Epidemiology of Shiga toxin-producing other than serotype O157:H7 in England, 2016-2023.

Shiga toxin-producing (STEC) infections are of public health concern as STEC can cause large national foodborne outbreaks of severe gastrointestinal disease, particularly in the young and elderly. In recent years, the implementation of PCR by diagnostic microbiology laboratories has improved the detection of STEC, and there has been an increase in notifications of cases of non-O157 STEC. However, the extent this increase in caseload can be attributed to the improved detection by PCR, or a true increase in non-O157 STEC infections, is unknown.

COVID-19 outbreaks following full reopening of primary and secondary schools in England: Cross-sectional national surveillance, November 2020.

Background: The full reopening of schools in September 2020 was associated with an increase in COVID-19 cases and outbreaks in educational settings across England.

Methods: Primary and secondary schools reporting an outbreak (≥2 laboratory-confirmed cases within 14 days) to Public Health England (PHE) between 31 August and 18 October 2020 were contacted in November 2020 to complete an online questionnaire.

Interpretation: There were 969 school outbreaks reported to PHE, comprising 2% ( = 450) of primary schools and 10% ( = 519) of secondary schools in England.

Mother to Infant Transmission of Hepatitis B Virus in the Face of Neonatal Immunization Is Not Necessarily Primary Vaccine Failure.

Background: Surveillance programs undertaken in infants born to mothers with hepatitis B virus (HBV) provide an opportunity to analyze virological markers from the neonate and early infancy. These data inform on mechanisms of HBV transmission and how available interventions can be better used for control of HBV infections arising at the mother/child interface.

Methods: Retrospective analysis of HBV serological markers was undertaken in dried blood spots collected from infants born to mothers infected with HBV.

Impact of COVID-19 vaccination program on seroprevalence in blood donors in England, 2021.

The COVID-19 vaccination programme commenced in England on 8th December 2020 primarily based on age; by 7th March 2021 approximately 93% of the English population aged 70+ years had received at least 1 dose of either the Pfizer BioNTech or AstraZeneca vaccines. Using a nucleoprotein assay that detects antibodies following natural infection only and a spike assay that detects infection and vaccine-induced responses, we aim to describe the impact of vaccination on SARS-CoV-2 antibody prevalence in English blood donors.

COVID-19 in children: analysis of the first pandemic peak in England.

Objectives: To assess disease trends, testing practices, community surveillance, case-fatality and excess deaths in children as compared with adults during the first pandemic peak in England.

Setting: England.

Participants: Children with COVID-19 between January and May 2020.

Candida auris outbreak: Mortality, interventions and cost of sustaining control.

Objective: Candida auris has recently emerged as a global cause of multidrug resistant fungal outbreaks. An outbreak occurred at a tertiary care center in London in 2016. Transmission characteristics, interventions, patient outcomes and cost of resources are described.

Reassessing standards of vascular access device care: a follow-up audit.

This article reports on the findings of a repeat audit of vascular access devices (VADs) in a district general hospital undertaken 4 years after a previous audit. The first demonstrated poor standards of care and low compliance with evidence-based guidelines, indicating that a change in practice was necessary. A strategy of training, education and standardisation for intravenous devices was introduced, with the goal of transforming practice to raise standards and improve compliance.