Objective: The study aimed to describe the characteristics and containment of the Omicron variants in Shanghai compared with the previous severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants in China. Methods: We summarized the data retrieved from the Shanghai Municipal Health Commission from January to June 2022 and the National Health Commission of the People’s Republic of China from March 2020 to August 2021. Epidemiological analysis was utilized to describe the differences among SARS-CoV-2 variants and the infection situation in the outbreaks in China. Results: The Omicron variants had the characteristics of high insidiousness, rapid transmission, high infectivity, and short incubation period, which were consistent with the characteristics of outbreaks caused by Omicron in other regions in China and abroad. There were 568978 asymptomatic infections in Shanghai from Feburary 26 to June 30, 2022, accounting for 90.73% of the SARS-CoV-2 infections in this outbreak wave. It’s significantly different from a total of 23277 SARS-CoV-2 infections in China between March 31, 2020 and August 8, 2021, of which 41.97% of the cases were asymptomatic infections. Conclusions: Compared with previous outbreaks emerged in China, the Omicron outbreak in Shanghai was characterized by multiple point dissemination, wide coverage, a large number of close contacts of confirmed infections and asymptomatic carriers, and difficult source tracing. The lessons from Shanghai’s response to Omicron showed that the dynamic zero-COVID policy is still the most suitable response to the virus which can quickly find the infections and curb the transmission route.

Background: To control the imported risks brought by all international arrivals, China Customs has implemented strict closed-loop health management policy called “three checks, three screenings and one transfer”. This study provides epidemiological evidence for prevention and control measures on imported cases of asymptomatic infections and describes the current COVID-19 prevention and control system on imported risks in China. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed an imported incident of three asymptomatic carriers. Serum SARS-CoV-2 IgM and IgG antibodies were detected by chemiluminescence and gold immnnochromatography(GICA). Results: Three cases were reported positive for SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid on their arrival, total antibodies and IgG, but negative for IgM. The Ct values of cases A, B and C were 34/36/36, 32/33/32 and 25/31/29, respectively. There were 10726434 pair-end reads sequenced for case C, and approximate 80% reads were aligned to the hCoV-19/Wuhan/IVDC-HB-01/2019 genome (EPI_ISL_402119). The viruses of case A and C were homologous and came from the SARS-CoV-2 variant. Conclusion: Serum antibody IgM and IgG tests are recommended for international travelers from epidemic areas. The “three checks, three screenings and one transfer” policy implemented at custom’s entry points was effective in COVID-19 prevention and control.

Objective: To investigate the antibiotic utilization and prescription patterns as well as define its convenience to the norm in four North-Sinai hospitals, Egypt. Antimicrobial resistance is a universal health threat. The golden era of miracle antibiotics has ended and we have faced the challenge of being troubled by infectious diseases with no discovery of new antibiotics found since 1987. Antibiotic pressure, overuse, and misuse are important risk factors for antimicrobial resistance and hospital cross-infection. To combat antimicrobial resistance, Egypt started its National Action Plan (2018-2022) aiming to optimize the usage and consumption of antibiotics. Method: This multicenter descriptive cross-sectional study was designed to describe the pattern of antibiotic prescription and consumption at four North Sinai Hospitals related to the Ministry of Health and Population. We reviewed 309 medical records of the inpatient department; the samples were selected through a stratified random sampling technique. Data were collected retrospectively from the medical records of the hospitalized patients in October, November, and December of 2020 by a paper-based method. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Result: The prevalence of antibiotic consumption is near 68.9% in the four hospitals indicating that two-thirds of admitted patients receive antibiotics. Approximately 52.1% administered antibiotics for no reason. Most of the admitted patients took antibiotics on the same day of admission, regardless of the different types of hospital departments. Furthermore, 98.7% of antibiotics were prescribed without culture or order for culture and microbiological tests. Broad-spectrum antibiotics were 90% of all antibiotics prescribed. A total of 18 types of antibiotics were prescribed, cefotaxime was the most commonly prescribed antibiotic representing 26.5%. Conclusion: Judicious antibiotic prescribing behavior slows down the nature of antibiotic resistance. To guarantee the best antimicrobial use in the hospitals, standard treatment guidelines, and the Essential Medicines List for infectious diseases should be carried out and revised at least every 2 years to be a clinical reference for clinicians. Continuous education and training of clinicians and healthcare workers can contribute to optimizing the rational use of antibiotics, which in return reduces the progress of antibiotic resistance. There is an urgent need for antibiotic stewardship and surveillance and their application in all hospitals.

Objective: To determine the occurrence of multidrug resistant bacteria from the indoor environment of female hostels in a tertiary institution in order to provide epidemiological data. Methods: The bacterial quality of the three female hostels was evaluated using the settle plate method, where Petri dishes containing different types of culture media were opened in the rooms. Isolated bacteria were identified using standard microbiological procedures. Using disc diffusion method, the antibiogram of the isolates was determined and based on this, the multiple antibiotics resistance index was also determined. Results: The total heterotrophic colony forming units (CFU) for Hall A ranged from 2.09 x10² to 1.73 x10³ CFU/m³ while that of Hall B ranged from 4.71 x10² to 1.10 x10³ CFU/m³ and a statistically significant difference between the counts of both halls was observed (P=0.04). Microorganisms isolated included Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Bacillus subtilis, Corynebacterium sp., Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Proteus mirabilis. All the isolates exhibited multidrug resistance to amoxycillin-clavulanic acid, cefuroxime and ceftriaxone. Proteus mirabilis, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Corynebacterium sp. had the least multiple antibiotic resistance index with 0.2 while Staphylococcus aureus had the highest with 0.8. Conclusions: Female university hostels may become sources of exchange of microorganisms, especially in overcrowded rooms. A large percentage of isolates were multidrug resistant which could pose difficulty and increased cost of treatment of their resulting infections. Regular surveillance and control of the agents that encourage the growth of these bacteria present in indoor air is needed.

