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Linked to the increase in international travel and development of insecticide resistance, a resurgence of bed bug infestation has been observed since the 2000's and become now a worldwide public health problem. Passenger ships as part of the tourism industry are traditionally infested by bed bugs, but the whole maritime world is now concerned.We conducted a short questionnaire-survey among the 22 doctors of the French seafarers' health services to assess the level of this phenomenon in the occupational maritime environment.Twenty seven per cent of the doctors reported that a patient shared to them a bed bug infestation on board. In that case, all declared that the infestation impacted the patient's life on board. Eighteen per cent responded that a shipowner had already sought their support in face of a bed bug infestation. Lastly, 27% considered that bed bug infestation is an increasing problem.Bed bugs infestation on board has a major impact on the seafarers and passengers, and significant economic consequences. Preventive measures need to be implemented to limit the risks of dissemination. It is essential to inform and educate seafarers on best practice.

Esophageal cancer is the sixth most common cause of cancer death worldwide. In France, Brittany is one of the regions most seriously affected. This increased incidence is usually linked to high rates of alcohol overconsumption and smoking, established risk factors for esophageal cancer, but the region has special occupational exposures. We aim to describe the occupational exposures of patients with esophageal cancer. Between June and October 2020, we conducted a monocentric descriptive study in a French Teaching Hospital and identified 37 eligible patients. We gathered data through a systematic individual interview for each participant and by an analysis of their medical file. We were able to include 36 patients; most were men (n = 27, 75.0%) and smokers (n = 25, 69.4%), 21 (58.3%) presented an adenocarcinoma esophageal cancer, 13 (36.1%) a squamous cell cancer, and 2 other types. On occupational exposure, patients declared respectively high exposure by manipulating asbestos materials for 11 (30.6%) patients, regularly in contact with benzene by handling fuel in 7 cases (19.4%), chlorinated solvents in 4 cases (11.1%), pesticides in 4 cases, and ionizing radiation exposure in 3 patients (8.3%). Our findings support the creation of a large-scale study to explore the impact of occupational exposures, particularly exposure to asbestos and hydrocarbons.

In a university hospital in Brittany, health monitoring of the staff was set up at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. The first results of the studies carried out in this context showed that nurses showed a greater deterioration of their physical health than other professionals. However, thanks to psychological balancing measures, nurses did not appear to be more affected in terms of psychological health and well-being at work than the other hospital workers.

In a university hospital in Brittany, health monitoring of the staff was set up at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. The first results of the studies carried out in this context showed that nurses showed a greater deterioration of their physical health than other professionals. However, thanks to psychological balancing measures, nurses did not appear to be more affected in terms of psychological health and well-being at work than the other hospital workers.

ObjectiveTo compare global health, mental health impact of work stressors and psychosocial perception of healthcare workers (HCWs) and non-HCWs in a hospital after the first peak of the COVID-19 outbreak in France.MethodsA validated version of the SATIN (Santé Au Travail Inrs université Nancy 2)questionnaire with adapted scoring was used to collect data on health and impact of work stressors. This questionnaire was sent to all workers at a hospital in July 2020 and was self-administered online. In a multinomial regression model, we included HCW status, age, gender and front-line worker status as covariates.ResultsData from a total of 1405 participants were included. We found that being an HCW, male and front-line worker was a risk factor for negative perception of work demand (OR 7.35, 95% CI 4.2 to 11.47; OR 2.55, 95% CI 1.11 to 5.89; OR 1.78, 95% CI 1.04 to 3.06). Being an HCW was a predictive factor for stress (OR 1.47, 95% CI 1.04 to 2.08), poor global health (OR 1.71, 95% CI 1.14 to 2.55) and negative perception of work activity environment (OR 1.9, 95% CI 1.3 to 2.8).ConclusionWe have shown that all HCWs suffered from some health impact shortly after the first peak of the COVID-19 outbreak. We underline some stressors with high impact, including work demand, work abilities and organisational context, and emphasise the need for risk management.