The phenomenon of vaccine hesitancy behavior has gained ground over the last three decades, jeopardizing the maintenance of herd immunity. This behavior tends to cluster spatially, creating pockets ...of unprotected sub-populations that can be hotspots for outbreak emergence. What remains less understood are the social mechanisms that can give rise to spatial clustering in vaccination behavior, particularly at the landscape scale. We focus on the presence of spatial clustering, and aim to mechanistically understand how different social processes can give rise to this phenomenon. In particular, we propose two hypotheses to explain the presence of spatial clustering: (i) social selection, in which vaccine-hesitant individuals share socio-demographic traits, and clustering of these traits generates spatial clustering in vaccine hesitancy; and (ii) social influence, in which hesitant behavior is contagious and spreads through neighboring societies, leading to hesitant clusters. Adopting a theoretical spatial network approach, we explore the role of these two processes in generating patterns of spatial clustering in vaccination behaviors under a range of spatial structures. We find that both processes are independently capable of generating spatial clustering, and the more spatially structured the social dynamics in a society are, the higher spatial clustering in vaccine-hesitant behavior it realizes. Together, we demonstrate that these processes result in unique spatial configurations of hesitant clusters, and we validate our models of both processes with fine-grain empirical data on vaccine hesitancy, social determinants, and social connectivity in the US. Finally, we propose, and evaluate the effectiveness of two novel intervention strategies to diminish hesitant behavior. Our generative modeling approach informed by unique empirical data provides insights on the role of complex social processes in driving spatial heterogeneity in vaccine hesitancy.
The lower an individual's socioeconomic position, the higher their risk of poor health in low-, middle-, and high-income settings alike. As health inequities grow, it is imperative that we develop an ...empirically-driven mechanistic understanding of the determinants of health disparities, and capture disease burden in at-risk populations to prevent exacerbation of disparities. Past work has been limited in data or scope and has thus fallen short of generalizable insights. Here, we integrate empirical data from observational studies and large-scale healthcare data with models to characterize the dynamics and spatial heterogeneity of health disparities in an infectious disease case study: influenza. We find that variation in social and healthcare-based determinants exacerbates influenza epidemics, and that low socioeconomic status (SES) individuals disproportionately bear the burden of infection. We also identify geographical hotspots of influenza burden in low SES populations, much of which is overlooked in traditional influenza surveillance, and find that these differences are most predicted by variation in susceptibility and access to sickness absenteeism. Our results highlight that the effect of overlapping factors is synergistic and that reducing this intersectionality can significantly reduce inequities. Additionally, health disparities are expressed geographically, and targeting public health efforts spatially may be an efficient use of resources to abate inequities. The association between health and socioeconomic prosperity has a long history in the epidemiological literature; addressing health inequities in respiratory-transmitted infectious disease burden is an important step towards social justice in public health, and ignoring them promises to pose a serious threat.
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, many have worried that the additional burden of seasonal influenza would create a devastating scenario, resulting in overwhelmed healthcare capacities and further ...loss of life. However, many were pleasantly surprised: the 2020 Southern Hemisphere and 2020–2021 Northern Hemisphere influenza seasons were entirely suppressed. The potential causes and impacts of this drastic public health shift are highly uncertain, but provide lessons about future control of respiratory diseases, especially for the upcoming influenza season.
COVID-19 pandemic-related shifts in healthcare utilization, in combination with trends in non-COVID-19 disease transmission and non-pharmaceutical intervention use, had clear impacts on rates of ...hospitalization for infectious and chronic diseases. Using a U.S. national healthcare billing database, we estimated the monthly incidence rate ratio of hospitalizations between March 2020 and June 2021 according to 19 ICD-10 diagnostic chapters and 189 subchapters. The majority of primary diagnoses for hospitalization showed an immediate decline in incidence during March 2020. Hospitalizations for reproductive neoplasms, hypertension, and diabetes returned to pre-pandemic levels during late 2020 and early 2021, while others, like those for infectious respiratory disease, did not return to pre-pandemic levels during this period. Our assessment of subchapter-level primary hospitalization codes offers insight into trends among less frequent causes of hospitalization during the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S.
At least 10,000 virus species have the ability to infect humans but, at present, the vast majority are circulating silently in wild mammals
. However, changes in climate and land use will lead to ...opportunities for viral sharing among previously geographically isolated species of wildlife
. In some cases, this will facilitate zoonotic spillover-a mechanistic link between global environmental change and disease emergence. Here we simulate potential hotspots of future viral sharing, using a phylogeographical model of the mammal-virus network, and projections of geographical range shifts for 3,139 mammal species under climate-change and land-use scenarios for the year 2070. We predict that species will aggregate in new combinations at high elevations, in biodiversity hotspots, and in areas of high human population density in Asia and Africa, causing the cross-species transmission of their associated viruses an estimated 4,000 times. Owing to their unique dispersal ability, bats account for the majority of novel viral sharing and are likely to share viruses along evolutionary pathways that will facilitate future emergence in humans. Notably, we find that this ecological transition may already be underway, and holding warming under 2 °C within the twenty-first century will not reduce future viral sharing. Our findings highlight an urgent need to pair viral surveillance and discovery efforts with biodiversity surveys tracking the range shifts of species, especially in tropical regions that contain the most zoonoses and are experiencing rapid warming.
