March 2024: Communicable Diseases

Posted on January 25, 2024 by Lloyd F. Novick

This entry is part 1 of 16 in the series Mar 2024

The March issue of the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice (JPHMP) focuses on various public health approaches to current communicable diseases, including COVID-19, Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), Mpox, syphilis, and hepatitis B and C. The lead article by Linda Franck notes that prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, home visiting services for low-income children and families were provided in-person. Little was known about the experience of virtual visits provided by video or phone instead of in-person home visiting. This study examined the views of clients in the California Home Visiting Program (CALWORKS HVP) in 40 counties in California during the first two years of the pandemic. Despite the shift to virtual visits, clients rated CALWORKS HVP positively.

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COVID-19 vaccination rates in New Tork City (NYC) began to plateau in the spring of 2021 with inequities in vaccination rates by race. Nina Shabbat of the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene describes a program of provider outreach and education to increase access to the COVID-19 vaccines. This Vaccine Public Health Detailing Program (VPHD) provided technical assistance to primary care providers in NYC neighborhoods experiencing vaccine inequities from May 2021 to May 2022. VPHD was found to be an effective method for supporting community providers and increasing health system efficacy while also prioritizing racial equity.

Mpox, previously known as monkeypox, was historically found primarily in Central and West Africa but emerged as a global public health threat in May 2022. An article by Simon Crouch describes the establishment of new local public health units in Victoria, Australia to focus on the control of communicable diseases including the local spread of Mpox. These units increased the capacity of health professionals to increase early diagnosis, contact tracing, vaccine delivery and community engagement. This contributed to elimination of this threat within six months.

Erika Martin of the University of Albany and colleagues from the Centers for Disease and Prevention (CDC) write that investigating the return on investment of public health services is critical for resource allocation. Knowing that many health departments have limited capacity to conduct economic studies, they developed a user-friendly, interactive Excel-based spreadsheet for easy use by health departments. This will soon be freely available and downloadable at JPHMP DIRECT.

Columns in this issue include “Voter Participation Is a Path to Health Equity: How Health Departments Can Promote a Healthy, Inclusive Democracy” by Brian Castrucci et al; “Lessons Learned From Local Health Departments: Updating Preparedness Plans to Address People Experiencing Homelessness During WASH-Related Emergencies” by Rashel Rabinovich et al; and “Evidence-Based Strategies to Enhance Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response” by Lisa Peterson and colleagues.

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About the Author

Lloyd F. Novick: Lloyd F. Novick, MD, MPH, is Professor Emeritus of the Department of Public Health at the Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University. Previously, he was chair of this Department. He has served as the Commissioner of Health and Secretary for Human Services of Vermont, Director of Health Services for Arizona, and Director of the Office of Public Health for New York State. Previous academic positions include Professor and Director of the Preventive Medicine Program for SUNY Upstate Medical University, Professor and Chair of Epidemiology at the University of Albany School of Public Health, and Clinical Professor and Director of the Teaching Program in Epidemiology and Public Health at the University of Vermont, College of Medicine. He is the Founding Editor and Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice. He is also editor of five books, including Public Health Administration: Principles for Population-Based Management; Public Health Issues in Disaster Preparedness; Community-Based Prevention Programs that Work; Public Health Leaders Tell Their Stories; and Health Problems in the Prison Setting. He is past president of the Association of Teachers of Prevention and Research (APTR) and the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO). He has received a number of national awards, including Special Recognition Award, American College of Preventive Medicine (2005); Duncan Clark Award, Association of Teachers of Preventive Medicine (2003); Yale University Distinguished Service Award (2003); Excellence in Health Administration, American Public Health Association (2001); and the Arthur T. McCormack Award, Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (1992). He is a graduate of Colgate University (BA), New York University (MD), and Yale University (MPH).