to which population group decision-makers should focus their resources if they want to control disease spread.

“In future work, we might extend such an approach and use different temporal models to replace the SIR model. This would allow us to account for different epidemic dynamics and expand the number of scenarios that the model can be used for,” says Amaral.

“Finally, to improve the model’s predictive capabilities, we might work on developing ensemble approaches that combine a number of predictions from a number of different models and also account for potential time delays in collecting data,” he adds.

Moraga says the model’s performance demonstrates the importance of quality and detailed data by location, time, and population group to understand infectious disease dynamics while highlighting the need to strengthen national surveillance systems to improve public health decision-making.

Reference: “Spatio-temporal modeling of infectious diseases by integrating compartment and point process models” by André Victor Ribeiro Amaral, Jonatan A. González and Paula Moraga, 13 December 2022, Stochastic Environmental Research and Risk Assessment.

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The Fractal Geometry of Alzheimer’s disease

International Conference on Infectious Diseases

The International Conference on Infectious Diseases is an event that brings together researchers, clinicians, public health professionals, and other experts from around the world to discuss the latest developments and challenges in the field of infectious diseases. The conference typically features keynote speakers, plenary sessions, and poster presentations covering a wide range of topics related to infectious diseases, including epidemiology, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. The conference is usually held annually and is organized by different institutions, including academic institutions, research organizations, and public health agencies. The conference provides a platform for researchers and professionals to share their knowledge and exchange ideas, foster collaborations, and explore new research opportunities. Attending the International Conference on Infectious Diseases can be beneficial for researchers, clinicians, and other professionals working in the field of infectious diseases, as it provides an opportunity to stay up-to-date on the latest research and trends in the field, network with peers and experts, and collaborate on new research projects.

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Biology of SARS-CoV-2: Infection | Infectious Diseases Conferences |

H3N2 Virus and Covid cases rise: Why is it important to wash hands frequently? Follow these tips

 

H3N2 Virus and Covid cases rise: 

There has been a surge in the cases of Covid in India once again. After about 3 months, more than 500 cases have been reported. At the same time, a rapid increase in cases of the H3N2 virus is also being seen in the country. While these diseases and infections are not very critical in all cases, the problem can be solved by taking care of your hygiene and cleanliness, especially your hands. During the covid lockdown, health experts advised to keep washing your hands to keep the virus at bay. In the current situation, the need to do the same has arrived yet again. The guidelines issued by the Ministry of Health also claim that the hands are the most common carriers of infections and viruses.

 
Why is it important to wash hands?

Washing hands can be the easiest way to avoid infectious diseases. Whether it is the H3N2 virus or covid, both are respiratory infectious diseases and their first area of infection is the lungs. In such a situation, as soon as you get an infection, problems related to cough, cold, and breathing start appearing in the body. Further, the infectious droplets get mixed in the air when an infected person breathes, spits, coughs, or sneezes due to which the risk of infection increases. In such a situation, washing hands frequently can be helpful in the prevention of infection.

How to wash your hands:

To prevent covid and the H3N2 virus, wash your hands frequently with soap and water. Also use hand sanitizer every few hours.

Covid and H3N2 Virus-Prevention Tips:

Avoid touching your face and nose, it can spread the infection.
Avoid crowded places and use a mask.
If you are sick, spend 7 days at home until the infection subsides
Cover your mouth and nose while sneezing and coughing or wear a mask.
Not only this, avoid physical contact such as handshakes and hugs so that you do not come in contact with that person's air droplets
Also don't spit in public
Drink plenty of water and get proper treatment from the doctor
Maintain social distancing

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Complications of Infection | Infectious Diseases Conferences |

Lawmaker pushes to include infectious disease diagnosis kits in innovative medical products

Diagnosing devices for infectious diseases, such as Covid-19, will likely be included in innovative medical equipment.

Rep. Kim Min-seok of the opposition Democratic Party of Korea said Monday that he had proposed a revision bill of the act on fostering and supporting innovative medical equipment.

The amendment stipulates that the central and local governments provide support for researching, developing, and commercializing devices for the quick diagnosis of infectious diseases by including related products in the category of innovative medical equipment.

The current target areas for the government’s designation of new medical devices include cutting-edge technology with high technological intensity and rapid innovation speed.

Also included in this category is equipment, which will likely improve existing medical technology drastically, which urgently requires the development of core technology applicable to medical devices, and which has few alternative medical devices or whose domestic supply is difficult in diagnosing and treating rare and intractable diseases.

The cutting-edge technology group includes artificial intelligence and big data technology, digital-wearable technology, medical robotics technology, smart care technology, and the next-generation in vitro diagnostic technology.

“The Covid-19 pandemic showed the appearance of new infectious disease or the inflow of infectious diseases that had been unknown in this country could destroy the quarantine system and threaten public health significantly,” Rep. Kim said. “On the other hand, the swift development and use of medical devices, including diagnostic kits, can prevent the spread of Covid-19 and protect public health.”

Kim stressed the need to continue to develop and manufacture diagnostic reagents and medical devices to prepare for the spread of infectious diseases that can attack the nation unexpectedly.

“Therefore, the government needs to support it for the public good,” he added.

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Most infectious diseases in humans have animal origins. Active monitoring can stop outbreaks

 

The current epidemic of avian influenza has killed over 58 million birds in the U.S. as of February 2023. Following on the heels of the COVID-19 pandemic, large outbreaks of viruses like bird flu raise the specter of another disease jumping from animals into humans. This process is called spillover.

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Chronic Bacterial Infection | Infectious Diseases Conferences |