著者

Akira Kawashima Yasuaki Yanagawa Rieko Shimogawara Kenji Yagita Hiroyuki Gatanaga Koji Watanabe

出版者

National Center for Global Health and Medicine

雑誌

Global Health & Medicine (ISSN:24349186)

巻号頁・発行日

pp.2023.01064, (Released:2023-10-29)

参考文献数

77

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Amebiasis, which is caused by Entamoeba histolytica (E. histolytica), is the second leading cause of parasite-related death worldwide. It manifests from asymptomatic carriers to severe clinical conditions, like colitis and liver abscesses. Amebiasis is commonly seen in developing countries, where water and food are easily contaminated by feces because of the poor sanitation. However, a recently challenge in many developed countries is the increase in domestic cases of invasive amebiasis as a sexually transmitted infection (STI amebiasis). In contrast to food-/waterborne transmission of E. histolytica in developing countries, transmission of STI amebiasis occurs directly through human-to-human sexual contact (e.g., men who have sex with men and people who engage in oral-anal sex); in this setting, asymptomatic infected individuals are the main reservoir of E. histolytica. The Development of screening methods for the early diagnosis of asymptomatic E. histolytica infection is the key to epidemiologic control. Moreover, delay in diagnosis of severe cases (e.g., fulminant amebiasis) leads to death even in developed countries. It is also important to increase clinical awareness of domestically transmitted STI amebiasis in the clinical settings. This review considers the changing epidemiology and clinical manifestations of STI amebiasis, and finally discusses the future strategies for the better practice.

著者

Kyoko Sudo Shinichiro Noda Jun Kobayashi Pongthep Wongwatcharapaiboon Utaiwan Sakolwasan Kenzo Takahashi

出版者

National Center for Global Health and Medicine

雑誌

Global Health & Medicine (ISSN:24349186)

巻号頁・発行日

pp.2023.01032, (Released:2023-09-29)

参考文献数

36

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In the implementation of the policy for the elderly, the nurses who have the competency to pull out their potential power to continue living with several stakeholders' support are required to provide care in the community. Community nurse in Thailand has the responsibility to deliver adequate medical care and also social care for the elderly. The study aimed to identify the role of community nurse in the implementation of Thai health policy for the elderly. Codes regarding the role of community nurse in the implementation of Thai health policy for the elderly were extracted from descriptive data interviewed with 15 policy implementors in Thailand. The codes were categorized by similarities using thematic analysis. The role of community nurse was 16 categories and 102 codes out of factors promoting implementation of Thai health policy for the elderly, with 27 categories and 416 codes. The main roles were Coordination, Service delivery, and Monitoring and evaluation, composing seven categories and 45 codes, eight categories and 51 codes, and one category and six codes, respectively. It was conspicuous in coordination mechanisms, especially between the organizations and disciplines in providing Primary Health Care. Both health promotion activities and medical treatment were crucial roles for community nurses. The role of community nurse was one of promoting factors of Thai health policy for the elderly. The community nurse acts as a lubricant between the hospital and the community, which means that the community nurse implements seamless service delivery for the elderly integrating medical care and welfare.

著者

Kyoko Sudo Shigeaki Watanuki Hikaru Matsuoka Eriko Otake Yumiko Yatomi Namiko Nagaoka Keiko Iino

出版者

National Center for Global Health and Medicine

雑誌

Global Health & Medicine (ISSN:24349186)

巻号頁・発行日

pp.2023.01046, (Released:2023-09-20)

参考文献数

20

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The Indonesia health care services require knowledgeable and skilled nurses as professional service providers, especially in a gerontic nursing area. Moreover, widening the gap between academic and clinical practice is also an issue, which affects the care service quality. In these circumstances, the project to enhance the educational skills of nursing lecturers and clinical nurse preceptors in gerontic nursing practice was started in 2020. Japanese nursing education experts provided guidance on the principle theory of nursing practice in basic nursing education and conducted workshops to develop nursing practice materials for 10 Indonesian trainees. The project provided 3 webinars for more than 100 Indonesian nursing lecturers and preceptors each time, 18 workshops and developed 2 virtual reality (VR) materials, 8 supervisions of the trial class and 5 lectures onsite and online. This study aimed to clarify the effects of the project evaluated in the process and its impact using a questionnaire survey and interviews conducted. The results of the questionnaire survey for students showed that 20% of their knowledge and skills in gerontic nursing, increased and the extent of understanding and satisfaction was high. Lecurers and preceptors perceived improvement in their teaching skills, especially in theoretical thinking and evidence-based teaching methods. Notably, "the evaluation from others" would be a facilitating factor of the project. The project effects were clarified and achieved the goal and objectives of the project.

