Should hepatitis B vaccination be introduced into childhood immunisation programmes in northern Europe?

Infection with hepatitis B causes between 500,000 and 1.2 million deaths per year worldwide, and is the leading cause of liver cancer. Over 12 years ago, WHO recommended that universal childhood hepatitis B vaccination be implemented globally.

Combined diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis vaccine for tetanus-prone wound management in adults.

Introduction: Booster vaccination against tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis is recommended throughout life. Adults are difficult to reach and vaccination coverage in this group is often inadequate. The use of a reduced-antigen content combined diphtheria-tetanus-acellular pertussis ('adult' dTpa) vaccine for tetanus prophylaxis in emergency room wound management provides an opportunity to boost immunity against three infections simultaneously, thereby optimizing the efficiency of medical interventions with adults assessed.

Failure to detect Chlamydia pneumoniae in aortic valves and peripheral blood mononuclear cells from patients undergoing aortic valve replacement in Norway.

The association of Chlamydia pneumoniae with atherosclerosis is still controversial. Reports from different laboratories have varied widely and "gold standards" for the detection of C. pneumoniae are lacking.

[Health hazards for immigrants when travelling to their home countries].

Vacations in the home country are important and positive events in the lives of immigrants, events that allow them to maintain contact with their culture, relatives and friends. However, vacations also carry certain health risks, though these risks can to some degree be prevented. Infectious disease is the greatest risk.

Seroepidemiology of Rickettsia africae infection in Norwegian travellers to rural Africa.

Rickettsia africae is the causative agent of African tick bite fever (ATBF), an acute febrile illness frequently accompanied by inoculation eschars, regional lymphadenitis, myalgia and severe headache. Recently, ATBF has been recognized as an emerging health problem for international travellers to rural sub-Saharan Africa. To estimate the incidence, risk factors for and proportion of symptomatic cases of travel-associated R.