Cent Eur J Public Health 2026, 34(1)

Incidence and risk factors of COVID-19 infection in healthcare workers at a tertiary referral centre: from the first to the sixth wave of the pandemic

Ignacio Ruiz-Salcedo, Álvaro Serrano-Ortiz, Rafael Ruiz-Montero, Juan José López-Moyano, Mohamed Farouk Allam, Estefania López-Cabrera, Inmaculada Salcedo-Leal

Cent Eur J Public Health 2026, 34(1):3-8 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a8447

Objectives: The aim of the study was to determine the incidence of COVID-19 infection among healthcare workers (HCWs) at Reina Sofia University Hospital (RSUH) in Cordoba, Spain, from the first to the sixth wave of the pandemic. Additionally, we analysed the characteristics of infections across different age groups, genders, professional categories, hospital services, and COVID-19 vaccination status. Methods: An observational, longitudinal, analytical, and retrospective study was conducted, considering characteristics of person, time, HCWs category, and diagnostic test. The results of the tests of RSUH HCWs between March 2020 and March 2022 were analysed....

Factors influencing attitudes toward vaccination in general and against COVID-19 among family medicine patients with and without chronic disease in Croatia

Vedrana Tudor Špalj, Branislava Popović, Nives Radošević Quadranti, Gordana Mičetić Balog, Zoran Adžić

Cent Eur J Public Health 2026, 34(1):9-15 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a8477

Objectives: The aim of the study was to analyse the attitudes and decisions regarding vaccination in general and against COVID-19 among general practitioner (GP) patients in Croatia, and to identify influencing factors, with particular attention to chronic conditions and anxiety. Methods: A total of 184 patients (stratified by sex and presence of chronic disease) from a GP's offices, aged 18-87 years (average 50.3 ± 1.3 years, 49.5% women) were included. Data were collected using a questionnaire. Results: Attitudes toward vaccination in general did not differ between patients with and without chronic diseases and were not influenced by anxiety....

Vaccination coverage against COVID-19 among people living with HIV infection in the Czech Republic

Lukáš Fleischhans, Barbora Králíčková, Marek Malý, Ladislav Machala, David Jilich

Cent Eur J Public Health 2026, 34(1):16-21 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a8674

Objectives: The pandemic of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has affected hundreds of millions of individuals globally. Vaccination has become a promptly effective preventive procedure. People living with HIV (PLHIV) are in increased risk of many infections including COVID-19. We aimed to analyse the first phase of vaccination (January 2021–June 2022) in the Czech Republic in PLHIV focusing on vaccination coverage, vaccine hesitancy and breakthrough infections. Methods: In this single-centre, open-label, prospective study we have enrolled 1,758 PLHIV with median age of 42.5 years and median CD4+ T cells count (cluster...

Early diagnosis and risk groups: comorbidities in newly diagnosed adults with HIV in Turkey

Şemsi Nur Karabela, Fatma Bayrak Erdem, Esra Canbolat Ünlü, Beyza Kaplan Yapar, Sevtap Şenoğlu, Habip Gedik, Kadriye Kart Yaşar

Cent Eur J Public Health 2026, 34(1):22-27 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a8538

Objectives: This study aimed to identify factors contributing to the early diagnosis of HIV in Turkey, with a particular focus on high-risk populations, comorbid conditions, and temporal trends. It also evaluated whether initial clinical findings could inform the expansion of screening strategies. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 1,703 individuals living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) who attended our clinic between 2004 and 2023. Patients were grouped into five-year intervals and assessed based on demographic characteristics, reasons for testing, and reported comorbidities. Results: Among the participants, 90.3% were males,...

Railway accident with benzene release into the environment in 2025: estimation of health risks from available data

Milan Tuček

Cent Eur J Public Health 2026, 34(1):28-32 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a8918

Objectives: The aim of the study was to assess potential health risks associated with a large-scale environmental release of benzene following a railway accident in Moravia, Czech Republic, in 2025, with emphasis on differences between population and occupational exposure. Methods: An assessment of potential health risks associated with exposure was performed using available environmental monitoring data. Conservative exposure scenarios were defined for the general population and for remediation workers. Non-carcinogenic risk was expressed as the hazard quotient (HQ), and carcinogenic risk as excess lifetime cancer risk (ELCR). Results: Short-term...

