• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.386-390
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• 2005

Influenza A viruses periodicall y cause worldwide epidemics, or pandemics, with high rates of illness and death. A pandemic can occur at any time, with the potential to cause serious illness, death and social and economic disruption throughout the world. Historic evidence suggests that pandemics occurred three to four times per century. In the last century there were three influenza pandemics. The circumstances still exist for a new influenza virus with pandemic potential to emerge an d spread. The unpredictability of the timing of the next pandemic is underlined by the occurrence of several large outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza since the early 1980s. In 1999, the World Health Organization published the Influenza pandemic plan. The role of WHO and guidelines for national and regional planning. And in 2005, WHO revised the global influenza preparedness plan for new national measures before and during pandemics. This document outlines briefly the Korean Centers for Disease Control's plan for responding to an influenza pandemic. According to the new pandemic phases of WHO, we set up the 4 national levels of preparedness and made guidelines for preventing and control the epidemics in each phase. And also we described the future plans to antiviral stockpiles and pandemic vaccine development.

• Journal of Contemporary Eastern Asia
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.33-42
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• 2022

The world has witnessed the outbreak of the Covid-19 epidemic. Mainstream and social media are playing an important role in Covid-19 pandemic prevention. This research explores awareness, communication channels and effectiveness of communication in the Covid-19 pandemic in rural areas of Thua Thien Hue province, Central Vietnam. Primary information was collected from 181 respondents, who are farmers, non-farmers and students. Secondary information was collected from reports and statistical data. Television, word of mouth and local loudspeakers are the main channels of mainstream media while social media mentions the role of Facebook and Zalo to transfer Covid-19 pandemic information. Mainstream media is still the main channel of farmers and old people while non-farmers and young people tend to access information through social media. Communication has significantly contributed to improving awareness and action of rural people in the Covid-19 epidemic prevention.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.379-385
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• 2005

The impact of the next influenza pandemic is difficult to predict. It is dependent on how virulent the virus is, how rapidly it spreads from population to population, and the effectiveness of prevention and response efforts. Despite the uncertainty about the magnitude of the next pandemic, estimates of the health and economic impact remain important to aid public health policy decisions and guide pandemic planning for health and emergency sectors. Planning ahead in preparation for an influenza pandemic, with its potentially very high morbidity and mortality rates, is essential for hospital administrators and public health officials. The estimat ion of pandemic impact is based on the previous pandemics- we had experienced at least 3 pandemics in 20th century. But the epidemiologi cal characteristics - ie, start season, the impact of 1st wave, pathogenicity and virulence of the viruses and the primary victims of population were quite different from one another. I reviewed methodology for estimation and modelling of pandemic impact and described some nations's results using them in their national preparedness plans. And then I showed the estimates of pandemic influenza impact in Korea with FluSurge and FluAid. And, I described the results of pandemic modelling with parameters of 1918 pandemic for the shake of education and training of the first-line responder health officials to the epidemics. In preparing influenza pandemics, the simulation and modelling are the keys to reduce the uncertainty of the future and to make proper policies to manage and control the pandemics.

• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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• v.9 no.5
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• pp.19-25
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• 2023

This study was conducted to confirm the level of stress and infection prevention behavior of nursing college freshman during the COVID-19 pandemic. 119 nursing college freshmen who took remote classes because face-to-face classes were not possible due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The collected data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, Independent t-test, one-way ANOVA, and Pearson's correlation coefficient using SPSS WIN/PC 26.0 statistics program. As a result of this study, the sensitivity to stress was significantly higher when the attitude towards college life was passive (F=5.92, p=.004), and when people perceived themselves as healthy, their stress was significantly lower (t=-2.22, p=.029). In addition, those who responded that they were very uncomfortable due to activity restrictions due to COVID-19 had a significantly higher level of infection prevention behavior than those who responded that they did not feel any discomfort (F=3.51, p=.018). In a pandemic environment such as COVID-19, efforts to promote a positive attitude and awareness of health conditions are needed to reduce the stress of college freshmen and increase infection prevention behavior.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.99-104
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• 2010

The World Health Organization (WHO) announced the emergence of a novel influenza on April 24, 2009, and they declared pandemic on June 11. In Korea, the proportion of influenza-like illness and the consumption of antiviral agents peaked in early November. The government established the Central Headquarters for Influenza Control and operated the emergency response system. In the quarantine stations, we checked the body temperature and collected quarantine questionnaires from all the arrivals from infected countries. We also isolated the confirmed cases in the national isolation hospitals. However, as the community outbreaks were reported, we changed strategy from containment to mitigation. We changed the antiviral agent prescription guideline so that doctors could prescribe antiviral agents to all patients with acute febrile respiratory illness, without a laboratory diagnosis. Also the 470 designated hospitals were activated to enhance the efficacy of treatment. We vaccinated about 12 million people and manage the adverse event following the immunization management system. In 2010, we will establish additional national isolation wards and support hospitals to establish fever clinics and isolation intensive care unit (ICU) beds. We will also make a computer program for managing the national isolation hospitals and designated hospitals. We will establish isolation rooms and expand the laboratory in quarantine stations and we will construct a bio-safety level 3 laboratory in each province. In addition, we plan to construct a bio-safety level 4 laboratory at a new Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) facilities in Ossong.

