Thesis (M.A. (Population and Reproductive Health Research))--Mahidol University, 2003.

Made available in DSpace on 2012-09-06T01:11:04Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 license.txt: 1748 bytes, checksum: 8a4605be74aa9ea9d79846c1fba20a33 (MD5) 853.pdf: 1160754 bytes, checksum: 404239ad2aba2beb277c6aeeab90f1fb (MD5) Previous issue date: 1997 / O estudo teve como objetivo avaliar o Sistema de Vigilância Epidemiológica no Município do Rio de Janeiro. Foi utilizada a metodologia do CDC, que aponta sete características para avaliação de Sistemas de Vigilância: Simplicidade, Flexibilidade, Sensibilidade, Oportunidade, Representatividade, Aceiilidade e Valor Preditivo Positivo. Para análise das características do Sistema foram selecionadas duas doenças traçadoras: a Doença Meningocócica e as Hepatites Virais. Embora cada um destes agravos constitua um subsistema dentro do Sistema de V.E., foi possível a avaliação dos pontos críticos no fluxo de cada um deles e do sistema como um todo. O sistema foi analisado nos níveis local e central (estadual e municipal) por meio de entrevistas com os profissionais de saúde dos diferentes níveis e análise de documentos e bancos de dados do período (1994 a 1996) / The study aimed to evaluate the epidemiologic surveillance system in Rio de Janeiro city. The methodology used was developed by CDC, pointing out seven characteristics as tools for the evaluation: Simplicity, Flexibility, Sensitivity, Representativeness, Timeliness, Acceptability and Predictive Value Positive. Two diseases were selected as tracers of the system: meningococcal disease and viral hepatitis. Although representing subsystems, they were helpful in showing critical points in the flow of surveillance system of each and as a whole. The analysis comprised local and central levels (of the city and state of Rio de Janeiro), through interviews with health professionals, data and documental analysis of the period (1994 – 1996). Flow charts were drawn for each of the tracers according to the rules and comparatively, according to the results of the interviews with health professionals and authorities in different levels of the system. To perform the analysis different sources of information and criteria were used, such as: flow and elements of the system, recent inclusion of activities in the system, data and interview analysis of the characteristics and evaluation of the quality of data recorded in the epidemiological surveillance record. Concerning hepatitis surveillance, it´s recommended an improve in the timeliness and acceptability, so that the speed between steps can work better and all its elements be integrated. Meningococcal disease surveillance, was flexible, sensitive and showed a rapid response and good acceptability. Results point to the need to improve the integration between the elements of the system, including local and central levels, health facilities, diagnosis laboratories, health professionals and community.

