Objective: Quadrivalent meningococcal conjugate vaccines (MenACWY) have been recommended routinely for adolescents since 2005; in 2015, serogroup B meningococcal (MenB) vaccines were recommended for persons aged 16-23 years based on individual clinical decision making. We surveyed college health providers or administrators to understand current…

Treatment-seeking behavior (TSB) in relation to dengue infection is a critical aspect of public health, and understanding the factors that influence it is crucial for effective disease management. This research delves into key determinants of dengue TSB by examining the perceptions and behaviors of individuals in Costa Rica, in relation to the…

The global threat of antibiotic-resistant infections has resulted in health organizations compiling an Antibiotic Stewardship Program (ASP), in which the education of current and future medical prescribers and farmers is central to the preservation of current and future antimicrobial treatments. The purpose of this study was to assess and compare…

Objective: To describe norovirus outbreaks at colleges and universities. Participants: None. Conducted September 2016 to March 2018. Methods: College and university norovirus outbreaks reported to the US National Outbreak Reporting System (NORS, 2009-2016) or published and indexed by EMBASE, PubMed, and Web of Science (1985-2017) were analyzed.…

Background: We evaluate the public health surveillance program, Screen, Test, and Protect (STP) designed to control and prevent COVID-19 at a large academic university in the United States. Methods: STP was established at the University of Florida in May 2020. This report details STP's full-time workforce, centralized database, and testing and…

Objective: To identify predictors of meningococcal vaccine uptake among university and college students, the most common carriers of meningococcal disease. Participants: University or college students aged 18 to 25 years. Methods: Multiple databases, citations, and gray literature were systematically searched in April 2017 and January 2019, for…

Neisseria meningitides serogroup B, commonly referred to as Meningococcal B or Meningitis B, is a highly contagious bacterial infection primarily afflicting the college-aged population with disease contraction resulting in death or severe debilitation if not expediently diagnosed and treated. Currently, there are two vaccines, Bexsero and…

Purpose: As illustrated by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), epidemic models are powerful health policy tools critical for disease prevention and control, i.e. if they are fit for purpose. How do people ensure this is the case and where does health education fit in? Design/methodology/approach: This research takes a multidisciplinary approach…

A physical chemistry lab for undergraduate students described in this report is about applying kinetic models to analyze the spread of COVID-19 in the United States and obtain the reproduction numbers. The susceptible-infectious-recovery (SIR) model and the SIR-vaccinated (SIRV) model are explained to the students and are used to analyze the…

Objective: In April 2022, the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) COVID-19 Contact Tracing & Epidemiology Program identified an outbreak associated with an indoor student gala. This study's aims were to characterize COVID-19 transmission dynamics and measure symptom severity among cases. Participants: The study population included…

Chemistry experiments involving biological aspects are in high demand. This laboratory exercise blends biochemistry and physical chemistry, illustrates key concepts of the virus capsid surface, and is designed for a chemistry laboratory course for students majoring in biology in college. The experimental part provides a mastery of…

Objective: The purpose of this study was to compare knowledge about human papillomavirus (HPV) and HPV vaccine, college student's beliefs toward HPV, and HPV vaccine uptake between US and international college students studying in the US. Participants: The study was conducted using a sample (N = 588) of college students from a university in the…

Objective: To increase administration of influenza (flu), human papillomavirus (HPV) and meningococcal serogroup B (MenB) vaccinations to students at college student health centers (SHCs). Participants: Improvement teams from 45 US-based SHCs. Methods: Teams participated in a 7-month virtual learning collaborative to implement immunization…

Contribution: Although engineering hackathon events are common, this is one of the first reports of such an event used for the purpose of teaching engineering students about public health concepts. Results from this study suggest that hackathons are an effective format for teaching topics that are not core to the engineering discipline in a short…

In the summer of 2020, SARS-CoV-2 infection rates among the U.S. population aged 20-39 years exceeded other age groups, with the largest increases occurring in the southern US. As many colleges reopened for in-person instruction in August and September, these trends continued among campuses across the country. Our study aimed to identify risk…