Seroprevalence and risk factors of avian influenza H9 virus among poultry professionals in Rawalpindi, Pakistan

Tahir, Muhammad Farooq; Abbas, Muhammad; Ghafoor, Tamkeen; Dil, Saima; Shahid, Muhammad Akbar; Bullo, Mir Muhammad Hassan; Ain, Qurat ul; Ranjha, Muazam Abbas; Khan, Mumtaz Ali; Naseem, Muhammad Tahir

doi:10.1016/j.jiph.2020.02.030

Cited by 9 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…Among case-control (OR 0.39, 95%CI 0.18-0.84, I 2 77%) (Figure 1, Comparison 1.4) and cross-sectional studies (OR 0.61, 95%CI 0.45-0.85, I 2 95%) (Figure 1, Comparison 1.5), pooled data suggested that facemask wearing was protective, but effects were highly heterogeneous. Of the cross-sectional studies, Tahir et al . (2019) and Zein (2002) were noticeable outliers.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Facemasks and similar barriers to prevent respiratory illness such as COVID-19: A rapid systematic review

Brainard

Jones

Lake

et al. 2020

Preprint

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The current pandemic of COVID-19 has lead to conflicting opinions on whether wearing facemasks outside of health care facilities protects against the infection. To better understand the value of wearing facemasks we undertook a rapid systematic review of existing scientific evidence about development of respiratory illness, linked to use of facemasks in community settings. METHODS: We included all study designs. There were 31 eligible studies (including 12 RCTs). Narrative synthesis and random-effects meta-analysis of attack rates for primary and secondary prevention in 28 studies were performed. Results were reported by design, setting and type of face barrier in primary prevention, and by who wore the facemask (index patient or well contacts) in secondary prevention trials. The preferred outcome was influenza-like illness (ILI) but similar outcomes were pooled with ILI when ILI was unavailable. GRADE quality assessment was based on RCTs with support from observational studies. RESULTS: Where specific information was available, most studies reported about use of medical grade (surgical paper masks). In 3 RCTs, wearing a facemask may very slightly reduce the odds of developing ILI/respiratory symptoms, by around 6% (OR 0.94, 95% CI 0.75 to 1.19, I2 29%, low certainty evidence). Greater effectiveness was suggested by observational studies. When both house-mates and an infected household member wore facemasks the odds of further household members becoming ill may be modestly reduced by around 19% (OR 0.81, 95%CI 0.48 to 1.37, I 2 45%, 5 RCTs, low certainty evidence). The protective effect was very small if only the well person(OR 0.93, 95% CI 0.68 to 1.28, I2 11%, 2 RCTs, low uncertainty evidence) or the infected person wore the facemask (very low certainty evidence). DISCUSSION: Based on the RCTs we would conclude that wearing facemasks can be very slightly protective against primary infection from casual community contact, and modestly protective against household infections when both infected and uninfected members wear facemasks. However, the RCTs often suffered from poor compliance and controls using facemasks. Across observational studies the evidence in favour of wearing facemasks was stronger. We expect RCTs to under-estimate the protective effect and observational studies to exaggerate it. The evidence is not sufficiently strong to support widespread use of facemasks as a protective measure against COVID-19. However, there is enough evidence to support the use of facemasks for short periods of time by particularly vulnerable individuals when in transient higher risk situations. Further high quality trials are needed to assess when wearing a facemask in the community is most likely to be protective.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Facemasks and similar barriers to prevent respiratory illness such as COVID-19: A rapid systematic review

Brainard

Jones

Lake

et al. 2020

Preprint

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“…The sum total of randomized trials and observational studies covered in these reviews, all of which are irrelevant to the question of source control , comprise: (a) studies of mask‐wearing within the home to reduce contagion to other family members 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 ; (b) studies of occupational exposure (eg, workers in poultry factories) 42 , 43 ; (c) studies of specific mass events (notably, pilgrimages to the Hajj) 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 ; (d) studies in schools and university halls of residence 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 ; (e) studies of air travel 55 ; (f) studies of health care workers 40 , 56 , 57 , 58 ; and just two studies of general community prevention: an attempt to prevent the common cold in Finland, 59 and a paper on behavioural measures (among other things) in the prevention of SARS, in which those who “always” wore a mask when outside the home had a relative risk of developing the disease of 0.3 compared to those who “never” wore one. 60 …”

Section: Precautionary Principle “Weak” Evidence and Potential Harmsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Face coverings for the public: Laying straw men to rest