Este estudo focaliza a construção do Sistema Nacional de Vigilância Sanitária (SNVS) e a analisa do ponto de vista das relações intergovernamentais. Nessa construção, ressalta-se que o modelo de descentralização, adotado pela esfera federal até 2003, seguiu um caminho diferente das ações assistenciais, centrado no reforço à esfera estadual. E um caminho diferenciado em relação à partilha federativa que beneficiou a esfera municipal, e nesta, os pequenos municípios. Dos quatro princípios básicos do federalismo, enfatizam-se a cooperação e a coordenação. A cooperação se relaciona com a autonomia dos entes federados e com o grau de descentralização vigente. A coordenação é vista como necessária para se obter a cooperação. O pano de fundo é a heterogeneidade estrutural dos municípios brasileiros. Examinam-se: a evolução do regime federativo nas constituições republicanas e as relações intergovernamentais que se estabelecem; a trajetória históricas da vigilância sanitária e epidemiológica; o processo de descentralização da vigilância sanitária no Estado do Rio de Janeiro. Aponta-se que a estratégia adotada no âmbito do SUS, de municipalização das ações de saúde, tendo proporcionado ganhos na cobertura assistencial e fragmentação da rede de serviços, merece maior reflexão na sua transposição para a vigilância sanitária. A natureza de sua função de Estado, o grau potencialmente alto de externalidade negativa e a heterogeneidade estrutural municipal colocam: a imprescindibilidade da coordenação efetiva pela União; a necessidade de reforço ao papel da esfera estadual no contexto da necessidade de cooperação regional e local; a urgência na reformulação dos critérios para descentralização e financiamento das ações de vigilância sanitária. Sem pretender esgotar a questão federativa da vigilância sanitária, apresentam-se algumas propostas para discussão visando superar alguns dos problemas detectados. / This study focuses on the construction of the National Sanitary Surveillance System, analyzing it from the viewpoint of inter-government relations, This construction points out that the way taken by the decentralization model, adopted by the federal sphere till 2003, was different from assistance actions, centered on improvement of the state sphere. Also, a different way in relation to the federative sharing which benefited the municipal sphere, and the small municipalities. Of the four basic principles of federalism, co-operation and co-ordination are highlighted. Co-operation is concerned with the autonomy of federative matter and with the decentralization degree in force. Co-ordination is regarded as necessary to obtain co-operation. The background is the heterogeneous structure of Brazilian municipalities. The study examines: the evolution of federative regimen in republican constitutions and intergovernment relations thus established; the historical trajectory of sanitary surveillance in Brazil; the building strategies of epidemiological and sanitary surveillance national systems; the sanitary surveillance decentralization process in municipalization of health actions, after having provided profits in healthcare coverage and fragmentation of services, deserves more attention when shifting to sanitary surveillance. The State responsibility, the potentially high degree of negative externality, and the heterogeneous municipal structure require: the need for effective federal co-ordination; the need to reinforce the states role in the context of a necessary regional and local co-operation; the urgency to reformulate decentralization and financing criteria for sanitary surveillance actions. This study does not intend to exhaust the federative issue of sanitary surveillance, but it brings some proposals to overcome some of the detected problems.

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Surveillance has become, in the last years, something ubiquity in our society. Every day it is more notorious the presence of intelligent systems for surveillance in our everyday life. This is due to technological advances achieved in recent decades (storage and processing speed increasing, miniaturization of devices like biometric detectors and video cameras) as the constant feeling of insecurity experienced in several countries. Following the dark days of 9/11, security and surveillance became paramount. This work aims the study of techniques for the development of a surveillance system of an outdoor parking lot based on a stationary camera. Considering that in an outdoor parking lot it is very important that the surveillance is made both day and night, in this work we use an infrared camera to record images. An infrared camera allows to see objects of interest in the scene even at night. The images used for the experiments in this work were recorded by the student in Laval University campus (Canada) during an internship he held in the "Canada Research Chair in Multipolar Infrared Vision". A surveillance system based on video cameras is usually composed of three parts: (i) motion detection, (ii) tracking and (iii)event management. In this work, we use a dynamic background subtraction technique to detect motion (motion segmentation). This technique adapts to abrupt changes on the scene's illumination making the technique robust to this changes. Besides, we use ow analysis to restrict the segmentation process only to regions where we have motion in the scene. The object tracking technique used is based on a two phase cycle: prediction and correction. The events of interest which occur in the monitored area are modeled explicitly and then recognized and interpreted. The main goal of this project is to recognize suspicious events. Experimental results show that such techniques are suitable for a surveillance system for an outdoor parking lot based on a infrared stationary camera. / Vigilância se tornou, nos últimos anos, algo ubíquo em nossa sociedade. Cada dia que passa é mais notória a presença de sistemas inteligentes de vigilância em nosso dia-a-dia. Isso se deve tanto aos avanços tecnológicos alcançados nas últimas décadas (aumento da capacidade de processamento e armazenamento, miniaturização de dispositivos como detectores biométricos e câmeras de vídeo) como a constante sensação de insegurança vivida em vários países. Após os dias sombrios de 11/09, segurança e vigilância se tornaram algo primordial. Este trabalho visa o estudo de técnicas para o desenvolvimento de um sistema de vigilância para um estacionamento externo baseado em uma câmera estacionária. Tendo em vista que em um estacionamento externo é de suma importância que a vigilância seja feita tanto de dia quanto de noite, neste trabalho utilizamos uma câmera que captura imagens infravermelhas. Uma câmera infravermelha permite que enxerguemos objetos de interesse na cena até mesmo a noite. As imagens usadas nos experimentos realizados neste trabalho foram colhidas no campus da Universidade de Laval (Canadá) durante um estágio realizado no Canada Research Chair in Multipolar Infrared Vision. Um sistema de vigilância baseado em câmeras de vídeo geralmente possui três partes principais: (i) detecção de movimento, (ii) monitoramento e (iii) gerenciamento de eventos. Neste trabalho, utilizamos uma dinâmica técnica de subtração de plano de fundo para realizar a detecção de movimento (segmentação de movimento). Esta técnica se adapta às mudanças bruscas de iluminação na cena tornando o método de segmentação robusto a estas mudanças. Além disso, utilizamos análise de uxo de movimento para restringir a segmentação somente às regiões onde existem algum movimento na cena. A técnica de monitoramento de objetos em movimento usada neste trabalho é baseada em um ciclo de dois estágios: previsão e correção. Os eventos de interesse que ocorrem na área monitorada são modelados de forma explícita sendo então reconhecidos e interpretados. O foco principal deste trabalho é o reconhecimento de eventos suspeitos. Resultados experimentais obtidos mostram que tais técnicas são adequadas para um sistema de vigilância de um estacionamento externo baseado em uma câmera estacionária infravermelha. / Mestre em Ciência da Computação