• Asian Journal for Public Opinion Research
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.277-292
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• 2022

Cognizant of the role of the family in influencing health behaviors among its young members, especially during the time of COVID-19 in the Philippines where stay-at-home measures were in place from March 2020 until March 2022, this study sought to determine the predictive relationship of family relationship to COVID-19 preventive behavioral intention and pandemic fatigue among young Filipino undergraduates. A total of 1,665 undergraduate students participated in this cross-sectional online survey. Findings reveal that family cohesion significantly increases COVID-19 prevention behavioral intention among undergraduates. Moreover, students who report high levels of conflict in the family are less likely to comply with preventive behaviors and exhibit higher levels of pandemic fatigue.

• CELLMED
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.20.1-20.23
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• 2021

Background: The pandemic COVID-19 caused by a novel coronavirus SARS-COV-2 has spread like a forest fire. This disease may have serious consequences for pregnant women. Presently, no specific drugs or vaccines exist to battle this disease and researches are underway. Unani medicine has a unique role in prevention and management during epidemics. Here, we reviewed the overview of COVID-19 infection and pregnancy, concept and practices in Unani medicine for flu-like epidemics in general and pregnancy, and safety of Unani drugs for the prevention and treatment of mild symptomatic cases of COVID-19 during pregnancy. Methodology: Unani classical texts and pharmacopoeia were meticulously explored for concepts and practices for flu-like epidemic diseases. Further, we browsed scientific databases such as PubMed, Scopus and others for an overview, epidemics and Unani medicine, effectiveness and safety of Unani drugs in COVID-19 and pregnancy. Results: Unani medicine includes prevention and management of flu-like epidemic include quarantine and isolation, aromatic herbal drugs fumigation and spraying for environmental disinfection, ilaj bid tadbir for health promotion and use of health-protecting drugs and symptom-specific drugs in general and related to pregnancy. Lahsun, asalussus, behidana, banafsha, zanjabeel, unnab, etc are in use since antiquity for the prevention and treatment of asymptomatic and mildly symptomatic pregnant women during infectious and epidemic diseases. Conclusion: Currently, the aforementioned plants are proven for antiviral, antioxidant, immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory activities, probably useful in the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, scientific studies have provided new insight into the mechanism underlying the therapeutic effect of Unani medicines that are safe in pregnancy.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.56 no.3
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• pp.330-347
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• 2023

Purpose: This study identified words closely associated with the keyword "dietary supplement" (DS) using big data in Korean social media and investigated consumer perceptions and trends related to DSs before (2019) and after the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic (2021). Methods: A total of 37,313 keywords were found for the 2019 period, and 35,336 keywords were found for the 2021 period using blogs and cafes on Daum and Naver. Results were derived by text mining, semantic networking, network visualization analysis, and sentiment analysis. Results: The DS-related keywords that frequently appeared before and after COVID-19 were "recommend", "vitamin", "health", "children", "multiple", and "lactobacillus". "Calcium", "lutein", "skin", and "immunity" also had high frequency-inverse document frequency (TF-IDF) values. These keywords imply a keen interest in DSs among Korean consumers. Big data results also reflected social phenomena related to DSs; for example, "baby" and "pregnant woman" had lower TD-IDF values after the pandemic, suggesting lower marriage and birth rates but higher values for "joint", indicating reduced physical activity. A network centered on vitamins and health care was produced by semantic network analysis in 2019. In 2021, values were highest for deficiency and need, indicating that individuals were searching for DSs after the COVID-19 pandemic due to a lack an awareness of the need for adequate nutrient intake. Before the pandemic, DSs and vitamins were associated with healthcare and life cycle-related topics, such as pregnancy, but after the COVID-19 pandemic, consumer interests changed to disease prevention and treatment. Conclusion: This study provides meaningful clues regarding consumer perceptions and trends related to DSs before and after the COVID-19 pandemic and fundamental data on the effect of the pandemic on consumer interest in dietary supplements.

• Journal of Information Science Theory and Practice
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.49-63
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• 2024

Information behavior played a significant role in minimizing the risks of the COVID-19 pandemic. When faced with such a situation, an individual needs information for decision-making and in order to determine the best course of action relating to their health. This study aims to explore information behavior during each phase of the COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia, which is known for its close-knit collective culture. A sensemaking approach is used, which emphasizes the process individuals go through to understand their situation and give meaning to the information they are getting from their environment. Data was collected through in-depth interviews with 10 participants to obtain a description of their information behaviors during the pandemic. Data analysis was carried out using open, axial, and selective coding. We propose a sensemaking-based information behavior strategy framework for mitigating risk and reducing ongoing health crises. Changes in information behavior strategies, including search, prevention, and restriction of information exposure, were random at the beginning of the pandemic, but became more regular in later phases. This was influenced by the "knowledge gap fulfillment" and "use of local knowledge" among the participants throughout the pandemic. In conclusion, the participants developed a sensemaking process including an understanding of the pandemic situation and the risks that they faced. They used a number of information behavior strategies to prevent transmission, and their perception of the risks changed across the course of the pandemic, up til the situation began to be considered back to normal again in Indonesia.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.93-101
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• 2023

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted how people work, resulting in a massive shift towards working from home or remotely. Work from home has played a critical role in reducing the transmission of COVID-19 by limiting in-person interactions and reducing the density of people in office buildings. It also enabled businesses and organizations to continue operating while keeping their employees safe and healthy. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the adoption of work from home in business and organizational sectors worldwide, and it is likely to continue as a preferred mode of work even after the pandemic is over. This shift towards working from home has not only impacted the way people work but also has significant implications for urban development, transportation, and the environment. This study intends to develop measures for addressing potential physical and mental health issues among remotely working employees. Additionally, it identifies the major influencing factors of home workers' health hazards and proposes improvement measures that can be applied to working from home, along with existing laws and prevention methods.