Occupational health surveillance

A 9-y-old captive male Pallas' cat ( Otocolobus manul ) had a 1-mo history of worsening lameness and was euthanized. The animal was submitted to the North Dakota State University-Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory for autopsy with differential diagnoses of suspected degenerative joint disease or neoplasia. Autopsy revealed icteric tissues and pinpoint foci in the liver, spleen, and all lung lobes. PCR testing was positive for Francisella tularensis , the causative agent of tularemia. Additional cases of tularemia were later identified in wild eastern cottontail rabbits found dead at the same urban zoo...

BACKGROUND: Occupational exposure to metals can be associated with respiratory diseases which can adversely affect the individual's health, finances and employment. Despite this, little is known about the incidence of these respiratory conditions over prolonged periods of time. AIMS: This study aimed to investigate the trends in the incidence of work-related respiratory diseases attributed to nickel, chromium and cobalt in the UK. METHODS: Cases of occupational respiratory diseases caused by nickel, chromium or cobalt reported to Surveillance of Work-related and Occupational Respiratory Disease (SWORD), the UK-based surveillance scheme between 1996 and 2019 (inclusive), were extracted and grouped into six 4-year time periods...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Epidemiological data regarding inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are lacking, in particular for occupationally exposed populations. We investigated whether, among the entire French farm manager (FM) workforce, certain agricultural activities are more strongly associated with IBD than others. METHODS: Nationwide population-based insurance claims and electronic health records from all FMs that worked at least once over the period 2002-2016 were used (n=1088561, 69% males)...

OBJECTIVE: To understand the prevalence, genetic characteristics and drug resistance features of Salmonella Kentucky ST314 in Shenzhen. METHODS: Whole genome sequencing of 14 strains of Salmonella Kentucky ST314 collected from 2010-2021 by the Foodborne Disease Surveillance Network of Shenzhen Center for Disease Control and Prevention for phylogenetic evolutionary analysis, drug resistance gene and plasmid detection; drug susceptibility experiments were performed by micro-broth dilution method...

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the usual vitamin intake and the prevalence of inadequate intakes among Chinese adults in 2015, and to provide a scientific basis for developing nutrition intervention strategies and measures for target populations. METHODS: Data was drawn from the Chinese Nutrition and Health Surveillance 2015-2017, a nationally representative cross-sectional study. The multistage stratified whole-group random sampling method was used to draw participants from 298 surveillance sites in 31 provinces(autonomous regions and municipalities)...

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the prevalence and influencing factors of postpartum perceived absence of breast milk supply among Chinese mothers in 2013. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study based on the data collected from children and mothers under 2 years of age in 2013 as part of the nutrition and health surveillance of Chinese residents. In this study, multistage stratified cluster sampling method was used to select subjects from 55 countires/districts in 30 provinces in China...

OBJECTIVE: To explore the association between habitual tea consumption and 10-year cardiovascular disease risk among middle-aged and elderly Chinese. METHODS: China Nutrition and Health Surveillance 2015 applied a stratified, multistage, and random sampling method. The current study selected middle-aged and elderly participants aged 45 and older, and they were investigated by basic information survey, dietary survey based on the food frequency questionnaire, physical measurements including height, weight, and blood pressure, and a laboratory examination with fasting blood samples...

OBJECTIVE: Understand the current situation and changing trends of low body weight in elderly population aged 60 years and above. METHODS: Data was collected from 2002 Chinese Nutrition and Health Survey, 2010-2013 Chinese Nutrition and Health Surveillance and 2015 Chinese Adult Chronic Disease and Nutrition Surveillance. Multi-stage stratified cluster random sampling was used for all surveys or surveillance. In 2002, 27 778 samples of people aged 60 and over were taken from 132 monitoring sites in mainland China...

In 2017 we published a review on blood lead levels (BLL) in children from Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) for data available up to 14th of March 2014 and recommended the identification and control of "lead hot spots". In the present study, an evaluation of progress toward reducing BLL in the region was carried out. A systematic review of the latest literature on lead exposure in the LAC region held on the PubMed, Web of Science and LILACS databases (January 2014 to March 2022) was conducted using the PRISMA methodology...

Work-related psychosocial hazards are on the verge of surpassing many other occupational hazards in their contribution to ill-health, injury, disability, direct and indirect costs, and impact on business and national productivity. The risks associated with exposure to psychosocial hazards at work are compounded by the increasing background prevalence of mental health disorders in the working-age population. The extensive and cumulative impacts of these exposures represent an alarming public health problem that merits immediate, increased attention...