Este estudo focaliza a construção do Sistema Nacional de Vigilância Sanitária (SNVS) e a analisa do ponto de vista das relações intergovernamentais. Nessa construção, ressalta-se que o modelo de descentralização, adotado pela esfera federal até 2003, seguiu um caminho diferente das ações assistenciais, centrado no reforço à esfera estadual. E um caminho diferenciado em relação à partilha federativa que beneficiou a esfera municipal, e nesta, os pequenos municípios. Dos quatro princípios básicos do federalismo, enfatizam-se a cooperação e a coordenação. A cooperação se relaciona com a autonomia dos entes federados e com o grau de descentralização vigente. A coordenação é vista como necessária para se obter a cooperação. O pano de fundo é a heterogeneidade estrutural dos municípios brasileiros. Examinam-se: a evolução do regime federativo nas constituições republicanas e as relações intergovernamentais que se estabelecem; a trajetória históricas da vigilância sanitária e epidemiológica; o processo de descentralização da vigilância sanitária no Estado do Rio de Janeiro. Aponta-se que a estratégia adotada no âmbito do SUS, de municipalização das ações de saúde, tendo proporcionado ganhos na cobertura assistencial e fragmentação da rede de serviços, merece maior reflexão na sua transposição para a vigilância sanitária. A natureza de sua função de Estado, o grau potencialmente alto de externalidade negativa e a heterogeneidade estrutural municipal colocam: a imprescindibilidade da coordenação efetiva pela União; a necessidade de reforço ao papel da esfera estadual no contexto da necessidade de cooperação regional e local; a urgência na reformulação dos critérios para descentralização e financiamento das ações de vigilância sanitária. Sem pretender esgotar a questão federativa da vigilância sanitária, apresentam-se algumas propostas para discussão visando superar alguns dos problemas detectados. / This study focuses on the construction of the National Sanitary Surveillance System, analyzing it from the viewpoint of inter-government relations, This construction points out that the way taken by the decentralization model, adopted by the federal sphere till 2003, was different from assistance actions, centered on improvement of the state sphere. Also, a different way in relation to the federative sharing which benefited the municipal sphere, and the small municipalities. Of the four basic principles of federalism, co-operation and co-ordination are highlighted. Co-operation is concerned with the autonomy of federative matter and with the decentralization degree in force. Co-ordination is regarded as necessary to obtain co-operation. The background is the heterogeneous structure of Brazilian municipalities. The study examines: the evolution of federative regimen in republican constitutions and intergovernment relations thus established; the historical trajectory of sanitary surveillance in Brazil; the building strategies of epidemiological and sanitary surveillance national systems; the sanitary surveillance decentralization process in municipalization of health actions, after having provided profits in healthcare coverage and fragmentation of services, deserves more attention when shifting to sanitary surveillance. The State responsibility, the potentially high degree of negative externality, and the heterogeneous municipal structure require: the need for effective federal co-ordination; the need to reinforce the states role in the context of a necessary regional and local co-operation; the urgency to reformulate decentralization and financing criteria for sanitary surveillance actions. This study does not intend to exhaust the federative issue of sanitary surveillance, but it brings some proposals to overcome some of the detected problems.

