Describing the burden of infectious diseases among a population of detainees in an immigration removal centre (IRC) in the United Kingdom: a descriptive epidemiological approach.

This study aimed to describe the burden of infectious disease within one immigration removal centre (IRC) in southern England using available data. We conducted a review of existing databases used to record cases of infectious disease and extracted health information from a random sample of 50 % of detainee medical notes. We found that there was poor correlation between routine databases and that no systematic infectious disease screening is undertaken within the IRC.

Priority actions for the non-communicable disease crisis.

The UN High-Level Meeting on Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) in September, 2011, is an unprecedented opportunity to create a sustained global movement against premature death and preventable morbidity and disability from NCDs, mainly heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, and chronic respiratory disease. The increasing global crisis in NCDs is a barrier to development goals including poverty reduction, health equity, economic stability, and human security. The Lancet NCD Action Group and the NCD Alliance propose five overarching priority actions for the response to the crisis--leadership, prevention, treatment, international cooperation, and monitoring and accountability--and the delivery of five priority interventions--tobacco control, salt reduction, improved diets and physical activity, reduction in hazardous alcohol intake, and essential drugs and technologies.

Outbreak of Bordetella pertussis among oncology nurse specialists.

We describe an outbreak of pertussis with transmission between health care workers (HCWs) in a hospital oncology department and a patient identified as a possible source. Three of the four HCWs testing positive for pertusssis had received primary immunization as children, consistent with waning immunity into adulthood. The fourth health care worker was unimmunized.