Pox in the docks: varicella outbreak in an Australian prison system

OBJECTIVES: 1. Describe an outbreak of varicella in a prison system. 2. Highlight the risks of disease transmission within the prison environment. 3. Promote infection control guidelines for high-risk sub-groups within the prison system, including the application of quarantine. SETTING: Four prisons, one prison hospital, the prison transport system, one courthouse. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Number of cases of varicella infection; reported varicella immunity status of cases and contacts; immunity status of known HIV antibody positive inmates. RESULTS: Five cases of chickenpox were identified. There were 23 contacts of the Index Case occurring during transport between prison and court and whilst being held in the court holding cells. Two of these contacts developed chickenpox despite having given a prior history of infection. There were over 300 inmates exposed to varicella zoster virus (VZV) during the outbreak, including one HIV antibody positive inmate who had serologically confirmed immunity. This inmate developed shingles following exposure to VZV from one of the cases. CONCLUSIONS: There is an elevated risk of respiratory transmission of infections such as chickenpox in prisons. Clear guidelines should be in place to protect HIV antibody positive people, pregnant women, and others who are at increased risk of complications from such infections. In the case of varicella, all inmates and staff without documented immunity should be screened to determine immunity, and if non-immune, should be offered VZV vaccination. Every effort should be made to prevent HIV antibody positive inmates being exposed to varicella, regardless of their varicella immunity status. If an HIV antibody positive inmate, who is known to be non-immune is exposed to varicella, Varicella Zoster immunoglobulin should be given within 96 h.     

Tuberculosis genotyping information management system: enhancing tuberculosis surveillance in the United States

Molecular characterization of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex isolates (genotyping) can be used by public health programs to more readily identify tuberculosis (TB) transmission. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Tuberculosis Genotyping Service has offered M. tuberculosis genotyping for every culture-confirmed case in the United States since 2004. The TB Genotyping Information Management System (TB GIMS), launched in March 2010, is a secure online database containing genotype results linked with case characteristics from the national TB registry for state and local TB programs to access, manage and analyze these data. As of September 2011, TB GIMS contains genotype results for 89% of all culture-positive TB cases for 2010. Over 400 users can generate local and national reports and maps using TB GIMS. Automated alerts on geospatially concentrated cases with matching genotypes that may represent outbreaks are also generated by TB GIMS. TB genotyping results are available to enhance national TB surveillance and apply genotyping results to conduct TB control activities in the United States.     

肝癌筛查在我国人群中的可及性：一项探索性分析

目的系统量化肝癌筛查及监测服务在我国人群中的可及性, 尤其是可获得性维度的系列指标。方法参照国际权威机构对癌症筛查可获得性评价涉及的具体内容和指标, 包括当地相关政策方案、覆盖率、筛查参与率和依从率及影响因素、治疗率、接受度、公平性等, 通过系统综述方法, 结合核心文献/论著、官网、方案报告等渠道, 对我国人群肝癌筛查及监测相关指标进行系统整合评估。结果文献检索最终纳入34篇期刊论文, 多为地方性肝癌筛查参与率和监测依从率报道, 更多信息来自其他渠道。分析结果提示, 中央财政支持的3项癌症筛查服务项目, 均在特定地区和年龄段有针对一般风险人群的肝癌筛查方案推荐及实践评价, 针对筛查发现的不同高危人群有明确监测方案推荐。肝癌初筛的年度覆盖率在全国35～74岁人群中约为0.09%。因项目模式不同, 整体筛查参与率(参加复筛人数÷初筛阳性人数×100%)在37.5%～62.3%之间;监测依从率(参加监测人数÷复筛阳性需监测人数×100%)在纳入6项研究的M(Q1, Q3)为26.9%(23.5%, 41.0%);系统综述仅纳入2篇影响因素报道。全国大样本分析提示, 城市肝癌高危人群对甲胎蛋白...     

