No items found.
Issue

Vol 126 No 1373: 19 April 2013

PDF

Issue Summary

SUMMARY

Unanswered questions, the epidemiology of a community outbreak: meningococcal C disease in Northland, New Zealand, 2011

Clair Mills, Kerry Sexton, Philip Carter

In this study we describe the epidemiology of a community outbreak of Meningococcal C disease in Northland in 2011, and national trends in serogroup C disease in New Zealand. In 2011, the rate of group C meningococcal disease for the population in the Whangarei district aged less than 20 years was 27.6 cases per 100,000 population (6 cases) compared with 17.6 cases per 100,000 population under 20 years (8 cases) in the Northland District Health Board (DHB). All except one case were under 20 years of age. 33% of these cases died. Nationally the rate of meningococcal C disease has fluctuated over the last decade, with an increasing trend apparent since 2007. There has been a noticeable increase over the last 3 years of group C cases infected with the C:P1.5-1,10-8 strain (including all of the Northland cases). This strain has also been associated with a higher case fatality rate (16% in the period 2007-2011). Meningococcal C disease in New Zealand, although still less common than group B, is poorly understood. The relationships between carriage, invasive disease and community outbreaks deserve greater study. Active monitoring of surveillance data is warranted to ensure timely funded introduction of the highly effective meningococcal C conjugate vaccine on to the national immunisation schedule when appropriate, given increasing disease rates, the high case fatality rate and significant Mori non-Mori inequities in disease incidence.

SUMMARY

The Northland Emergency Meningococcal C Vaccination Programme

Clair Mills, Liane Penney

In 2011, there was a community outbreak of meningococcal C disease in Northland. This serious disease causes meningitis and septicaemia (blood poisoning) and can be rapidly fatal. An emergency vaccination programme was quickly implemented, aiming to vaccinate 85% of children and youth aged 1-

SUMMARY

The influenza pandemic of 1918–1919 in two remote island nations: Iceland and New Zealand

Jennifer A Summers, Nick Wilson, Michael G Baker, Magn\u00fas Gottfredsson

This article compares the epidemiological characteristics and public health interventions employed during the 1918-19 influenza pandemic by two remote island nations, from opposite sides of the globe: Iceland and New Zealand. Similar patterns of pandemic waves were found for both nations, although Iceland experienced a higher mortality rate overall and employed several public health interventions successfully.

SUMMARY

The epidemiology of acute rheumatic fever in Northland, 2002–2011

Audrey Robin, Clair Mills, Roger Tuck, Diana Lennon

We carried out an audit of Acute Rheumatic Fever cases in Northland in the period 2002-2011.This was to establish an accurate baseline against which we will be able to assess the impact of current prevention efforts (for example the school throat swabbing projects). Northland has very high rates and there are large inequalities in this illness: 95% of cases in Northland are in Maori children and young people, most between 5-15years of age, and nearly 90% live in the least well off one-third (NZDep 8-10) of communities in our DHB. There appeared be a trend upwards in the number of cases in the period 2002-2011.

SUMMARY

A nutritional analysis of New Zealand military food rations at Gallipoli in 1915: likely contribution to scurvy and other nutrient deficiency disorders

Nick Wilson, Nhung Nghiem, Jennifer A Summers, Mary-Ann Carter, Glyn Harper

Amongst New Zealand soldiers in Gallipoli in 1915 there were reports of poor food quality and cases of scurvy. To further understand this problem, we analysed the foods in the military rations for 1915 using food composition data on the closest equivalents for modern foods. The nutrient analysis suggested that the military rations were below modern requirements for vitamins A, C and E; potassium; selenium; and dietary fibre. If military planners had used modest amounts of the canned vegetables and fruit available in 1915, this would probably have eliminated four of these six deficits. In summary, there is now both historical and analytic evidence that the military rations provided to these soldiers were nutritionally inadequate. These deficits are likely to have caused cases of scurvy and may have contributed to the high rates of other illnesses experienced at Gallipoli. Such problems could have been readily prevented by providing rations that included some canned fruit or vegetables (e.g., as manufactured by New Zealand at the time).