Objective: To review the characteristic of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreaks in mainland China, particularly post-Wuhan outbreaks, and to help design effective responses in the foreseeable future. Method: The data regarding COVID-19 outbreaks between December 2019 and March 16, 2022 were obtained from China’s publicly available databases. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Five outbreak stages were defined according to distinct epidemiological characteristics across different time periods over the past two years. Result: Since the 2020 Wuhan outbreak, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) local infections were confirmed in 37 995 cases as of March 16, 2022. We identified 285 isolated outbreaks in unrelated people that occurred in four additional distinct stages, over 57% of which had been imported, such as imported infected travelers and fomite transmission. The basic reproduction number (R0) of original SARS-CoV-2 was about 2.79, while the Delta variant was about 5.08 and Omicron was 7.0 or greater, resulting in the disease being more contagious during the fourth (Delta) and fifth (Omicron) stages than previous stages. Conclusion: China has experienced various COVID-19 outbreaks of different levels since the start of the pandemic in Wuhan, and local transmission is mainly caused by imported sources. If the “dynamic COVID-zero” policy is not appropriately followed, it will be difficult to contain the spread in China from overseas and to cope with the Omicron variant.

Objective: To determine the prevalence of Helicobacter (H.) pylori infection among the population of east coast of Borneo and explore the relationship between demographic factors, ethnicity and risk of H. pylori infection. Methods: This cross-sectional study enrolled 211 patients who underwent elective oesophagogastroduodenoscopy in 2017. Demographic data, endoscopic indications as well as the results of the mucosal biopsy were obtained and analysed from the endoscopy unit registry. Results: A total of 211 patients from 14 ethnic groups were enrolled in the study, most of were Chinese (28.4%), followed by Dusun (14.7%) and Songgai (13.7%). Overall, the period prevalence for 2017 was 44.5%. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed an association between ethnicity and H. pylori. Bajau (adjusted odds ratio=5.612, P=0.005) and Dusun ethnic groups (adjusted odds ratio=7.359, P=0.001) were at a significantly higher risk of H. pylori infection compared to Chinese. However, the regression model only explained 11.6% (Cox & Snell Pseudo R²) of the prevalence of H. pylori infection. Conclusions: The period prevalence for 2017 was 44.5%, with certain indigenous ethnic groups having a higher risk than others. Clinicians should consider obtaining further history regarding the ethnic’s culture and dietary practice prior to starting H. pylori eradication therapy.

Background: Despite substantial progress in the fight against human immunodeficiency virus and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome globally, it remains a threat to global adolescent health. This study assessed the level of HIV knowledge among vocational school students and identified the relevant factors. Methods: This was an analytical cross-sectional study conducted from August to September 2019. A total of 345 students aged 15 to 19 years were selected from three vocational schools in Phitsanulok Province, Thailand, using a multistage random sampling technique. The HIV Knowledge Questionnaire (18 item version) was used to collect the data, which were analysed by mean, frequency, Chi- square and binary logistic regression. Results: Only 38.8% of participants were fully aware of HIV knowledge; five individual items showed a significant difference in knowledge of HIV between males and females; two items relating to HIV prevention knowledge (P=0.021, 0.009); two items relating HIV transmission (P=0.028, 0.035); one item relating to HIV diagnosis (P=0.008). Factors that were significantly associated with HIV knowledge included gender (male vs. female, OR 1.83, 95% CI 1.01-3.34), residence (sub-district municipality area vs. sub-district of administrative organization area, OR 0.44, 95% CI 0.23-0.84), education (2nd and 3rd academic year vs. 1st, OR 7.00, 95% CI 2.40-20.41; OR 6.40, 95% CI 2.05-20.01) and source of income (from both parents vs. self, OR 0.07, 95% CI 0.04-0.64). Conclusions: There are serious deficits and disparities in the knowledge of male and female adolescents on HIV transmission, prevention and diagnosis, and there is a need to expand the provision of gender-focused sexual health education programs.

Objective: To investigate the genetic mechanism and prevalence of antibiotic resistance among the practitioners of two bathing beaches in tropical China. Methods: Totally 259 strains were isolated from the rectal swabs of the practitioners and screened by MacConkey agar. A questionnaire survey was conducted. Kirby-Bauer test was used for phenotype, and double disc inhibition synergy test was used for extended-spectrum β -lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (ESBL-E), which was further confirmed by VITEKII instrument. The genotype was detected by polymerase chain reaction, and the similarities of ESBL-E were analyzed using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. Results: The prevalence of ESBL-E was 13.1% (34/259), of which, CTX-M genes accounted for 44.1% (15/34), mainly CTX-M-14 and CTX-M-27. Moreover, 19.1% (4/21) of the isolates were homologous. The resistance phenotypes of ESBL-E to chloramphenicol, ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, ceftazidime, cefepime and gentamicin were different between two beaches(P<0.05). The prevalence of ESBL-E was caused by CTX-M genes at the island beach, while a high prevalence of ESBL-E was found at the city beach and clone transfer occurred. Conclusions: ESBL-E-associated gentamicin antibiotic resistance risk may be greater for island beach practitioners. The city beach populations could face more potential risks owing to severe resistance and metastatic ability of ESBL-E. The environmental exposure mechanisms and transfer role of antibiotic resistance at public beaches with high density should be investigated.