Publications by authors named "J J Taljaard"

Vaccination is key to eliminating hepatitis B virus infection in South Africa (SA). Despite introducing immunisation in 1995, as part of the expanded programme of immunisation (EPI), hepatitis B virus infection remains endemic, and EPI vaccine coverage is incomplete. In addition to infants, non-immune adults at risk of infection through their occupation or with behavioural risk factors should receive vaccination.

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Background: Classical toxin-mediated respiratory diphtheria has become less common because of widespread effective vaccination globally but invasive disease as a result of non-toxigenic strains of is not prevented by vaccination and may result in severe disease, including infective endocarditis (IE).

Objectives: To describe the outbreak and subsequent investigation of a cluster of five cases of non-toxigenic endocarditis.

Method: A retrospective observational case series of five cases of non-toxigenic endocarditis identified in the rural West Coast district of the Western Cape province of South Africa between May 2021 and June 2021.

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Background: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) elimination requires expanding and decentralising HBV care services. However, peripheral health facilities lack access to diagnostic tools to assess eligibility for antiviral therapy. Through the Hepatitis B in Africa Collaborative Network (HEPSANET), we aimed to develop and evaluate a score using tests generally available at lower-level facilities, to simplify the evaluation of antiviral therapy eligibility in people living with HBV.

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The WHO African region bears a disproportionate burden of morbidity and mortality related to chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and accounts for an estimated 70% of new HBV infections worldwide. We investigated the extent to which HBV clinical trials represented populations in this region by searching the WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform and ClinicalTrials.gov for interventional clinical trials published in English between database inception and May 29, 2023, using the search term "Hepatitis B".

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