Essential Workers' COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy, Misinformation, and Informational Needs in the Republic of North Macedonia.

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in over 5.2 million deaths. Vaccine hesitancy remains a public health challenge, especially in Eastern Europe.

Management of meningococcal outbreaks: are we using the same language? Comparison of the public health policies between high-income countries with low incidence of meningococcal disease.

Background: Invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) in high-income countries usually occurs sporadically with low incidence and occasionally as small clusters or outbreaks. The WHO guidelines (GLs) for IMD outbreak applies only to African countries with high endemic incidence. Several high-income countries developed their own GLs on IMD outbreak, and we compare their terminology, classification, definitions, and public health interventions.

Organization or Community-Based Outbreak? Responding to Cases of Meningitis Under Epidemiologic Uncertainty.

Six cases of serogroup C invasive meningococcal disease were identified in Treviso district, Veneto region, Italy between December 13 and 15, 2007. The afflicted patients were found to have attended the same Latin-dance clubs on the same nights, and chemoprophylaxis was provided to potentially exposed individuals. Despite these efforts, 2 cases caused by the same meningococcal strain subsequently occurred in the same area, without any apparent epidemiological correlation to the initial cases.

Compliance With WHO/UNICEF BFHI Standards in Croatia After Implementation of the BFHI.

Background: The primary goal of the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) is to create conditions in maternity facilities that enable women to initiate and sustain the practice of breastfeeding exclusively. Research aim: This study aimed to determine hospital practices and breastfeeding rates before and after BFHI implementation and assess compliance with UNICEF/World Health Organization (WHO) standards for seven of the BFHI's Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding ( Ten Steps).

Methods: Mothers of healthy, term infants ( N = 1,115) were recruited from the postnatal ward of the University Hospital of Split, Croatia, between February 2008 and July 2011 and followed for 12 months in a repeated-measures, prospective, longitudinal, three-group, nonequivalent, cohort study.

Predictors of suboptimal breastfeeding: an opportunity for public health interventions.

Background: Sub-optimum breastfeeding significantly contributes to the global burden of disease. Our aim was to identify risk factors associated with suboptimal breastfeeding in Southern Croatia.

Methods: Between February 2008 and August 2009, 773 mother-infant pairs were recruited from University Hospital of Split Maternity Unit.

Hospital practices and breastfeeding rates before and after the UNICEF/WHO 20-hour course for maternity staff.

Background: The Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) is the most widely promoted program for increasing breastfeeding rates.

Objective: To evaluate the impact of BFHI training on hospital practices and breastfeeding rates during the first 12 months of life.

Methods: Eighty percent of maternity medical and nursing staff at the University Hospital in Split, Croatia, completed the updated and expanded United Nations Children's Fund/World Health Organization 20-hour course.

Effectiveness of the UNICEF/WHO 20-hour course in improving health professionals' knowledge, practices, and attitudes to breastfeeding: before/after study of 5 maternity facilities in Croatia.

Aim: To evaluate knowledge, practices, and attitudes to breastfeeding among Croatian health professionals before and after the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund/World Health Organization (UNICEF/WHO) 20-hour course.

Methods: Study included 5 of 9 maternity hospitals in southern Croatia, which had completed the UNICEF/WHO 20-hour breastfeeding training course between December 2007 and February 2009. An anonymous questionnaire testing knowledge and practices, and attitudes was distributed to 424 health professionals before training and to 308 health professionals afterwards.

Protection, promotion and support of breast-feeding in Europe: progress from 2002 to 2007.

Objective: To assess progress in the protection, promotion and support of breast-feeding in Europe.

Design: Data for 2002 and 2007 were gathered with the same questionnaire. Of thirty countries, twenty-nine returned data for 2002, twenty-four for 2007.

Infant feeding and cost of health care: a cohort study.

Aim: To compare the use and cost of health care in infants with different feeding patterns.

Methods: Observational study on a cohort of 842 infants born in ten hospitals in northern Italy and followed up to age 12 months. Data on feeding gathered through telephone interviews with 24-hour recall.