Publications by authors named "Mark J Ferson"
Article Synopsis
- School vaccination programs are essential for achieving high immunization rates among adolescents, but there are significant differences in vaccination coverage across various schools and regions in southeastern Sydney.
- The study analyzed data from 70 schools and found that higher attendance rates were linked to better coverage for the diphtheria-tetanus-acellular pertussis (dTpa) vaccine, while single-sex schools had higher HPV vaccination coverage compared to coeducational ones.
- The research suggests that school attendance and coeducational status impact vaccination uptake, emphasizing the need for targeted strategies to reduce disparities and improve participation in school-based vaccination programs.
In April 2021, the South Eastern Sydney Local Health District Public Health Unit (Sydney, New South Wales, Australia) was notified of 3 patients with Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections secondary to skin piercings performed at the same salon. Active case finding through laboratories, clinician alerts, and monitoring hospital visits for piercing-related infections identified additional cases across New South Wales, and consumers were alerted. We identified 13 confirmed and 40 probable case-patients and linked clinical isolates by genomic sequencing.
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- Legionnaires' disease is required to be reported in New South Wales, Australia, and a case linked to a communal spa pool in an apartment complex was investigated using whole genome sequencing.
- In February 2018, a man in his 60s was hospitalized with pneumonia due to Lp1 infection after using the communal spa pool, which was found to have low chlorine levels.
- Analysis showed a strong genetic connection between Lp1 found in the patient's sputum and the spa water, indicating that the pool was likely the source of infection and highlighting the need for regulation of such facilities.
Article Synopsis
- - The study in New South Wales examined the effectiveness of an active contact tracing method for follow-up on hepatitis B exposure, contrasting it with the usual passive approach led by general practitioners.
- - In this investigation, staff and clients from a dental practice, identified as a potential hepatitis B exposure site, were contacted multiple times to request blood tests, leading to a participation rate of just 39% among eligible individuals.
- - While the active follow-up required significant resources and staff time ($30,000 and 430 hours), it demonstrated the ability to accurately document participation rates, suggesting that active methods may be beneficial for managing high-risk blood borne virus exposures despite their intensity.
The incidence of enterovirus D68 (EV-D68) in New South Wales, Australia, is unknown. As part of a state-wide surveillance program, enterovirus positive diagnostic specimens were assessed from patients presenting to hospitals with respiratory and meningitis syndromes from August 2018 to November 2019. Diagnostic enterovirus positive samples were collected from 339 patients and re-extracted followed by targeted PCR across the whole EV-D68 genome (7.
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- The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed cruise holidays as potential hotspots for infections, yet little is known about the health behaviors and perceptions of passengers during these trips.
- Narrative group interviews with 25 families in NSW uncovered that travelers often neglect health concerns, feeling safe due to cruise organizers' risk management, and primarily focus on basic health practices like eating well and taking medications.
- The study emphasizes the need for effective health communication strategies that align with the fun, relaxed mindset of cruisers to improve awareness and health behaviors without being intrusive.*
Bondi and beyond. Lessons from three waves of COVID-19 from 2020.
Public Health Res Pract
September 2021
Objectives: To describe local operational aspects of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) response during the first three waves of outbreaks in New South Wales (NSW), Australia, which began in January, July and December 2020. Type of program or service: Public health outbreak response.
Methods: Narrative with epidemiological linking and genomic testing.
Introduction: A record number of influenza outbreaks in aged care facilities (ACFs) in New South Wales (NSW) during 2017 provided an opportunity to measure the health impact of those outbreaks and assess the quality of routinely available surveillance data.
Methods: Data for all ACF influenza outbreaks in NSW in 2017 were extracted from the Notifiable Conditions Information Management System. The numbers of outbreaks, residents with influenza-like illness (ILI), hospital admissions and deaths were assessed.
Article Synopsis
- In 2018, NSW Health launched a campaign to boost influenza vaccination among healthcare workers (HCWs) after a severe flu season in 2017, implementing a centralized online database to track vaccination rates.
- A literature review led to the selection of REDCap as a secure and efficient data collection tool, allowing the rapid establishment of an online vaccination consent form and effective data monitoring.