Human health risk assessment of trihalomethanes in outdoor swimming pool waters in Montenegro

Dijana Đurović, Nevena Cupara, Irena Nikolić, Milena Tadić, Jelka Vuković

Cent Eur J Public Health 2026, 34(1):33-39 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a8555

Objectives: This paper deals with the characterization of outdoor swimming pool waters to study the occurrence of trihalomethanes (THMs) and to assess the health risk of THMs exposure for three population groups (male, female, and children). The concentration of total THMs and individual species (chloroform, bromodichloromethane (BDCM), dibromochloromethane (DBCM), and bromoform) were monitored during the seven months of 2022 in outdoor swimming pools in the coastal area of Montenegro. Methods: A total of 73 water samples from outdoor swimming pools were collected and tested for the content of THMs using an Agilent 7890 A GC. Carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic...

Trends in Amanita phalloides intoxications in the Czech Republic: how many antidotes are needed?

Daniela Pelclová, Tomáš Navrátil, Eva Kieslichová, Jaroslav Klán, Peter Ondra, Šárka Daňková, Tomáš Májek, Ľubica Bihary

Cent Eur J Public Health 2026, 34(1):40-46 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a8787

Objectives: In Central Europe, mushroom poisoning is a public health problem as the Czech Republic belongs to the countries with the highest proportion of mushroom pickers. The trends in A. phalloides intoxications, their treatment and outcome were investigated in verified cases, as several antidotes are recommended and their effect is still under discussion. Methods: Mushroom intoxications in 2010–2024 were searched in the database of the Czech Toxicological Information Centre (TIC) and the Institute of Health Information and Statistics. Intoxications with amatoxins in 2019–2024 were analysed. Results: Mushroom-related consultations of...

Correlation between waist-to-height ratio and other anthropometric indices in the Bosnian elderly

Asija Začiragić, Amela Dervišević, Orhan Lepara, Amila Huremović, Amina Valjevac

Cent Eur J Public Health 2026, 34(1):47-52 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a8533  

Objectives: The objective of the present study was to explore whether gender differences exist in waist-to-height ratio (WtHR) values and to assess the correlation between WtHR and other obesity indicators after categorising older adults of Bosnian descent based on the presence or absence of abdominal obesity. Methods: The study included 151 inhabitants of the Geriatric Centre in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, aged 65 years and older (66 males and 85 females). Anthropometric indices and blood pressure values were measured by standard methods. WtHR was calculated using the following formula: waist circumference (WC) (cm)/height (cm). Differences...

Atherosclerosis and dementia development: an epidemiological case-control study

Veronika Koutná, Ladislav Štěpánek, Martina Kovalová, Ondřej Machaczka, Petr Ambroz, Anna Zatloukalová, Eva Mrázková, Michal Bar, Martin Roubec, Petra Bártová, Richard Novobilský, Martin Sabela, Pavlína Kušnierová, David Stejskal, Lucie Faldynová, Sylwia Walczysková, Lukáš Školoudík, Libor Šimůnek, Petra Šolínová, David Školoudík, Jana Janoutová, Vladimír Janout

Cent Eur J Public Health 2026, 34(1):53-58 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a8574

Objectives: With increasing life expectancy, the prevalence of atherosclerosis and dementia is expected to rise in the future and as such represents a public health threat. This study focused on analysis of atherosclerosis risk factors and the protective factors of leisure-time activities in the development of dementia. Methods: The sample comprised 1,298 participants that were selected from university hospitals and outpatient clinics between 2019-2023. All participants completed a questionnaire and medical data were obtained. We used logistic regression to identify dementia risk factors and we also compared the leisure-time protective factors between...

Degree of fatigue in individual parts of the body of professional tree climbers after the performance of their work – a survey

Luboš Staněk

Cent Eur J Public Health 2026, 34(1):59-66 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a8381

Objectives: Work of an arborist – tree climbing – is a dangerous activity associated with great physical effort, influenced by incorrect body posture and significantly stressed individual parts of the body. This research was initiated with the objective to draw attention to this hitherto little explored issue connected with ergonomics of the work of tree climbers. The goal of the research was to gather information about the fatigue of individual parts of the human body in professional tree climbers who access trees using so-called rope techniques (ascent to the tree crown, movement in the tree crown, descent from the tree crown) by means...

Letter to the Editor

Unusual occurrence of temporo-spatial cluster of human prion disease in northern part of central Slovakia

Pavol Skáčik, Štefan Sivák, Egon Kurča

Cent Eur J Public Health 2026, 34(1):67-68 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a8670  

Objectives: Clusters of human prion diseases have been reported in several endemic regions, notably in Slovakia, Italy, Chile, and Israel, predominantly linked to genetic forms (E200K mutation). Isolated temporo-spatial clusters that include sporadic forms are rarely documented and remain poorly understood. This report describes a unique cluster of prionopathies observed in northern central Slovakia. Methods: Between July 2021 and March 2022, three definitive cases of prion disease were identified in two neighbouring rural villages, Pribovce and Rakovo, in the Martin District of Slovakia. The villages, located within a radius of approximately three...