Present estimates suggest there are over 1 million virus species found in mammals alone, with about half a million posing a possible threat to human health. Although previous estimates assume linear ...scaling between host and virus diversity, we show that ecological network theory predicts a non-linear relationship, produced by patterns of host sharing among virus species. To account for host sharing, we fit a power law scaling relationship for host-virus species interaction networks. We estimate that there are about 40,000 virus species in mammals (including ~10,000 viruses with zoonotic potential), a reduction of two orders of magnitude from present projections of viral diversity. We expect that the increasing availability of host-virus association data will improve the precision of these estimates and their use in the sampling and surveillance of pathogens with pandemic potential. We suggest host sharing should be more widely included in macroecological approaches to estimating biodiversity.
Antiviral chemoprophylaxis is recommended for use during influenza outbreaks in nursing homes to prevent transmission and severe disease among non-ill residents. Centers for Disease Control and ...Prevention (CDC) guidance recommends prophylaxis be initiated for all non-ill residents once an influenza outbreak is detected and be continued for at least 14 days and until 7 days after the last laboratory-confirmed influenza case is identified. However, not all facilities strictly adhere to this guidance and the impact of such partial adherence is not fully understood.
We developed a stochastic compartmental framework to model influenza transmission within an average-sized US nursing home. We compared the number of symptomatic illnesses and hospitalizations under varying prophylaxis implementation strategies, in addition to different levels of prophylaxis uptake and adherence by residents and healthcare personnel (HCP).
Prophylaxis implemented according to current guidance reduced total symptomatic illnesses and hospitalizations among residents by a median of 12% and 36%, respectively, compared with no prophylaxis. We did not find evidence that alternative implementations of prophylaxis were more effective: compared to full adoption of current guidance, partial adoption resulted in increased symptomatic illnesses and/or hospitalizations, and longer or earlier adoption offered no additional improvements. In addition, increasing uptake and adherence among nursing home residents was effective in reducing resident illnesses and hospitalizations, but increasing HCP uptake had minimal indirect impacts for residents.
The greatest benefits of influenza prophylaxis during nursing home outbreaks will likely be achieved through increasing uptake and adherence among residents and following current CDC guidance.
Abstract
The Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Omicron variant has been hypothesized to exhibit faster clearance (time from peak viral concentration to clearance of acute ...infection), decreased sensitivity of antigen tests, and increased immune escape (the ability of the variant to evade immunity conferred by past infection or vaccination) compared to prior variants. These factors necessitate reevaluation of prevention and control strategies, particularly in high-risk, congregate settings like nursing homes that have been heavily impacted by other coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) variants. We used a simple model representing individual-level viral shedding dynamics to estimate the optimal strategy for testing nursing home healthcare personnel and quantify potential reduction in transmission of COVID-19. This provides a framework for prospectively evaluating testing strategies in emerging variant scenarios when data are limited. We find that case-initiated testing prevents 38% of transmission within a facility if implemented within a day of an index case testing positive, and screening testing strategies could prevent 30% to 78% of transmission within a facility if implemented daily, depending on test sensitivity.
Once-eliminated vaccine-preventable childhood diseases, such as measles, are resurging across the United States. Understanding the spatio-temporal trends in vaccine exemptions is crucial to targeting ...public health intervention to increase vaccine uptake and anticipating vulnerable populations as cases surge. However, prior available data on childhood disease vaccination is either at too rough a spatial scale for this spatially-heterogeneous issue, or is only available for small geographic regions, making general conclusions infeasible. Here, we have collated school vaccine exemption data across the United States and provide it at the county-level for all years included. We demonstrate the fine-scale spatial heterogeneity in vaccine exemption levels, and show that many counties may fall below the herd immunity threshold. We also show that vaccine exemptions increase over time in most states, and non-medical exemptions are highly prevalent where allowed. Our dataset also highlights the need for greater data sharing and standardized reporting across the United States.
Abstract
Background
Health inequities impact healthcare delivery and outcomes, but the impacts of health inequities on antibiotic use and AR infections have been less frequently studied in nursing ...home residents. Nursing home residents are typically older, often have increased care needs requiring frequent contact with staff, and often have comorbidities or in-dwelling devices that make them vulnerable to infection. The community served by a nursing home may play a role in frequency and variability in antibiotic use, as health inequities may impact healthcare delivery and health status of patients, since both patients and caregivers are likely to be drawn from the surrounding community. We hypothesize that antibiotic use in nursing homes is impacted by the social vulnerability of the surrounding community.
Methods
We collected all reports of the proportion of residents who received antibiotics in the previous 7 days in 2019, which are reported monthly to the CMS Minimum Data Set. We assessed the proportion of facility residents using antibiotics by social vulnerability measures (from CDC Social Vulnerability Index) of the surrounding healthcare-seeking community (Hospital Service Areas from Dartmouth Health Atlas), using a hierarchical model to control for facility factors.
Results
We find considerable variability in antibiotic use across 14,908 US nursing homes (Figure 1A). After controlling for facility characteristics, facilities located in areas of greater community-level social vulnerability were associated with higher antibiotic use (Figure 1B).
Figure 1. Antibiotic use in nursing homes and relationships with community social vulnerability. A) The distribution of the proportion of patients using antibiotics within the previous 7 days by facility.
B) Coefficient estimates of a multilevel regression model. Controlling for facility-level factors (blue), community-level social vulnerability index appears to be related with more antibiotic use.
Conclusion
These findings indicate that community social vulnerability is associated with healthcare delivery within facilities. This association may result from differences in antibiotic prescribing behavior, infection prevention practices, or from disparity-driven differences in the health status of the resident population. This work is important for informing epidemiological models within healthcare facilities: failing to include heterogeneity of the surrounding community could bias transmission models and decrease the accuracy of targeted public health interventions to vulnerable facilities and communities.
Disclosures
All Authors: No reported disclosures.
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