干槽症的防治回顾

干槽症是拔牙术后严重的常见并发症,是牙槽突颌骨骨髓炎的早期,给患者带来严重的并发症.文章回顾干槽症的各种防治手段,为减少和预防槽症提供有效的手段.     

武汉市某女子监狱羁押人员肺结核筛查 及治疗现状分析

摘要:目的　了解武汉市某女子监狱羁押人员的肺结核病疫情及治疗现状,为制定有针对性的肺结核预防控制策略和措施提供科学依据。方法　对武汉市某女子监狱的所有羁押人员进行肺结核筛查,并对患者进行治疗。结果　2 326人进行了胸部X线检查,48人完成了痰涂片和痰培养,共确诊22例活动性肺结核患者,患病率为945.83/10万,仅培阳肺结核患病率为42.99/10万。除特殊病例无法接受化疗话,其余肺结核患者均开始接受个体化方案的治疗。结论　女子监狱肺结核疫情严峻,对女性羁押人员进行定期肺结核筛查、及时治疗、加强宣教等干预是十分必要的。     

Procurement change in Canada: an opportunity for improving system performance

The Canadian healthcare system is undergoing restructuring of how goods and services are purchased. A conference "Navigating Hospital and Health System Procurement" was organized by MEDEC and the Canadian College of Health Leaders to examine the issues. This paper describes the implications and opportunities these changes present for healthcare policy, regulation, practice, and the supplier marketplace.     

Illness experience before and after an initiative to identify, treat, and prevent Helicobacter pylori-related diseases in the workplace

Objective outcome measures are needed to confirm the merits of large-scale health initiatives in the workplace. We used aggregate medical claims data to evaluate the illness experience of 5160 employees during the 2 years after versus the 2 years before an intervention intended to identify, treat, and prevent Helicobacter pylori-related illnesses. Across all participants, a 2.1-fold reduction (95% confidence interval 1.4-3.1) in ulcer-related illness episodes and a marginal 1.1-fold reduction (95% confidence interval 0.9-1.4) in episodes due to other stomach and duodenal diseases were achieved. Improvement in claims experience was most notable among 250 employees with ulcer findings on the screening examination. This H. pylori health initiative appears to have contributed to a cost-effective reduction in subsequent illness episodes due to ulcer and possibly due to other stomach and duodenal disease.     

Tuberculosis prevention and control in large jails: a challenge to tuberculosis elimination

BACKGROUND: This study assessed the extent to which 20 large jail systems have implemented national recommendations for tuberculosis (TB) prevention and control in correctional facilities. METHODS: Data were collected through questionnaires to jail medical directors and TB control directors, observation at the jails, and abstraction of medical records of inmates with TB disease and latent TB infection. RESULTS: Twenty percent of jail systems (4/20) had conducted an assessment of risk for TB transmission in their facilities, and 55% (11/20) monitored tuberculin skin test conversions of inmates and staff. Sixty-five percent (13/20) of jails had an aggregate record-keeping system for tracking TB status and treatment, which was usually paper based. Forty-five percent of jails (9/20) had policies to offer HIV counseling and testing to tuberculin skin test-positive patients, and 75% (15/20) screen HIV-infected inmates with chest radiographs. Three quarters of jails (15/20) had policies to always isolate patients with suspected or confirmed pulmonary TB in an airborne infection isolation room. Half of jails with airborne infection isolation rooms (6/12) conformed to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines for monitoring negative pressure. CONCLUSIONS: Improvements are needed in conducting TB risk assessments and evaluations to determine priorities and reduce risk of transmission. Inadequate medical information systems are impeding TB control and evaluation efforts. Although HIV infection is the greatest cofactor for development of TB disease, jails have inadequate information on patients' HIV status to make informed decisions in screening and management of TB and latent TB infection. Jails need to improve the use of environmental controls.     

Tuberculin reactivity in United States and foreign-born Latinos: results of a community-based screening program.

