Arbaeen public health concerns: A pilot cross-sectional survey.

Background: Arbaeen is an annual religious procession in Iraq with an estimated 17-20 million participants. Public health risks associated with such a mass gathering can be serious at both local and global levels. This is the first quantitative examination of risk factors for, and symptoms of, infectious disease among Arbaeen participants.

Pneumonia hospitalisation and case-fatality rates in older Australians with and without risk factors for pneumococcal disease: implications for vaccine policy.

Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) results in substantial numbers of hospitalisations and deaths in older adults. There are known lifestyle and medical risk factors for pneumococcal disease but the magnitude of the additional risk is not well quantified in Australia. We used a large population-based prospective cohort study of older adults in the state of New South Wales (45 and Up Study) linked to cause-specific hospitalisations, disease notifications and death registrations from 2006 to 2015.

Acute respiratory tract infection symptoms and the uptake of dual influenza and pneumococcal vaccines among Hajj pilgrims.

Background: Hajj pilgrims are encouraged to take influenza and pneumococcal vaccines prior to their travel to safeguard against acute respiratory tract infections (ARTIs). It is unclear whether dual immunisation with influenza and pneumococcal vaccines have had any impact on ARTI symptoms. To this end, we have examined the data of the last several years to assess whether combined influenza and pneumococcal vaccination has affected the rate of ARTI symptoms among Hajj pilgrims.

Varicella vaccine effectiveness over 10 years in Australia; moderate protection from 1-dose program.

Objectives: To examine the impact of Australia's single dose infant varicella vaccination program, we assessed single dose varicella vaccine effectiveness (VE) in preventing hospitalised disease using two methods.

Methods: Clinically confirmed varicella cases from the Paediatric Active Enhanced Disease Surveillance (PAEDS) sentinel network were age-matched to 20 controls obtained from the Australian Immunisation Register. Conditional logistic regression models were used to estimate VE and compared with estimates obtained using our second approach.

Hand Hygiene Compliance and Effectiveness Against Respiratory Infections Among Hajj Pilgrims: A Systematic Review.

The role of hand hygiene in the prevention of respiratory tract infections in Hajj pilgrims has not been assessed through a focussed systematic review of the literature. Considering this, a systematic review was undertaken to synthesize the up-to-date literature on the compliance and effectiveness of hand hygiene among Hajj attendees. Major databases, including OVID Medline, were searched by using a combination of MeSH terms and text words for potentially relevant articles.

A Brief History of Ebolavirus Disease: Paving the Way Forward by Learning from the Previous Outbreaks.

In this review, Ebolavirus Disease (EVD) outbreaks have been comprehensively reviewed from their beginning until now. It chronologically discusses how each outbreak was tackled, national and international actions taken, diagnostic methods applied, the infection control procedures put in place, and the lessons learnt from each epidemic for the control of subsequent epidemics. Data for this review were obtained from literature published between 1967 and 2016 in key medical databases, the official websites of various governmental organisations, international public health agencies, and regulatory bodies.

Retrospective cost-effectiveness of the 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccination program in Australia.

Background: The Australian infant pneumococcal vaccination program was funded in 2005 using the 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7) and the 13-valent conjugate vaccine (PCV13) in 2011. The PCV7 and PCV13 programs resulted in herd immunity effects across all age-groups, including older adults. Coincident with the introduction of the PCV7 program in 2005, 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPV23) was funded for all Australian adults aged over 65 years.

Meningococcal disease burden and transmission in crowded settings and mass gatherings other than Hajj/Umrah: A systematic review.

Background: Mass gatherings (MGs) such as the Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages are known to amplify the risk of invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) due to enhanced transmission of the organism between attendees. The burden of IMD at MGs other than Hajj and Umrah has not previously been quantified through a systematic review.

Methods: A systematic search for relevant articles in PubMed and Embase was conducted using MeSH terms; this was buttressed by hand searching.

Burden of clinical infections due to S. pneumoniae during Hajj: A systematic review.

The burden of pneumococcal disease at Hajj has not been precisely evaluated through a systematic review. To this end we have conducted a systematic review on the burden of clinical infections due to Streptococcus pneumoniae among Hajj pilgrims. Major electronic databases including OVID Medline, Web of Science, OVID Embase, Social Sciences Citation Index, Google Scholar and relevant websites (e.

Strategies to improve hand hygiene compliance among healthcare workers in adult intensive care units: a mini systematic review.

Background: Hand hygiene compliance among healthcare workers (HCWs) in intensive care units (ICUs) is disconcertingly low.

Aim: To identify the effective intervention(s) for increasing HH compliance among HCWs in adult ICUs.

Methods: Two major electronic databases, OVID Medline and CINAHL, were searched by using a combination of MeSH terms and text words (e.