Rift Valley fever (RVF) is an emerging viral zoonosis that causes frequent outbreaks in east Africa and on the Arabian Peninsula. The likelihood of RVF global expansion due to climate change and human anthropogenic factors is an important issue. The causative agent, RVF virus, is an arbovirus that is transmitted by several mosquito species and is able to infect a wide range of livestock as well as people. The infection leads to mass abortions and death in livestock and a potentially deadly hemorrhagic fever in humans. RVF has severe socio-economic consequences such as animal trade bans between countries, disruption of food security, and economic disaster for farmers and pastoralists as well as for countries. Human behavior such as direct contact with infected animals or their fluids and exposure to mosquito bites increases the risk for contracting the disease. To better understand the challenges associated with RVF outbreaks and to explore prevention and control strategies, we used the One Health approach. The local community had to be involved to understand the interaction between the environment, animals, and humans. We focused on Sudan, Saudi Arabia, and Kenya. First, we systematically reviewed the literature and then we performed cross sectional community-based studies using a special One Health questionnaire. Climatic and remote sensing data were used in combination with statistics to develop a sub-region predictive model for RVF. For both Saudi Arabia and Sudan, the ecology and environment of the affected areas were similar. These areas included irrigation canals and excessive rains that provide an attractive habitat for mosquito vectors to multiply. The surveillance systems were unable to detect the virus in livestock before it spread to humans. Ideally, livestock should serve as sentinels to prevent loss of human lives, but the situation here was reversed. Differences between countries regarding further spread of RVF was mainly determined by better economic and infrastructure resources. In Sudan, there was a lack of knowledge and appropriate practices at the studied community regarding RVF disease symptoms and risk factors for both animals and humans. The community was hesitant in notifying the authorities about RVF suspicion in livestock due to the lack of a compensation system. The perceived role of the community in controlling RVF was fragmented, increasing the probability of RVF transmission and disease. In Kenya, our study found that better knowledge about RVF does not always translate to more appropriate practices that avoid exposure to the disease. However, the combination of good knowledge, attitudes, and practices may explain why certain communities were less affected. Strategies to combat RVF should consider socio-cultural and behavioral differences among communities. We also noticed that RVF outbreaks in Kenya occurred in regions with high livestock density exposed to heavy rains and wet soil fluxes, which could be measured by evapotranspiration and vegetation seasonality variables. We developed a RVF risk map on a sub-regional scale. Future outbreaks could be better managed if such relevant RVF variables are integrated into early warning systems. To confront RVF outbreaks, a policy is needed that better incorporates ecological factors and human interactions with livestock and environment that help the RVF pathogen spread. Early detection and notification of RVF is essential because a delay will threaten the core of International Health Regulations (IHR), which emphasizes the share of information during a transboundary disease outbreak to avoid unnecessary geographical expansion.

This master's thesis deals with the design of an electronic security system as part of the physical security for the energy company in the Czech Republic. The electronic security system is designed to meet all legal requirements, internal directives and has also passed ISO 27001 certification. The Implementation of the security system is demonstrated on the selected object of the company that belongs to the elements of the critical infrastructure.

Noma is a neglected non-contagious disease of the face and mouth affecting children living in extreme poverty. Due to the quick spread of the disease, the mortality rate is estimated at 90% when treatment is not started within two weeks of onset. Even though Hilfsaktion Noma e.V. (HAN) has been actively spreading awareness about the disease and offering treatment and reconstructive surgery, the mortality rate has not decreased. Moreover, patients reaching the noma centre often present severe sequela, affecting their speech, eating and drinking ability. Therefore, this study investigates the challenges faced by noma patients to seek medical care in Niger and how to overcome them. A mixed-method approach was performed; a survey among healthcare workers of HAN was supplemented with an interview with a key informant of the organisation in order to get a wider understanding of the possible challenges noma patients encounter. Accessibility to healthcare, as well as distance to the hospital and lack of transportation means were identified as the challenges with the highest impact on the health-seeking behaviour of noma patients. The lack of knowledge about noma and treatment costs were the second main challenge. This information gap is reflected in stigmatization, inadequate health care staff and seeking aid from traditional healers, which seriously endangers the life of patients. To overcome these challenges, a community-based surveillance system in combination with a multisectoral approach was proposed. This low-cost system can not only eliminate noma by facilitating the early detection of noma patients, but it can also contribute to sustainable health in Niger and other countries in the Noma belt.