著者

Masayuki Hojo Junko Terada-Hirashima Haruhito Sugiyama

出版者

National Center for Global Health and Medicine

雑誌

Global Health & Medicine (ISSN:24349186)

巻号頁・発行日

pp.2020.01117, (Released:2021-03-09)

参考文献数

40

被引用文献数

8

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Angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) and transmembrane protease serine 2 (TMPRSS2), two receptors on the cell membrane of bronchial epithelial cells, are indispensable for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. ACE2 receptor is increased among aged, males, and smokers. As smoking upsurges ACE2 expression, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients are prone to SARS-CoV-2 infection, and are at a higher risk for severe forms of COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) once infected. The expression of ACE2 and TMPRSS2 in asthma patients is identical (or less common) to that of healthy participants. ACE2 especially, tends to be low in patients with strong atopic factors and in those with poor asthma control. Therefore, it could be speculated that asthma patients are not susceptible to COVID-19. Epidemiologically, asthma patients are less likely to suffer from COVID-19, and the number of hospitalized patients due to exacerbation of asthma in Japan is also clearly reduced during the COVID-19 pandemic; therefore, they are not aggravating factors for COVID-19. Related academic societies in Japan and abroad still lack clear evidence regarding asthma treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic, and recommend that regular treatment including biologics for severe patients be continued.

著者

Aya Umeda Hiroko Baba Shoko Ishii So Mizuno

出版者

National Center for Global Health and Medicine

雑誌

Global Health & Medicine (ISSN:24349186)

巻号頁・発行日

pp.2023.01037, (Released:2023-06-27)

参考文献数

44

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The fatality rate of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at the beginning of the pandemic was as high as 8.5%, and it was considered to be an intractable infectious disease. Reports regarding early experiences are essential for improving nurses' quality of care, patient safety, and working conditions during future pandemics. Therefore, this study aimed to describe the experiences of nurses who were in charge of critically ill COVID-19 patients during the early stages of the pandemic in Japan. This was a qualitative study. Participants were nurses who were in charge of critically ill COVID-19 patients in an emerging contagious disease ward between February and April 2020. Interviews were conducted in groups of 2–3 persons based on an interview guide using an online conferencing application to prevent infection. Consent to participation was obtained from 19 nurses. Five categories of experiences were generated from the analysis: "Fear of risk to my own life and to those of others around me", "The shock of finding myself amid an infectious disease pandemic", "Anxiety about unknown challenges", "Driven by a sense of purpose", and "Growth as nurses". Working under harsh conditions where nurses' safety is threatened may affect the quality of care and nurses' mental health. Therefore, nurses should receive both short-term and long-term support.

著者

Toyomitsu Tamura Désire Basuana Josue Bapitani Gérard Ulyabo Kahombo Yui Minagawa Sadatoshi Matsuoka Miyuki Oikawa Yuriko Egami Mari Honda Mari Nagai

出版者

National Center for Global Health and Medicine

雑誌

Global Health & Medicine (ISSN:24349186)

巻号頁・発行日

pp.2023.01026, (Released:2023-06-25)