Because of the concern that we were underestimating the prevalence of tuberculosis within the Latino community in San Francisco, we undertook a community-based screening program directed largely towards recent immigrants. Of 1,871 intermediate-strength (5 TU) tuberculin tests applied and read, 37 per cent of the reactions were greater than or equal to 10 mm. Significant reactions were found in 53 per cent of foreign-born persons compared to 7 per cent of those born in the United States. Persons older than 20 years of age were more likely to have significant reactions compared to younger Latinos. Among the foreign-born, the frequency of significant reactions was not influenced by the length of stay in the US or a history of BCG (bacille Calmette-Guérain) vaccination. Two foreign-born children were found to have current tuberculosis. The prevalence of tuberculin reactors among US-born Latino children was 3 per cent, which suggests that undetected transmission of tuberculosis may be occurring. We conclude that Latino immigrants should be systematically screened for tuberculosis.     

The value of effective public tuberculosis treatment: an analysis of opportunity costs associated with multidrug resistant tuberculosis in Latvia

Background

We determine efficient, equitable and mixed efficient-equitable allocations of a male circumcision (MC) intervention reducing female to male HIV transmission in South Africa (SA), as a case study of an efficiency-equity framework for resource allocation in HIV prevention.

Methods

We present a mathematical model developed with epidemiological and cost data from the nine provinces of SA. The hypothetical one-year-long MC intervention with a budget of US$ 10 million targeted adult men 15–49 years of age in SA. The intervention was evaluated according to two criteria: an efficiency criterion, which focused on maximizing the number of HIV infections averted by the intervention, and an equity criterion (defined geographically), which focused on maximizing the chance that each male adult individual had access to the intervention regardless of his province.

Results

A purely efficient intervention would prevent 4,008 HIV infections over a year. In the meantime, a purely equitable intervention would avert 3,198 infections, which represents a 20% reduction in infection outcome as compared to the purely efficient scenario. A half efficient-half equitable scenario would prevent 3,749 infections, that is, a 6% reduction in infection outcome as compared to the purely efficient scenario.

Conclusions

This paper provides a framework for resource allocation in the health sector which incorporates a simple equity metric in addition to efficiency. In the specific context of SA with a MC intervention for the prevention of HIV, incorporation of geographical equity only slightly reduces the overall efficiency of the intervention.     

Tuberculosis screening programme using the QuantiFERON-TB Gold test and chest computed tomography for healthcare workers accidentally exposed to patients with tuberculosis

Healthcare workers (HCWs) have an increased incidence of tuberculosis (TB). Periodic and as-needed screenings of HCWs exposed to patients with TB are important. We integrated chest computed tomography (CT) and the QuantiFERON-TB Gold (QFT-G) test into our TB screening programme for HCWs. First, contacts were tested using the QFT-G test. Those positive for the QFT-G test were investigated by CT and classified as having active, latent (LTBI), or old TB. Between April 2005 and April 2010, 11 patients who had not been diagnosed with active TB on admission were found to have the disease. A total of 512 close or high risk contacts were identified, and underwent screening. Out of those, 34 (6.64%) were QFT-G positive, whereas 478 (93.36%) were negative. Of the 34 QFT-G-positive HCWs, four had CT findings compatible with active TB and received multidrug treatment; 24 showed no findings of active TB and received isoniazid for six months. All completed their regimens without any adverse effects. The TB screening programme integrating CT and the QFT-G test was safe and feasible. The efficacy of the programme needs to be confirmed by large scale clinical trials.     

Latent tuberculosis in pregnancy: screening and treatment

Currently, most cases of active tuberculosis in the United States are a result of activation of latent tuberculosis infection. In this article, the history of the epidemiology of tuberculosis and latent tuberculosis infection is reviewed. Previous and current recommendations for screening and treatment for latent tuberculosis during pregnancy and the postpartum period are discussed. A review of the literature regarding postpartum and antepartum treatment is included. Finally, the question of whether antepartum or postpartum treatment is the most beneficial is discussed.