- Over 10,000 employees were recorded as vaccinated in REDCap, enabling managers to identify unvaccinated staff and increase overall vaccination rates, showing REDCap's effectiveness in monitoring HCW vaccination compliance.
Background: Gonorrhoea incidence is increasing in the Australian population. As a laboratory notifiable disease in NSW, information is not routinely available on indigenous status, sexual preference or other risk factors for infection. We conducted a 12-month pilot of enhanced surveillance in south-eastern Sydney in order to assess the feasibility of gathering this additional information.
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- The audit aimed to determine the actual immunisation coverage of children in New South Wales (NSW) at one year old compared to what was reported to the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR).
- It found that the true coverage was 96.2%, higher than the reported 94.1%, and noted that a significant portion of those marked as overdue were fully vaccinated.
- The study identified data errors and duplicate records as major factors leading to under-reporting, emphasizing the need for improved data transmission and management to enhance the accuracy of immunisation records.
Norovirus is estimated to cause 677 million annual cases of gastroenteritis worldwide, resulting in 210,000 deaths. As viral gastroenteritis is generally self-limiting, clinical samples for epidemiological studies only partially represent circulating noroviruses in the population and is biased towards severe symptomatic cases. As infected individuals from both symptomatic and asymptomatic cases shed viruses into the sewerage system at a high concentration, waste water samples are useful for the molecular epidemiological analysis of norovirus genotypes at a population level.
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- A hepatitis E virus (HEV) outbreak was linked to a restaurant in New South Wales, with investigations identifying 55 confirmed cases between January 2013 and December 2014, many of whom had not traveled overseas.
- The majority of affected individuals had eaten pork liver pâté, with a significant number reporting it compared to uninfected co-diners, indicating a potential foodborne source of the outbreak.
- Genetic analysis confirmed the virus was of the same genotype (3) from the restaurant and also traced the pork used in the pâté back to a specific farm in Australia, highlighting local sourcing issues.
From October 2013 through February 2014, human parechovirus genotype 3 infection was identified in 183 infants in New South Wales, Australia. Of those infants, 57% were male and 95% required hospitalization. Common signs and symptoms were fever >38°C (86%), irritability (80%), tachycardia (68%), and rash (62%).
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- The introduction notes a decline in invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) due to the 7-valent vaccine, but there's a lack of comparative data on different vaccination schedules from various regions.
- The study compared IPD incidence rates in children and older adults across three different vaccination schedules in Australia, the US, and England/Wales, finding significant reductions in vaccine-type IPD rates.
- Results showed minor differences in vaccine-type IPD between the schedules, suggesting that all three countries have similar outcomes, and future studies post-13vPCV implementation will be crucial for a more accurate assessment.
Article Synopsis
- The pilot program aimed to improve the identification of newly acquired Hepatitis C virus (HCV) cases in southeastern Sydney to enhance public health safety, as routine surveillance was insufficient for distinguishing between new and chronic infections.
- During the study period (July to December 2012), 104 HCV notifications were captured, with enhanced checks returning data from 72 referring doctors, leading to the identification of six newly acquired cases, significantly higher than the typical 1-3% found in standard monitoring.
- The findings indicated that sexual transmission was likely responsible for four of the six new cases, while two were linked to injecting drug use, highlighting the importance of improved surveillance methods in recognizing HCV infections and their transmission routes.
Objective: To evaluate the rate of HIV and tuberculosis co-infection and changes in HIV testing practices for patients with tuberculosis managed in South Eastern Sydney Local Health District (SESLHD), New South Wales, Australia.
Design, Participants And Setting: A retrospective review of tuberculosis notification data from four public tuberculosis treatment clinics in SESLHD (population, >800,000), 2008-2013. Data were extracted from the NSW Notifiable Conditions Information Management System.
Introduction: Australia was one of the first countries to introduce nationally funded rotavirus vaccination. The program has had a substantial impact on both rotavirus and all-cause acute gastroenteritis (AGE) hospitalisations and rotavirus laboratory tests. Evidence for an impact on Emergency Department (ED) presentations is limited.
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