参考文献数

43

被引用文献数

1

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In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the object-based approach (OBA) still remains mainstream in the basic nursing education program, despite the intention of the Ministry of Public Health to expand the competency-based approach (CBA) nationwide. This study aimed to compare the clinical competency of nurses trained with CBA and OBA. A cross-sectional, mixed study was conducted. We developed a self-assessment questionnaire consisting of an individual demographic information, a clinical competency assessment scale and the General Self-efficacy Scale. Nurses trained with CBA or OBA and currently working in health facilities with two to five years of clinical experience were purposively selected from ten cities across nine provinces in the DRC. We also conducted key informant interviews with the clinical supervisors at health facilities. In a comparison of 160 nurses trained with CBA and 153 with OBA, 3 competency domains ("establishing professional communication", "making decisions about health problems", and "performing nursing interventions") of the 5 domains required for nurses had significantly higher scores in the CBA group. The key informant interviews supported these results while revealing various issues in the basic nursing education program. The results support the strategic direction of the Ministry of Public Health in the DRC to expand CBA. Collaboration among education institutions, health facilities, and administrative bodies is crucial for clinical nurses to fully engage their competencies for the population. Other low- and middle-income countries with scarce resources can refer to the developed and implemented competency assessment method applied in this study.

著者

Satomi Nomura Namiko Kisugi Kazue Endo Takahide Omori

出版者

National Center for Global Health and Medicine

雑誌

Global Health & Medicine (ISSN:24349186)

巻号頁・発行日

pp.2023.01033, (Released:2023-06-25)

参考文献数

49

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Individuals who had new children during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic became parents in challenging situations, starting from pregnancy and continuing to after birth. This study aimed to clarify the characteristics of parental loneliness, perceptions of parenting, and psychosocial factors among parents having new children during the COVID-19 pandemic. The participants comprised a first-child group (523 parents; those who had their first child) and a second-child group (621 parents; those who had their second or subsequent child). We used web-based questionnaires to explore parental loneliness, perceptions of parenting, and psychosocial factors (distress, parental burnout, well-being, marital satisfaction, and social isolation). Participants answered the questionnaires in November 2022, during the eighth COVID-19 wave in Japan. We compared the groups and subgroups according to parental sex and determined the relationship between variables. The parents in the first-child group felt lonelier than the parents in the second-child group (p < 0.05), and their loneliness was correlated with psychosocial factors. Significantly, more mothers in the second-child group answered "agree" to negative perceptions of parenting than mothers in the first-child group. Additionally, parenting difficulties were correlated with a negative perception of parenting and parental burnout in both groups. Furthermore, providing parental support may improve parenting and promote parents' health.

著者

Yuki Mizumoto Yoshinori Sasaki Hikaru Sunakawa Shuichi Tanese Rena Shinohara Toshinari Kurokouchi Kaori Sugimoto Manao Seto Masahiro Ishida Kotoe Itagaki Yukino Yoshida Saori Namekata Momoka Takahashi Ikuhiro Harada Shoko Sasaki Kiyoshi Saito Yusuke Toguchi Yuki Hakosima Kumi Inazaki Yuta Yoshimura Masahide Usami

出版者

National Center for Global Health and Medicine

雑誌

Global Health & Medicine (ISSN:24349186)

巻号頁・発行日

pp.2022.01034, (Released:2023-03-23)

参考文献数

8

被引用文献数

2

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During the COVID-19 pandemic, the incidence of eating disorders (ED) has increased not only in Japan but also worldwide. This online survey for pediatricians showed that caregivers tend to visit specific pediatric institutions or child psychiatry departments when children under junior high school age develop eating disorders. There are few pediatric institutions regarding treatment acceptance for children with ED. Of the 34 respondents, 16 (47.1%) answered that the number of visits for children with eating disorders had "stayed the same", one answered it had "decreased" and 17 (50.0%) answered it had "increased" or "increased very much". In addition, 28 of the 34 respondents (82.3%) experienced difficulties with psychotherapy for children with ED. For treating children with ED, pediatricians usually conducted physical examination and have some clinical burden. ED are increasing in the COVID-19 pandemic. Because children with severe ED need to be hospitalized, child and adolescent psychiatric wards are overcrowded and some children with other mental disorders can't be admitted.