Effectiveness of maternal pertussis vaccination in preventing infection and disease in infants: The NSW Public Health Network case-control study.

Background: Infants are at the highest risk of severe complications - including death - as a result of pertussis infection. Controlling pertussis in this group has been challenging, particularly in those too young to be vaccinated. Following revised national recommendations in March 2015, the state of New South Wales, Australia, introduced a funded maternal vaccination campaign at 28 - 32 weeks of gestation using a 3-component tetanus-diphtheria-acellular pertussis vaccine (dTpa; Boostrix, GSK).

The role of timeliness in the cost-effectiveness of older adult vaccination: A case study of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine in Australia.

While the impact of the timeliness of vaccine administration has been well-studied for childhood vaccinations, there has been little detailed quantitative analysis on the potential impact of the timeliness of vaccinations in older adults. The aim of this study was to explore the impact of implementing more realistic observed uptake distributions, taking into the account reduced vaccine efficacy but higher pneumococcal disease burden with increasing age beyond 65 years. A multi-cohort Markov model was constructed to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of a pneumococcal (PCV13) immunisation program in Australia, assuming two different uptake modelling approaches.

Impact of meningitis on intelligence and development: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: We undertook a systematic review and meta-analysis to address the question "what is the impact of meningitis on IQ and development."

Methods: Search: conducted using standardized search terms across Medline, PsychInfo and EMBASE to 06/2014. Eligibility: human studies of any infectious aetiology of meningitis reporting IQ or infant developmental age or stage outcomes.

Cost-effectiveness of 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) in older Australians.

Background: The 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPV23) has been funded under the Australia National Immunisation Program (NIP) since January 2005 for those aged >65years and other risk groups. In 2016, PCV13 was accepted by the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC) as a replacement for a single dose of PPV23 in older Australian adults.

Methods: A single-cohort deterministic multi-compartment (Markov) model was developed describing the transition of the population between different invasive and non-invasive pneumococcal disease related health states.

Cost-effectiveness analysis of N95 respirators and medical masks to protect healthcare workers in China from respiratory infections.

Background: There are substantial differences between the costs of medical masks and N95 respirators. Cost-effectiveness analysis is required to assist decision-makers evaluating alternative healthcare worker (HCW) mask/respirator strategies. This study aims to compare the cost-effectiveness of N95 respirators and medical masks for protecting HCWs in Beijing, China.

An outbreak of psittacosis at a veterinary school demonstrating a novel source of infection.

In November 2014, New South Wales Health was notified of a cluster of respiratory illness in a veterinary school. Active case finding identified another case at a local equine stud. All cases had exposure to the equine fetal membranes of Mare A.

The changing epidemiology of measles in an era of elimination: lessons from health-care-setting transmissions of measles during an outbreak in New South Wales, Australia, 2012.

Introduction: In countries where measles is rare, health-care-setting transmissions remain problematic. Australia experienced its largest measles outbreak in 15 years in 2012 with 199 cases reported nationally; 170 cases occurred in the state of New South Wales (NSW) with symptom onset between 7 April and 29 November 2012.

Methods: A descriptive study was conducted using measles case data obtained from metropolitan Sydney local health districts in NSW in 2012.

Public response to MERS-CoV in the Middle East: iPhone survey in six countries.

Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries bear the heaviest brunt of MERS-CoV. This study aims to compare public awareness and practice around MERS-CoV across GCC countries. A cross-sectional survey was conducted using the Gulf Indicators (GI) smartphone app among people in the six GCC countries, namely Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, and Oman.

Beyond expectations: Post-implementation data shows rotavirus vaccination is likely cost-saving in Australia.

Background: Universal vaccination against rotavirus was included in the funded Australian National Immunisation Program in July 2007. Predictive cost-effectiveness models assessed the program before introduction.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective economic evaluation of the Australian rotavirus program using national level post-implementation data on vaccine uptake, before-after measures of program impact and published estimates of excess intussusception cases.

Association between Australian Hajj Pilgrims' awareness of MERS-CoV, and their compliance with preventive measures and exposure to camels.

Through a prospective cohort study the relationship between travellers' awareness of MERS-CoV, and compliance with preventive measures and exposure to camels was evaluated among Australian Hajj pilgrims who attended Hajj in 2015. Only 28% of Australian Hajj pilgrims were aware of MERS-CoV in Saudi Arabia. Those who were aware of MERS-CoV were more likely to receive recommended vaccines [odds ratio (OR) 3.

Uptake and effectiveness of facemask against respiratory infections at mass gatherings: a systematic review.

Objectives: The risk of acquisition and transmission of respiratory infections is high among attendees of mass gatherings (MGs). Currently used interventions have limitations yet the role of facemask in preventing those infections at MG has not been systematically reviewed. We have conducted a systematic review to synthesise evidence about the uptake and effectiveness of facemask against respiratory infections in MGs.