Hypertension, a medical condition, predisposes to other cardiovascular diseases, and can be impacted by the social determinants of health (SDOH). Self-measured blood pressure monitoring (SMBP) is an evidence-based approach to hypertension control, but not much is known about the influence of SDOH on SMBP. This dissertation aims to: 1) highlight the SDOH factors whose relationship with SMBP have been explored in research studies; 2) examine the relationship between SDOH and SMBP among United States (U.S.) adults with high blood pressure; and 3) examine the current state of SMBP in the U.S., highlight policy implications from the empirical study and provide recommendations. Aims 1 and 2 were informed by an adapted SDOH framework, which comprised of upstream structural determinants, and downstream intermediary determinants. Aim 1 was achieved via a scoping review of studies across three databases following the PRISMA-SCR checklist. Aim 2 was achieved via a cross-sectional analysis of data from adult respondents to the 2019 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, with self-reported hypertension. Bivariate and Multiple Logistic regression analyses were conducted. Aim 3 involved a literature scan on policy concerning SMBP, highlighting the policy implications of findings from the empirical study, and providing recommendations for policy/practice. For aim 1, findings suggest that research studies examined the relationship of relatively more structural determinants, than the few, but highly significant intermediary determinants, with SMBP. For aim 2, looking at the structural determinants, males and those who identify as Black and other minority racial groups were more likely to report SMBP. For intermediary determinants, respondents who consumed fruits, vegetables, and exercised were likely to report SMBP, while those who smoke, who drink, and those with poor mental health days were less likely to report SMBP. Respondents with health coverage and whose provider recommended SMBP were likely to report SMBP use. Those ≥65 years were more likely to report SMBP. For aim 3, I recommend that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services lead policy efforts on SMBP reimbursements. Also, healthcare practices should strengthen their technological infrastructure e.g., telehealth to promote access, and Electronic Health Records to promote efficient data collection and tracking.

Objectives: A large number of people cannot afford healthcare services in the United States. Researchers have studied the impact of lack of affordability of health care on the outcomes of various physical conditions. Mental health disorders have emerged as a major public health challenge during the past decade. The lack of affordability of health care also may contribute to the burden of mental health. This research focuses on the association between financial barriers to health care and mental health outcomes in the US state of Tennessee. Methods: We used cross-sectional data contained in the 2019 US Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). We extracted data for the state of Tennessee, which included 6242 adults aged 18 years or older. Multinomial regression analyses were conducted to test the association between not being able to see a doctor with the number of mentally unhealthy days during the past month. We coded the outcome as a three-level variable, ≥20 past-month mentally unhealthy days, 1 to 20 past-month mentally unhealthy days, and 0 past-month mentally unhealthy days. The covariates examined included self-reported alcohol use, self-reported marijuana use, and other demographic variables. Results: Overall, 11.0% of participants reported ≥20 past-month mentally unhealthy days and 24.0% reported 1 to 20 past-month mentally unhealthy days. More than 13% of study participants reported they could not see a doctor because of the cost in the past 12 months. The inability to see a doctor because of the cost of care was associated with a higher risk of ≥20 past-month mentally unhealthy days (relative risk ratio 3.18; 95% confidence interval 2.57-3.92, P < 0.001) and 1 to 19 past-month mentally unhealthy days (relative risk ratio 1.94; 95% confidence interval 1.63-2.32, P < 0.001). Conclusions: Statistically significant associations were observed between the inability to see a doctor when needed because of cost and increased days of poorer mental health outcomes. This research has potential policy implications in the postcoronavirus disease 2019 era with healthcare transformation and significant financial impact.