著者

Ikuma Nozaki Masahiko Hachiya Chieko Ikeda

出版者

National Center for Global Health and Medicine

雑誌

Global Health & Medicine (ISSN:24349186)

巻号頁・発行日

pp.2023.01002, (Released:2023-02-01)

参考文献数

49

被引用文献数

1

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Since Cambodia has been recognized as one of the low- and middle-income countries with a successful COVID-19 vaccine program, its program approaches were reviewed based mainly on press articles and announcements from the Ministry of Health. From the beginning, the government's proactive approach to securing vaccines and its flexibility prior to WHO Emergency Use Listing (EUL) contributed greatly to the success of the program. Vaccines were provided by COVAX and other countries, but more than half of the vaccines secured were Chinese vaccines purchased with government funds. The rollout of the vaccine has also been flexible, moving from a strategy of prioritizing risk groups and essential workers to one of expanding the campaign from population centers to rural areas, as well as gradually expanding the target age group, eventually targeting the population age 3 and older. As a result of this high level of commitment by the government and its flexible response, Cambodia has achieved 95% primary series coverage of the entire population, including those not eligible for vaccination. Although the sixth booster is now being administered in Cambodia and vaccination every six months was recommended, several challenges might be anticipated in continuing this program, including the lack of clear global guidance on how to sustain and modify the COVID-19 immunization program and vaccine fatigue after COVID-19 outbreaks have been controlled. How these challenges are overcome and how the COVID-19 vaccine program remains need to be carefully observed into the future.

著者

Wenqian Xu Siwon Lee Hiromasa Okayasu

出版者

National Center for Global Health and Medicine

雑誌

Global Health & Medicine (ISSN:24349186)

巻号頁・発行日

pp.2023.01005, (Released:2023-02-08)

参考文献数

22

被引用文献数

2

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The Western Pacific Region is experiencing rapid population ageing, which has implications for almost all areas of society. Countries will need to prepare for population ageing by investing in health and optimizing living environments. This requires a whole-of-society approach to healthy ageing. Countries in the Western Pacific Region have been making significant progress in healthy ageing. Since the endorsement of the Regional Action Plan on Healthy Ageing, younger societies have also started preparing for population ageing, focusing on social and health systems transformation, community-based integrated care, social and technological innovations and research, monitoring and evaluation. As more countries are interested in healthy ageing and preparing for necessary social and health systems transformation, the case studies in this article can be an inspiration for Member States to transform their approaches to achieving a society where older adults are healthier and can participate fully.

著者

Soichiro Saeki Mizuki Iwata Rie Tomizawa Kaori Minamitani

出版者

National Center for Global Health and Medicine

雑誌

Global Health & Medicine (ISSN:24349186)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.4, no.6, pp.341-346, 2022-12-25 (Released:2022-12-26)

参考文献数

20

被引用文献数

5

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Language barriers negatively affect patient outcomes, and linguistic assistance is essential for adequate healthcare. The adoption of face-to-face medical interpretating is believed to have been rendered more challenging by the implementation of hospital admission restrictions following the outbreak of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). On the other hand, remote interpretating can be implemented using merely equipment, enabling it to be introduced without being impacted by the transmission of illness, and its use may have spread globally. To comprehend how COVID-19 has impacted remote interpreting utilization and what issues have arisen, we conducted a systematic review of two databases, PubMed and Ichushi-web (Japanese medical literature) with "remote interpreting" and "COVID-19" as keywords in June, 2022. Five references were included in the review. The research supported an increase in remote interpreting during COVID-19 to limit the risk of infection. This change in the trend of medical interpreting has the potential of promoting remote medical interpreting for places lacking sufficient linguistically skilled human resources, regardless of the pandemic status. There have also been accounts of novel methods of remote medical interpretation in which neither the healthcare professional nor the interpreter was face-to-face with the patient, and difficulty was acknowledged by both the healthcare professional and the patient with remote interpreting. To fully take advantage of the possibilities of remote interpreting, additional training and support would be required. Further studies are also required to determine the best way to employ this technology.

