[Legionella transmission from an outdoor fountain in Oslo, Norway].

Background: Most cases of legionellosis in Norway are acquired outside the country. This was a domestic case from an unusual source.

Case Presentation: A man in his thirties was admitted with pneumonia early in the summer.

Wanting to or having to - a qualitative study of experiences and attitudes towards migrant screening for tuberculosis in Norway.

Background: This study assesses how tuberculosis (TB) screening is perceived by immigrants in Norway. Screening is mandatory for people arriving from high incidence countries. To attend screening, immigrants have to contact the health system after receiving an invitation by letter.

Tuberculosis outbreak in Eastern Norway.

Background: Tuberculosis is a rare disease in Norway, especially among those who are born here. Contact tracing for cases of pulmonary tuberculosis is essential to find others who are ill or infected, and to prevent further infection. This article describes the investigation of an outbreak in which many of those infected or ill were Norwegian adolescents.

[Use of coercion pursuant to the Communicable Diseases Act 1995-2013].

Background: The Communicable Diseases Act came into force in 1995. The Act authorises coercive examination and isolation of infected individuals. We wished to investigate how the provisions on coercion in this Act have been practised.

[Cases of MRSA in nursing homes in Oslo 2005-11].

Background: The number of infections caused by MRSA has increased substantially in Norway in the past decade. It is an objective to prevent MRSA from becoming established in nursing homes and hospitals. The purpose of the article is to describe the features of the development of MRSA cases found in nursing homes in Oslo.

HIV as a risk factor for cardiac disease in Botswana: a cross-sectional study.

The primary objective of this study was to assess how HIV has influenced the spectrum of heart diseases in Botswana and to examine the HIV prevalence among patients with cardiomegaly. The secondary objective was to evaluate the value of the cardiothoracic (CT) ratio on chest radiography (CXR) as a screening tool for cardiac disease. In total, 179 patients (age 14-97 years) with cardiomegaly (all CT ratios >0.

[How to combat HIV, tuberculosis and malaria?].

Background: In year 2 000, the United Nations (UN) agreed on eight millennium development goals (MDGs). Goal number 6 is to combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other communicable diseases, including tuberculosis. The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of current status and prognosis for this MDG, and to discuss strategies that need to be implemented to reach the goal.

[Risk factors for hepatitis C among injecting drug users in Oslo].

Background: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is common among injecting drug users. The aims of this study were to assess the prevalence of risk behaviour and its association with HCV infection.

Material And Methods: All users of the needle exchange program in Oslo, within a given time period, were eligible for inclusion in this cross-sectional study; 327 chose to participate.

[An outbreak of MRSA in a nursing home in Oslo].

Background: Infections caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) represent an increasing problem in Norway, also in nursing homes and other institutions for long-term care. We describe an outbreak of MRSA in a nursing home in Oslo 2004-5.

Material And Methods: The nursing home has six wards with 185 beds.

[Hepatitis C--a health problem also in Norway].

Background: Hepatitis C is a large global health problem; approximately 20 - 30 000 are infected in Norway. Hepatitis C-infection is often chronic and can progress into chronic liver disease, liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. The most important transmission route is through percutaneous exposure to infected blood.

Two and a half years of routine HIV testing in Botswana.

Background: Botswana was the first African country to introduce routine HIV testing (RHT).

Objective: To report program data for the first 2.5 years of RHT.

[The HIV-pandemic in the third world--worse than anticipated?].

Background: The first AIDS cases were discovered 25 years ago in the United States. We describe how the epidemic evolved in the Third World, with emphasis on the current situation and on the African continent, which is most affected.

Methods: The present review article is based on a literature review and own working experience.

Patient and health care system delays in the start of tuberculosis treatment in Norway.

Background: Delay in start of tuberculosis (TB) treatment has an impact at both the individual level, by increasing the risk of morbidity and mortality, and at the community level, by increasing the risk of transmission. The aims of this study were to assess the delays in the start of treatment for TB patients in Oslo/Akershus region, Norway and to analyze risk factors for the delays.

Methods: This study was based on information from the National TB Registry, clinical case notes from hospitals and referral case notes from primary health care providers.

[Prevalence of genital Chlamydia trachomatis infection in the age group 18-29 years in Oslo].

Background: Earlier Norwegian prevalence studies of genital C. trachomatis infection have mainly been carried out among women and in selected patient groups. We decided to do a population-based prevalence study among young men and women in Oslo.

Treatment outcome of new culture positive pulmonary tuberculosis in Norway.

Background: The key elements in tuberculosis (TB) control are to cure the individual patient, interrupt transmission of TB to others and prevent the tubercle bacilli from becoming drug resistant. Incomplete treatment may result in excretion of bacteria that may also acquire drug resistance and cause increased morbidity and mortality. Treatment outcome results serves as a tool to control the quality of TB treatment provided by the health care system.