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Background: Singapore General Hospital (SGH) is the largest acute tertiary-care hospital in Singapore. Healthcare workers (HCWs) are at risk of acquiring COVID-19 in both the community and workplaces. SGH has a robust exposure management process including prompt contact tracing, immediate ring fencing, lock down of affected cubicles or single room isolation for patient contacts, and home isolation orders for staff contacts of COVID-19 cases during the containment phase of the pandemic. Contacts were also placed on enhanced surveillance with PCR testing on days 1 and 4 as well as daily antigen rapid tests (ARTs) for 10 days after exposure. Here, we describe the characteristic of HCWs with COVID-19 during the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This retrospective observational study included all SGH HCWs who acquired COVID-19 during the third wave (ie, the 18-week period from September 1 to December 31, 2021) of the COVID-19 pandemic. Univariate analysis was used to compare characteristics of work-associated infection (WAI) and community-acquired infection (CAI) among HCWs. Results: Among a workforce of >10,000 at SGH, 335 HCWs acquired COVID-19 during study period. CAI (exposure to known clusters or household contact) accounted for 111 HCW infections (33.1%). Also, 48 HCWs (14.3%) had a WAI (ie, acquired at their work places where there was no patient contact). Among WAsI, only 5 HCWs had hospital-acquired infection (confirmed by phylogenetic analysis). The sources of exposure for the remaining 176 HCWs were unknown. Weekly incidence of COVID-19 among HCWs was comparable to the epidemiology curve of all cases in Singapore (Fig. 1 and 2). The mean age of HCWs with COVID-19 was 39.6 years, and most were women. At the time of positive SARS-CoV-2 PCR test, 223 HCWs were symptomatic, and 67 (20.0%) of them had comorbidities. Only 16 HCWs (4.8%) required hospitalization, and all recovered fully with no mortality (Table 1). Being female was associated with community COVID-19 acquisition (OR, 4.6, P Conclusions: During the thrid wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, a higher percentage of HCWs at SGH acquired the infection from the community than from the workplace. Safe management measures, such as universal masking, social distancing, and robust exposure management processes including prompt contact tracing and environmental disinfection, can reduce the risk of COVID-19 in the hospital work environment.

Introduction: Agriculture emerges as one of the most dangerous industries in the world, considering injury and illness rates. After the service sector in Turkey, the next large-scale sector is the agricultural sector, which constitutes 20% of the general employment. The exposure of farmers to pesticides, used to increase the quality and productivity of agricultural products, causes health risks via the mouth, respiration, skin, and eyes. Pesticide use in Turkey is increasing; the annual average increase is estimated at 1.2%. Exposure to pesticides can be reduced by wearing personal protective equipment to protect against health and safety hazards. Objective: This study aimed to determine the importance of personal protective equipment using the multi-criteria decision-making method to prevent the risk of injury and disease resulting from pesticide use. Materials and methods: The Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) method was used to find the weights of the criteria determined by expert opinion and a literature review. The Preference Ranking Organization Method for Enrichment Evaluation (PROMETHEE) was used to rank personal protective equipment. Results: Personal protective equipment includes masks, gloves, overalls, safety shoes, glasses, and hats. The use of multi-criteria decision-making methods in health and safety in the agricultural sector will contribute to the literature. Conclusion: Emphasizing the use of personal protective equipment, especially when using pesticides, will increase the rate of use of protective measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Listeria monocytogenes is an intracellular pathogen causing food-borne disease. It usually affects the young as well as immunocompromised individuals and is associated with high mortality rates. Cutaneous manifestations have rarely been described. We describe an interesting case of a traveller from the tropics presenting with cutaneous listeriosis and anemia.