著者

Naoko Nagano Manabu Suzuki Shota Yamamoto Konomi Kobayashi Motoyasu Iikura Shinyu Izumi Masayuki Hojo Haruhito Sugiyama

出版者

National Center for Global Health and Medicine

雑誌

Global Health & Medicine (ISSN:24349186)

巻号頁・発行日

pp.2022.01057, (Released:2022-11-20)

参考文献数

30

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Bronchial artery embolization (BAE) is the first choice treatment for hemoptysis. With advances in endovascular treatment, various embolic materials have become available. However, the optimal embolic material for the treatment of cryptogenic hemoptysis has not been determined. This study aimed to investigate the short- and long-term efficacy of BAE using a gelatin sponge in the treatment of patients with cryptogenic hemoptysis. The clinical characteristics, angiographic findings, and short- and long-term outcomes of BAE were retrospectively analyzed in 22 consecutive patients who underwent BAE for control of cryptogenic hemoptysis between January 2010 and September 2018. Selective angiography and super-selective BAE were successfully performed for all patients. A gelatin sponge was used in all patients. Further, polyvinyl alcohol was mixed with the gelatin sponge in 11 patients (50%). Angiography showed that the bronchial artery was responsible for hemoptysis in all patients, along with the intercostal artery in one patient (4.5%) and the inferior phrenic artery in one patient (4.5%). Immediate hemostasis was achieved in all patients. The recurrence-free rate was 100% for 1 month, 94.1% for 3 months, 94.1% for 12 months, and 87.4% for 24 months. Of two patients with recurrent hemoptysis, one underwent bronchoscopic hemoptysis and the other received intravenous hemostatic agents. No patient underwent BAE for recurrence. No severe complications occurred. In conclusion, BAE using a gelatin sponge has short- and long-term hemostatic efficacy for treating cryptogenic hemoptysis without any severe complications. A gelatin sponge is a suitable embolic material for patients with cryptogenic hemoptysis.

著者

Eiichi Shimizu Yuta Yokobori Kazuki Miyazaki Kaori Ohara Megumi Fujii Tomoko Nishioka Noriko Fujita

出版者

National Center for Global Health and Medicine

雑誌

GHM Open (ISSN:2436293X)

巻号頁・発行日

pp.2022.01008, (Released:2022-11-04)

参考文献数

20

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The introduction of health products to low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) is hindered by several barriers. Even when these barriers are overcome, improper use of health products can have a negative effect on health outcomes. Health products may go unused due to a mismatch of product needs as well as a lack of public infrastructure, spare parts and consumables, or trained technicians. This study presents a comprehensive framework of the essential steps for effectively delivering quality health products to people in need based on our document reviews and case studies. We divide the value chain of health products into seven steps: 1) situation analysis, 2) research and development, 3) regulatory authorization, 4) selection and prioritization, 5) public procurement, 6) distribution and storage, and 7) health service delivery. We find that the practice of undertaking one step at a time leads to enormous costs in terms of time and resources, often with little success. Failed attempts sometimes necessitate starting over from the beginning. Therefore, it is important to attempt each step while looking ahead to the end through the entire chain of seven steps. More in-depth analysis and lessons from best practices for each of the seven steps may need to be investigated further to consider possible interventions.

著者

Kentaro Kobayashi Akio Kimura Ryo Sasaki Kayoko Hayakawa Norio Ohmagari Yasuo Sugiura Haruhito Sugiyama Norihiro Kokudo

出版者

National Center for Global Health and Medicine

雑誌

Global Health & Medicine (ISSN:24349186)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.4, no.4, pp.230-232, 2022-08-31 (Released:2022-09-03)

参考文献数

3

被引用文献数

1

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In preparation for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games, our hospital was responsible for accepting mainly media representatives, marketing partners, and other Games staff. Given that restricting our regular capacity to treat certain groups of patients could potentially result in social losses, to avoid this we made rigorous preparations for the entire hospital to accept Games-related patients. It was rational to set up a single 24-h contact point at the Emergency Department for making the decision on whether to accept the patient or not and for coordinating the patient's medical care. With respect to language support, International Health Care Center staffs were made available as interpreters on weekdays. Multilingual support was available all day via an application run on tablet devices. During a 67-day period, the hospital accepted 31 Games-related patients (mean age 43.4 years, male: female ratio 25:6). Eighteen patients were from Europe, 4 patients each were from North America and Asia, 2 each were from Central America, South America, and Africa, and 1 was from Oceania. The most common cause of visits was COVID-19, but none were severe cases. Other causes were diverse and included moderate and severe conditions. We summarized the challenges and experiences in handling Tokyo 2020 Games-related patients at a designated hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic

