This study investigated the attitudes of Slovak medical students to COVID-19 vaccination. A cross-sectional study was conducted between 10 March 2021 and 24 March 2021, as the second wave of coronavirus spread in Slovakia. It was performed in four medical faculties with students in years 1–6. An online anonymous questionnaire was distributed through official university platforms. The survey was completed by 1228 of 5374 medical students. The vaccinated group of students had received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. The study was conducted on 1228 students, of which 880 (71.7%) were vaccinated and 348 unvaccinated (28.3%). The median age was 22 years (range 18–33 years), and 70.6% were women. The lowest vaccination rate was among first (32.7%) and second-year students (61.6%), students living at home with their family (63.8%) and students living in urban areas (69.8%). Only 22.4% of medical students were concerned about serious side effects from the COVID-19 vaccine, and 38.8% were concerned that the COVID-19 vaccine may not be effective. This study provides key information related to medical student vaccination in Slovakia and education about COVID-19 vaccination.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to identify personal variables and nonoccupational risk factors for carpal tunnel syndrome and to analyse the strength of association of these factors.Methods: We performed a case-control study with 162 cases and 300 controls. We studied consecutive patients with an electrophysiologically confirmed diagnosis of symptomatic carpal tunnel syndrome. Univariate analysis was performed in the case group and control comparing them for presence of various risk factors. Multivariate analysis was carried out through logistic regression.Results: The mean BMI and age were greater in the case group than in the control. Multivariate analysis showed that BMI (OR = 1.05, 95% CI = 1.01-1.11) and arterial hypertension (OR = 4.63, 95% CI = 2.88-7.44) were the only factors significantly associated with carpal tunnel syndrome. The age, cigarette smoking and alcohol drinking were at the edge of significance.Conclusions: Carpal tunnel syndrome is the most common peripheral neuropathy and has been related to occupational activities in some but not all studies. Clarifying this relationship has important implications for workers' compensation systems. Based on our findings, BMI and arterial hypertension are considered to be the most significant risk factors of carpal tunnel syndrome in our study.

Background Most countries have enacted some restrictions to reduce social contacts to slow down disease transmission during the COVID-19 pandemic. For nearly two years, individuals likely also adopted new behaviours to avoid pathogen exposure based on personal circumstances. We aimed to understand the way in which different factors affect social contacts – a critical step to improving future pandemic responses. Methods The analysis was based on repeated cross-sectional contact survey data collected in a standardized international study from 21 European countries between March 2020 and March 2022. We calculated the mean daily contacts reported using a clustered bootstrap by country and by settings (at home, at work, or in other settings). Where data were available, contact rates during the study period were compared with rates recorded prior to the pandemic. We fitted censored individual-level generalized additive mixed models to examine the effects of various factors on the number of social contacts. Results The survey recorded 463,336 observations from 96,456 participants. In all countries where comparison data were available, contact rates over the previous two years were substantially lower than those seen prior to the pandemic (approximately from over 10 to < 5), predominantly due to fewer contacts outside the home. Government restrictions imposed immediate effect on contacts, and these effects lingered after the restrictions were lifted. Across countries, the relationships between national policy, individual perceptions, or personal circumstances determining contacts varied. Conclusions Our study, coordinated at the regional level, provides important insights into the understanding of the factors associated with social contacts to support future infectious disease outbreak responses.

BackgroundDespite the effective National Immunization Programme of Slovakia, some population groups are incompletely vaccinated or unvaccinated. We aimed to describe the measles outbreak spread in Eastern Slovakia between May and October 2018, affecting the Roma communities in relation to the existing immunity gaps.MethodsWe defined a group of persons living in socially closed communities with low vaccination coverage.ResultsOf 439 measles cases (median age: 10 years), 264 (60.1%) were vaccinated, 137 (31.2%) received two doses and 127 (28.9%) one dose of measles vaccines, 155 (35.3%) were unvaccinated and 20 (4.6%) had an unknown vaccination status. Samples from 102 patients (with two-dose vaccination status) were additionally tested for antibodies against rubella and mumps. Of 102 cases, 68 (66.7%) cases had a positive IgM and 23 (22.5 %) IgG antibodies against measles. For rubella, only 20 (19.6%) cases had seropositive IgG levels, for mumps higher positivity was detected in 60 persons (58.8%). We could detect only a small percentage with positive serology results of rubella IgG antibodies across all age groups. We have assumed that rubella antibodies had to be produced following the vaccination. Their absence in the cases with two doses of MMR suggests that these vaccines could not have been administrated despite the fact that this data was included in the medical records. Sequential analysis of two samples showed measles genotype B3.ConclusionThis outbreak can outline the existence of a vulnerable group of the Roma. Low vaccinate coverage represents a serious public health threat.

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