Lack of mask use during large public events might spread COVID-19. It is now possible to measure this and similar public health information using publicly available webcams. We demonstrate a rapid assessment approach for measuring mask usage at a public event.

We monitored crowds at public areas in Sturgis, SD using a live, high-definition, town-sponsored video stream to analyze the prevalence of mask wearing. We developed a rapid coding procedure for mask wearing and analyzed brief (5 to 25 min) video segments to assess mask-wearing compliance in outdoor public areas. We calculated compliance estimates and compared reliability among the human coders.

We were able to observe and quantify public behavior on the public streets. This approach rapidly estimated public health information (e.g., 512 people observed over 25 minutes with 2.3% mask usage) available on the same day. Coders produced reliable estimates across a sample of videos for counting masked users and mask-wearing proportion. Our video data is stored in Databrary.org.

This approach has implications for disaster responses and public health. The approach is easy to use, can provide same day results, and can provide public health stakeholders with key information on public behavior.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a communicable disease transmitted via respiratory droplet from 1 person to another caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). This study aims to investigate the knowledge, attitudes, and practice of Jordanian people toward COVID-19 during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, the paper explores the lack of perception and adherence to preventive measures toward COVID-19.

A quantitative, cross-sectional, descriptive online survey was used to explore study variables. A convenience sample of individual who are of Jordanian nationality, were aged 18 years or older, understood the content of the questionnaire, and agreed to participate voluntarily was surveyed.

The average correct score of COVID-19 knowledge was 84.44% (12.66/15). In addition, knowledge scores significantly differed across demographic characteristics of participants. Moreover, 93.8% (1009) of the study sample had confidence that Jordan can win the battle against the COVID-19 virus. However, study participants acknowledged that they did not visit crowded places in recent days (91.6%), while 71.3% (767) wore masks when leaving home.

The current study added a new knowledge that generally the Jordanian people during the quarantine period have a high knowledge and optimistic attitudes and practices toward COVID-19.

This article describes implementation considerations for Ebola-related monitoring and movement restriction policies in the United States during the 2013–2016 West Africa Ebola epidemic.

Semi-structured interviews were conducted between January and May 2017 with 30 individuals with direct knowledge of state-level Ebola policy development and implementation processes. Individuals represented 17 jurisdictions with variation in adherence to US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines, census region, predominant state political affiliation, and public health governance structures, as well as the CDC.

Interviewees reported substantial resource commitments required to implement Ebola monitoring and movement restriction policies. Movement restriction policies, including for quarantine, varied from voluntary to mandatory programs, and, occasionally, quarantine enforcement procedures lacked clarity.

Efforts to improve future monitoring and movement restriction policies may include addressing surge capacity to implement these programs, protocols for providing support to affected individuals, coordination with law enforcement, and guidance on varying approaches to movement restrictions.

Hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) is a common infectious disease caused by a group of viruses. The causative viruses have changed over time, and there is a need for a more effective protective vaccine. In this study, we investigated the profiles of human enteroviruses that caused HFMD outbreaks in Nanjing in 2015, with the goal of guiding the future prevention and treatment of HFMD.

Specimens were collected from 1097 patients admitted to our hospital and diagnosed with HFMD. Enteroviruses in the specimens were identified by real-time polymerase chain reaction and epidemiological patterns were analyzed with the clinical data.

Among the 1097 clinically diagnosed HFMD cases, 916 cases were confirmed by laboratory tests. The results showed that the main infectious virus was coxsackievirus A6 (CVA6) (41.75%), followed by enterovirus 71 (EV71) (27.48%), coxsackievirus A16 (7.43%), coxsackievirus A10 (6.84%), and others (16.51%). Further investigation indicated that CVA6 caused mild cases of HFMD, while EV71 caused severe cases. More enterovirus positive cases were reported from rural areas than from urban areas.

CA6 and EV71 were the chief pathogenic viruses of HFMD cases in the present study. Schools, childcare centers, and families from rural areas should be the major targets for prevention and awareness of HFMD. This study will provide information useful in the prevention and management of HFMD and the development of relevant vaccines for HFMD in the future. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2019;13:740–744).

Hurricane Sandy was one of the deadliest storms in US history, with at least 162 deaths and numerous injuries. This research aimed to quantify the impact of Hurricane Sandy on the New York metropolitan area.

The project included 601 volunteers aged at least 18 years who were recruited in Nassau, Suffolk, Queens, and Richmond counties and Staten Island between 2013 and 2014 through close partnerships with coalition community leaders. Participants completed a self-administered questionnaire on demographics and behavioral factors and a 35-point check off list on hurricane exposure. Perceived stress was assessed by using the 10-item Perceived Stress Scale (PSS).

Participants had a mean stress score of 15.6 (SD=7.3; vs general population mean of 13.0), with 30.14% of the sample categorized as “high stress” (mean≥20). In the multivariable regression analysis, age was significantly negatively associated with PSS score. A reported history of mental health issues, Hispanic ethnicity, and overall exposure to Hurricane Sandy were statistically significantly associated with PSS score in a positive direction.

Perceived stress was high in areas affected by Hurricane Sandy and was significantly associated with individual hurricane exposure. This study is a first step toward defining what segments of the population are more vulnerable and informing intervention and emergency preparedness efforts. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2015;10:325–332)

The West African Ebola epidemic has raised fundamental questions about the ethical and practical use of quarantine measures during infectious disease events.

This article first reviews the idea of containment in response to disease and the means by which containment has been perceived. It then proposes that disaster medicine, whose focus is the individual, and public health in its focus on populations have related but distinct ethical imperatives. The means by which both were deployed in the West African Ebola epidemic are considered.

The argument is made that a narrow focus on the individual patient or community prevented an early recognition of the potential for disease expansion. In this case, a broad public health perspective was overshadowed by localized attention.

In the future, a public health perspective is a necessary and ethical priority and thus the use of isolation and containment in conjunction with the imperative to treat that is the focus of medical ethics. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2016;10:654–661)

A recent article reported a reduction in the suicide rate in the inhabitants of L’Aquila (Italy) in 2009, when on the night of April 6, a devastating earthquake struck the city. The potential implications of the role of resilience in the aftermath of natural disasters, together with the limitations of existing evidence on this topic, suggest a need for more research. We aimed to retrospectively investigate the impact of the L’Aquila earthquake on a standardized self-reported measure of health-related quality of life (HRQoL).

HRQoL data were collected through 2 separate cross-sectional surveys conducted during 2008 and 2010, before and after the earthquake that occurred in 2009, on 2 random samples of adults living in L’Aquila.

The data seemed to suggest no decrease in the inhabitants’ HRQoL level after the disaster, which may suggest the role of resilience in supporting survivors’ HRQoL. The findings were also consistent with previous observations of a reduction in the suicide rate in the same inhabitants after the earthquake.

After a natural disaster, people likely activate personal resources and protective social factors that result in better subjective outcomes. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2016;10:11-15)