Greenhalgh

2020

Evaluation Clinical Practice

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Background This article responds to one by Graham Martin and colleagues, who offered a critique of my previous publications on face coverings for the lay public in the Covid‐19 pandemic. Their paper reflects criticisms that have been made of face coverings policies more generally. Method Narrative rebuttal. Results I address charges that my coauthors and I had misapplied the precautionary principle; drawn conclusions that were not supported by empirical research; and failed to take account of potential harms But before that, I remind my critics that the evidence on face coverings goes beyond the contested trials and observational studies they place centre stage. I set out some key findings from basic science, epidemiology, mathematical modelling, case studies, and natural experiments, and use this rich and diverse body of evidence as the backdrop for my rebuttal of their narrowly framed objections. I challenge my critics' apparent assumption that a particular kind of systematic review should be valorised over narrative and real‐world evidence, since stories are crucial to both our scientific understanding and our moral imagination. Conclusion I conclude by thanking my academic adversaries for the intellectual sparring match, but exhort them to remember our professional accountability to a society in crisis. It is time to lay straw men to rest and embrace the full range of evidence in the context of the perilous threat the world is now facing.

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“…Previous surveillance studies have reported the prevalence of AIV in Lahore, where low pathogenic A(H9N2) viruses have frequently been identified in domestic and commercial poultry [ 27 , 28 , 30 , 31 , 58 ]. The circulation of A(H9N2) has led to the generation of novel genotypes, increasing the risks of AIV infection in poultry and related occupational workers such as butchers and vaccinators [ 29 , 59 , 60 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Surveillance studies in Pakistan have frequently described the prevalence and evolutionary relationships of avian A(H9N2) viruses since 1990s, as the virus is endemically circulating in the poultry population [ 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 ]; however, avian influenza A(H5) virus is not well understood within the country. In 2006, HPAI A(H5N1) virus was first reported in commercial layer and breeder farms and was associated with subsequent outbreaks in domestic poultry in 2007–2008 [ 32 , 33 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Genetic Characterization of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A(H5N8) Virus in Pakistani Live Bird Markets Reveals Rapid Diversification of Clade 2.3.4.4b Viruses

Ali

Yaqub

Shahid

et al. 2021

Viruses

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The highly pathogenic (HPAI) avian influenza A(H5N1) viruses have undergone reassortment with multiple non-N1-subtype neuraminidase genes since 2008, leading to the emergence of H5Nx viruses. H5Nx viruses established themselves quickly in birds and disseminated from China to Africa, the Middle East, Europe and North America. Multiple genetic clades have successively evolved through frequent mutations and reassortment, posing a continuous threat to domestic poultry and causing substantial economic losses. Live bird markets are recognized as major sources of avian-to-human infection and for the emergence of zoonotic influenza. In Pakistan, the A(H5N1) virus was first reported in domestic birds in 2007; however, avian influenza surveillance is limited and there is a lack of knowledge on the evolution and transmission of the A(H5) virus in the country. We collected oropharyngeal swabs from domestic poultry and environmental samples from six different live bird markets during 2018–2019. We detected and sequenced HPAI A(H5N8) viruses from two chickens, one quail and one environmental sample in two markets. Temporal phylogenetics indicated that all novel HPAI A(H5N8) viruses belonged to clade 2.3.4.4b, with all eight genes of Pakistan A(H5N8) viruses most closely related to 2017 Saudi Arabia A(H5N8) viruses, which were likely introduced via cross-border transmission from neighboring regions approximately three months prior to virus detection into domestic poultry. Our data further revealed that clade 2.3.4.4b viruses underwent rapid lineage expansion in 2017 and acquired significant amino acid mutations, including mutations associated with increased haemagglutinin affinity to human α-2,6 receptors, prior to the first human A(H5N8) infection in Russian poultry workers in 2020. These results highlight the need for systematic avian influenza surveillance in live bird markets in Pakistan to monitor for potential A(H5Nx) variants that may arise from poultry populations.

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Seroprevalence and risk factors of avian influenza H9 virus among poultry professionals in Rawalpindi, Pakistan

Cited by 9 publications

References 17 publications

Facemasks and similar barriers to prevent respiratory illness such as COVID-19: A rapid systematic review

Facemasks and similar barriers to prevent respiratory illness such as COVID-19: A rapid systematic review

Face coverings for the public: Laying straw men to rest

Genetic Characterization of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A(H5N8) Virus in Pakistani Live Bird Markets Reveals Rapid Diversification of Clade 2.3.4.4b Viruses

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