In the past decades, an epidemic of chronic kidney disease (CKD) has been associated with environmental and occupational factors (heat stress from high workloads in hot temperatures and exposure to chemicals, such as pesticides and metals), which has been termed CKD of non-traditional origin (CKDnt). This descriptive review aims to present recent evidence about heat stress, pesticides, and metals as possible causes of CKDnt and provide an overview of the related Brazilian regulation, enforcement, and health surveillance strategies...

OBJECTIVES: Military training centers and seagoing vessels are often environments at high risk for the spread of COVID-19 and other contagious diseases, because military trainees and personnel arrive after traveling from many parts of the country and live in congregate settings. We examined whether levels of SARS-CoV-2 genetic material in wastewater correlated with SARS-CoV-2 infections among military personnel living in communal barracks and vessels at US Coast Guard training centers in the United States...

BACKGROUND: Epidemiological studies in refugee settings are often challenged by the denominator problem, i.e. lack of population at risk data. We develop an empirical approach to address this problem by assessing relationships between occupancy data in refugee centres, number of refugee patients in walk-in clinics, and diseases of the digestive system. METHODS: Individual-level patient data from a primary care surveillance system (PriCarenet) was matched with occupancy data retrieved from immigration authorities...

The Work Ability Index (WAI) is the most widely used questionnaire for the self-assessment of working ability. Because of its different applications, shorter versions, and widespread use in healthcare activities, assessing its characteristics is worthwhile. The WAI was distributed online among the employees of a healthcare company; the results were compared with data contained in the employees' personal health records and with absence registers. A total of 340 out of 575 workers (59.1%) participated; 6.5% of them reported poor work ability...

OBJECTIVES: Little is known about occupational co-exposure. The objective was to assess the prevalence of exposure and co-exposure to biomechanical factors and neurotoxic chemicals in French workers in 2017. METHODS: Data from the French representative survey SUMER 2017 (SUrveillance Médicale des Expositions aux Risques professionnels) were analyzed. A total of 25 118 workers were included. Exposure to 4 biomechanical factors (manual handling of loads, forceful joint exertion, repetitive movements, and hand-arm transmitted vibrations) and 18 neurotoxic chemicals (n-hexane, perchloroethylene, trichloroethylene, etc...

OBJECTIVE: This paper summarizes and evaluates a test-based strategy for early return to work for health-care workers (HCWs) with mild coronavirus disease in Brunei Darussalam during the Omicron wave in February 2022 and compares the characteristics of HCWs by how long it took them to return to work. METHODS: The early return-to-work strategy involved testing on day 3 of infection with reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and with a rapid antigen test on days 5 and 6 or days 5 and 7...

BACKGROUND: The Work Ability Index (WAI) is an instrument that measures work ability. The wide dispersion of the WAI internationally has led to its adaptation for use in different countries. This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the WAI. METHODS: A methodological design was used over an opportunistic sample of 233 workers in the aeronautical industry in Spain. Reliability was evaluated through internal consistency. Factorial validity, known groups, and convergent validity were tested...

BACKGROUND: In March 2023, an alternative school in the Republic of Korea reported 12 cases of shigellosis. This study aims to analyze the epidemiological characteristics in order to determine the cause of the cluster outbreak of shigellosis and to develop prevention strategies. METHODS: This study focused on 12 patients with confirmed Shigella infection and investigated their demographics, clinical features, epidemiology, diagnostics, and antimicrobial susceptibility...

Digital and technological solutions constitute a key enabler to achieving better workplace safety and health outcomes. Fundamentally, the success of their implementation is underscored by a need for employers, employees, industry stakeholders and policymakers to collaborate in adopting a "digital first" mindset. This review provides a background on the evolution of work and the workforce in post-independence Singapore, and introduces pertinent local workplace safety and health trends. It delves into how a "digital first" approach may be adopted and effected, followed by challenges and opportunities in the digitalization of Singapore's workplace safety and health landscape...

BACKGROUND: As a reflection of the health emergency caused by COVID-19, many countries adopted guidelines, which included activity restrictions. As a result, some companies maintained their activities with on-site work and telework. OBJECTIVE: Analyzing the morbidity and mortality profile due to COVID-19 of workers in telework and on-site work in an oil and gas company. METHODS: Cross-sectional, quantitative, and analytical study that included 8,394 workers diagnosed with COVID-19 at an oil and gas company in Brazil, from June 2020 to June 2021...