著者

Noriko Kodani Mitsuru Ohsugi

出版者

National Center for Global Health and Medicine

雑誌

Global Health & Medicine (ISSN:24349186)

巻号頁・発行日

pp.2022.01031, (Released:2022-06-27)

参考文献数

36

被引用文献数

1

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Since December 2019, in the fight against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, we observed that glycemic control in people with diabetes is easily affected by lifestyle changes. To maintain a good health condition, a patient-centered approach with mental support and close monitoring is required. For these, telemedicine and online continuous glucose monitoring (CGM), are effective systems. Therefore, based on our experience during the two-year period, we reviewed the literature for appropriate actions required for the management of diabetes to prevent COVID-19 infection and avoid unfavorable outcomes in COVID-19 cases. Once infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), there is a high risk of a poor prognosis in patients with diabetes. Glucocorticoid therapy in severe COVID-19 cases leads to further hyperglycemia. Since good glycemic control has been shown to improve outcomes, strict glycemic control using CGM is recommended. Using CGM data, insulin can be adequately titrated without causing hypoglycemia, and remote data monitoring can reduce the risk of infection for health care professionals, by reducing the frequency of patient contact. Among patients with COVID-19, some are found to have newly-diagnosed diabetes at admission. Those newly diagnosed patients present with a higher risk of poor prognosis compared to those with pre-existing diabetes. Therefore, glycemic status should be evaluated in all patients with COVID-19 admitted to hospitals.

著者

Mami Wakabayashi Yasunori Ichimura Eiichi Shimizu Tomoko Nishioka Yuzuru Kono Masahiko Doi Yuriko Egami Tomoka Kadowaki Hiroyasu Iso Noriko Fujita

出版者

National Center for Global Health and Medicine

雑誌

GHM Open (ISSN:2436293X)

巻号頁・発行日

pp.2021.01032, (Released:2022-02-26)

参考文献数

20

被引用文献数

1

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The World Health Organization (WHO) has been utilizing Emergency Use Listing (EUL) to expand access to medical products during the COVID-19 pandemic. EUL is a risk-based procedure for assessing and listing unlicensed vaccines, medicine, and in vitro diagnostics. To determine whether Japanese medical products acquired EUL relating to COVID-19, we conducted desk research as a part of a new project. Results showed that thirteen of twenty-eight in vitro diagnostic products were from China and three of ten vaccines on EUL were from India. However, only one vaccine manufactured in Japan was on EUL. A common weakness of Japanese companies in the global public procurement market was a lack of knowledge on qualification systems for medical products. We hypothesized holistic approaches from private companies and systematic supports from public sectors are required for a response to an emergency. These activities could lead to contribute to global health issues through sustainable businesses.

著者

Hani Amir Aouissi

出版者

National Center for Global Health and Medicine

雑誌

Global Health & Medicine (ISSN:24349186)

巻号頁・発行日

pp.2021.01117, (Released:2021-12-16)

参考文献数

6

被引用文献数

22

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The world has been confronting a health crisis for two years because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The context of the crisis has the form of the first wave and subsequent waves that varied depending on the country. Undoubtedly, Algeria is one of the countries that have suffered severely from this pandemic. The recent wave has been marked with the huge number of casualties given the poor preparation. The country's preparation issue will be more complicated. In other words, in the context of an expected 4th wave that is characterized with the appearance of the new Omicron variant B.1.1.529. Thus, this news will consider the situation comprehensively and will provide recommendations to minimize the potential damage that will result from the fourth wave, and to attempt to limit the spread of the virus. The updated measures aim at rising the opportunities of improving the health situation in the country in the near future.

