The 2014-15 Holuhraun eruption in Iceland was the largest fissure eruption in over 200 years, emitting prodigious amounts of gas and particulate matter into the troposphere. Reykjavík, the capital ...area of Iceland (250 km from eruption site) was exposed to air pollution events from advection of (i) a relatively young and chemically primitive volcanic plume with a high sulphur dioxide gas (SO
) to sulphate PM (SO
) ratio, and (ii) an older and chemically mature volcanic plume with a low SO
/SO
ratio. Whereas the advection and air pollution caused by the primitive plume were successfully forecast and forewarned in public advisories, the mature plume was not. Here, we show that exposure to the mature plume is associated with an increase in register-measured health care utilisation for respiratory disease by 23% (95% CI 19.7-27.4%) and for asthma medication dispensing by 19.3% (95% CI 9.6-29.1%). Absence of public advisories is associated with increases in visits to primary care medical doctors and to the hospital emergency department. We recommend that operational response to volcanic air pollution considers both primitive and mature types of plumes.
Highlights • Most cases of invasive meningococcal disease in Europe are caused by serogroup B. • The notification rate of serogroup B is highest among infants. • Routine MCC vaccination was the ...driving force behind the decreasing trend in SgC. • The notification rates of serogroups Y and W are increasing in some countries.
Abstract
Background
The Holuhraun volcanic eruption September 2014 to February 2015 emitted large amounts of sulfur dioxide (SO
2
). The aim of this study was to determine the association between ...volcanic SO
2
gases on general population respiratory health some 250 km from the eruption site, in the Icelandic capital area.
Methods
Respiratory health outcomes were: asthma medication dispensing (AMD) from the Icelandic Medicines Register, medical doctor consultations in primary care (PCMD) and hospital emergency department visits (HED) in Reykjavík (population: 215000) for respiratory disease from 1 January 2010 to 31 December 2014. The associations between daily counts of health events and daily mean SO
2
concentration and high SO
2
levels (24-h mean SO
2
> 125 μg/m3) were analysed using generalized additive models.
Results
After the eruption began, AMD was higher than before (129.4 vs. 158.4 individuals per day,
p
< 0.05). For PCMD and HED, there were no significant differences between the number of daily events before and after the eruption (142.2 vs 144.8 and 18.3 vs 17.5, respectively). In regression analysis adjusted for other pollutants, SO
2
was associated with estimated increases in AMD by 0.99% (95% CI 0.39–1.58%) per 10 μg/m
3
at lag 0–2, in PCMD for respiratory causes 1.26% (95% CI 0.72–1.80%) per 10 μg/m
3
SO
2
at lag 0–2, and in HED by 1.02% (95% CI 0.02–2.03%) per 10 μg/m
3
SO
2
at lag 0–2. For days over the health limit, the estimated increases were 10.9% (95% CI 2.1–19.6%), 17.2% (95% CI 10.0–24.4%) for AMD and PCMD. Dispensing of short-acting medication increased significantly by 1.09% (95% CI 0.49–1.70%), and PCMD for respiratory infections and asthma and COPD diagnoses and increased significantly by 1.12% (95% CI 0.54–1.71%) and 2.08% (1.13–3.04%).
Conclusion
High levels of volcanic SO
2
are associated with increases in dispensing of AMD, and health care utilization in primary and tertiary care. Individuals with prevalent respiratory disease may be particularly susceptible.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Objective The Holuhraun eruption of fall and winter 2014-15 produced large amounts of sulfur dioxide (SO
). The aim of this study was to determine if exposure to extreme SO
levels affected the health ...of individuals working at the eruption site. Methods During January‒March 2015, earth scientists, technicians, and law enforcement personnel who were about to work at the eruption site were invited to a respiratory health examination. Symptom reports and lung function measures, forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV
) and forced vital capacity (FVC) were collected before and after an eruption site visit. Those with previous exposure (N=27) reported symptoms retrospectively. Results Altogether, 41 individuals were invited to participate, 32 underwent a clinical examination at a hospital respiratory health clinic (baseline); 27 reported symptoms during earlier visits to the eruption site (retrospective symptom reports), 17 were re-examined 1-6 days after visiting the eruption site (follow-up). All participants' lung function was within normal range both before and after exposure. At baseline, average FEV
was 107.4% of predicted versus 106.6 at follow-up (P =0.82); average FVC was 107.0% of predicted at baseline versus 107.4% at follow-up (P=0.35). Eye and nasal irritation were more frequently reported during eruption site exposure by 24% versus 6% (P =0.37) for both. Conclusion Although "healthy-worker" effects cannot be excluded, our data indicate that SO
exposure was associated with relatively mild and transient respiratory symptoms with no clinical signs of airway inflammation or airway obstruction.
Knowledge about pneumococcal carriage, antibacterial resistance, serotype prevalence, and prevalence of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) after introduction of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines ...(PCVs) is lacking in the Faroe Islands. PCV-7 was introduced in 2008 and PCV-13 in 2010. The aim was to obtain knowledge on serotypes and antimicrobial resistance in pneumococci from carriage in children attending day-care centers (DCCs) and invasive isolates. Nasopharyngeal swabs were collected from 607 healthy children attending DCCs in the Faroe Islands in January to March in 2009, 2010, and 2011. Pneumococci were cultured selectively, tested for antibacterial susceptibility, and serotyped. Data from IPD isolates from 1974 to 2016 from the Department of Microbiology, National Hospital of the Faroe Islands, and typed and stored at Staten Serum Institute were also analyzed. Of the 607 screened children, 45% were pneumococcal carriers, 50% in 2009, 40% in 2010, and 42% in 2011. Antibiotic resistance in pneumococci was rare both in carriers and patients. Five penicillin nonsusceptible pneumococci were found in carriers (1.8%) and one among the invasive isolates (1.7%). The most common serotypes in carriage were 6B and 6A in 2009, serotype 3 and 6C in 2010, and serotype 11 and 6C in 2011. Serotype 6B was not found in 2011. The most common serotypes among IPD were 7F and 3. Pneumococcal carriage prevalence in healthy children attending DCCs in the Faroe Islands was low and antibacterial resistance was rare, compared with Iceland. The results suggest a possible serotype shift, reduction in antibacterial use, and PCV-7/13 serotype decrease in IPD after the introduction of pneumococcal vaccinations in children.
Highlights • Childhood immunisations in Iceland have been extremely successful. • The public attitude towards childhood immunisations in Iceland is very positive. • An overwhelming majority would ...have their child immunized. • The majority of responders have confidence in Icelandic health authorities.
Humoral Immune Response to SARS-CoV-2 in Iceland Gudbjartsson, Daniel F; Norddahl, Gudmundur L; Melsted, Pall ...
The New England journal of medicine,
10/2020, Letnik:
383, Številka:
18
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
This large comparative study of the Icelandic population showed that the humoral response did not decline within 4 months after infection, that 44% of persons who had been infected had not been ...diagnosed with qPCR, and that the infection fatality risk was 0.3%.
Spread of SARS-CoV-2 in the Icelandic Population Gudbjartsson, Daniel F; Helgason, Agnar; Jonsson, Hakon ...
The New England journal of medicine,
06/2020, Letnik:
382, Številka:
24
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Despite timely implementation of testing for SARS-CoV-2 virus, a contact-tracing scheme, and social-distancing measures, infection has spread in Iceland. However, there was no detected increase in ...the proportion of infected persons between March 13 and April 4, 2020.
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