著者

Tatsuo Sawakami Kenji Karako Peipei Song

出版者

National Center for Global Health and Medicine

雑誌

Global Health & Medicine (ISSN:24349186)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.3, no.3, pp.125-128, 2021-06-30 (Released:2021-07-05)

参考文献数

21

被引用文献数

18

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Respiratory disease deaths associated with seasonal influenza are estimated to be 290,000 to 650,000 per year globally. In Japan, seasonal influenza affects more than 10 million people per year, and especially children, the elderly, and patients with underlying medical conditions, and seasonal influenza can cause severe illness. As SARS-CoV-2 continues to spread, the combined risk of concurrent influenza epidemics and the COVID-19 pandemic are a concern. When the status of influenza virus infections during the 2020-2021 flu season was compared to the 2011 to 2020 flu seasons, data indicated the absence of seasonal influenza outbreaks in Japan during the COVID-19 pandemic. The number of flu patients was roughly estimated to be 14,000 nationwide from September 2020 to March 2021, which marks the first sharp decrease since national influenza surveillance started in 1987 in conjunction with National Epidemiological Surveillance of Infectious Diseases (NESID). Moreover, approximately 500 sentinel sites (designated medical facilities) nationwide reported only 112 patients with severe influenza who required hospitalization. Since prevention and control measures amidst the COVID-19 pandemic have become the "new normal", one can reasonably assume that the absence of a seasonal influenza outbreak is related to prevention and control measures implemented in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Basic infection prevention measures were thoroughly implemented, such as wearing masks, handwashing, and avoiding confined spaces, crowded places, and close-contact settings. More importantly, the behavioral changes adopted to constrain COVID-19 during three declared states of emergency reduced population density and contact with people, including closing schools, asking restaurants to reduce their business hours, teleworking, curbing the flow of people during vacation week, etc. These behavioral changes will serve as a valuable reference to reduce the spread of seasonal influenza in the future.

著者

Mami Wakabayashi Satoshi Ezoe Makiko Yoneda Yasushi Katsuma Hiroyasu Iso

出版者

National Center for Global Health and Medicine

雑誌

GHM Open (ISSN:2436293X)

巻号頁・発行日

pp.2021.01029, (Released:2021-11-08)

参考文献数

37

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Ensuring equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines for all people has been challenging, hence, establishing relevant vaccination policies is required. This study delineates how vaccination policies have affected equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines. A situation survey was conducted in 201 countries and territories through 156 Japanese diplomatic missions abroad to capture the global state of COVID-19 vaccination policies. Questionnaire responses were received from 159 states (79%) as of March 31, 2021, and data from Japan were incorporated into the analysis. All questionnaire items were open-ended, covering the vaccines in use and five vaccination policies such as vaccine eligibility. Results reveal that first, 81 states (51% out of 160) had not started vaccinations as of February 24, 2021, but by March 31, this number had decreased dramatically to 37 (23%); in particular, the number of states in Africa without vaccination decreased from 40 to 16. Second, 43 (27%) states did not recommend the vaccine for pregnant women. Third, the vaccine was free of charge to the public in 116 states (73%), and 43 states (27%) offered no-fault compensation. Finally, vaccination was voluntary in 124 states (78%). In conclusion, the number of countries that had started vaccination increased by March 2021, especially in Africa, although many African countries seemed to lack access to the mRNA vaccine. To fix the uneven distribution, dose donations were accelerated since middle of July. Reviewing worldwide vaccine policies is useful not only for this pandemic but also to strengthen vaccination systems for preparedness for the next pandemic.

著者

Xueying Jin Nanako Tamiya

出版者

National Center for Global Health and Medicine

雑誌

Global Health & Medicine (ISSN:24349186)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.3, no.3, pp.142-148, 2021-06-30 (Released:2021-07-05)

参考文献数

67

被引用文献数

6

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This study aims to evaluate the current status and perspectives on the use of Japanese long-term care (LTC) claims databases for research. We conducted a comprehensive literature search of PubMed and the Japan Medical Abstracts Society (Ichushi-Web), focusing on LTC claims data analyses published between 2000 and 2020. We summarized the study characteristics, database characteristics, and the research areas related to health services that were studied. In total, 86 journal articles (12 in Japanese and 74 in English) were included in our review. A particularly remarkable increase in the number of publications from 2016 to 2020 was observed. We extracted more publications with combined databases (n = 64) than those that only used a single source of the LTC claims databases (n = 22). More than half of the studies analyzed healthcare expenditure, healthcare utilization, and quality of care which were relevant to health services research. The most frequently mentioned limitation was the lack of validation in variables stored in the LTC claims databases. In conclusion, the LTC claims databases could serve as important sources of information for the evaluation of healthcare delivery, quality of care, and LTC policy.