SUMMARY

Temperature management in haematology patients with febrile neutropenia: a practice survey

Robert Weinkove, Jennifer Clay, Catherine Wood

Infections are a common problem after chemotherapy, and can be life-threatening. Patients with infection after chemotherapy must be promptly treated with antibiotics. These patients often have high fevers. This paper is a survey of haematologists (blood specialists) in New Zealand, which asks how they manage fever in patients who have had chemotherapy. The reason for asking this question, is that some researchers believe that having a high fever helps to eradicate an infection, and that measures to reduce fever (such as taking paracetamol) might be detrimental. However, we also know that paracetamol makes patients more comfortable. We found that the way clinicians manage fever among their patients is very variable, but that most do give their patients treatments to reduce their temperature. Nurses have a preference for intervening at a lower temperature than doctors do. The variability in clinical practice we found reflects the fact that there is no good evidence (from clinical trials) to guide us. In our survey, most clinicians supported the idea of a randomised trial to show whether lowering temperature during post-chemotherapy infections is beneficial or not.

ALL ARTICLES
SUMMARY

Unanswered questions, the epidemiology of a community outbreak: meningococcal C disease in Northland, New Zealand, 2011

Clair Mills, Kerry Sexton, Philip Carter

Nutrition and disease: lessons learnt from Gallipoli

Geoffrey W Rice

The Northland Emergency Meningococcal C Vaccination Programme

Clair Mills, Liane Penney

Isolation of Mycobacterium thermoresistible from a mesh used in an incisional hernia repair

Niall Hamilton, Graeme Roadley

Molecular epidemiology of human tuberculosis in New Zealand and potential insights for disease control

Ronan F OToole, Joshua T Freeman

Meningococcal disease in New Zealand

Graham Mills, Anita Bell

Decline in echocardiographic optimisation of cardiac resynchronisation therapy (CRT) devices at Christchurch Hospital

Laura M Bellaney, Paul G Bridgman, Ian G Crozier, Iain C Melton

The influenza pandemic of 1918–1919 in two remote island nations: Iceland and New Zealand

Jennifer A Summers, Nick Wilson, Michael G Baker, Magn\u00fas Gottfredsson

Lessons from the February 2011 Christchurch Earthquake for the training and preparation of Post Graduate Year 1 Doctors

Dale C Sheehan, John Thwaites, Blair York, Jaejin Lee

The epidemiology of acute rheumatic fever in Northland, 2002–2011

Audrey Robin, Clair Mills, Roger Tuck, Diana Lennon

A timely reminder—rheumatic fever

Nikola Lilic, Priyanka Kumar

A nutritional analysis of New Zealand military food rations at Gallipoli in 1915: likely contribution to scurvy and other nutrient deficiency disorders

Nick Wilson, Nhung Nghiem, Jennifer A Summers, Mary-Ann Carter, Glyn Harper

Temperature management in haematology patients with febrile neutropenia: a practice survey

Robert Weinkove, Jennifer Clay, Catherine Wood

Obituary (George Wilson) and Book Review (The Illness and Death of Napoleon Bonaparte)

Whakatane Hospital Laboratory

Alexander (Sandy) Milne

My Journey: reflections on life from a cancer survivor (Shirley Shirley)

Frank Frizelle

Medical image. An unusual complication of a pyrexia

Sibaji Phaujdar, Jayasri Phaujdar, Manish Saha

Doctor Colenso, I Presume: missionary medical practice in midnineteenth century New Zealand (Ian St George)

Frank Frizelle

Active tuberculosis (TB) with a negative interferon gamma release assay: failure of this test to rule out TB

Michael Maze, Lutz Beckert

SUMMARY

Unanswered questions, the epidemiology of a community outbreak: meningococcal C disease in Northland, New Zealand, 2011

Clair Mills, Kerry Sexton, Philip Carter

In this study we describe the epidemiology of a community outbreak of Meningococcal C disease in Northland in 2011, and national trends in serogroup C disease in New Zealand. In 2011, the rate of group C meningococcal disease for the population in the Whangarei district aged less than 20 years was 27.6 cases per 100,000 population (6 cases) compared with 17.6 cases per 100,000 population under 20 years (8 cases) in the Northland District Health Board (DHB). All except one case were under 20 years of age. 33% of these cases died. Nationally the rate of meningococcal C disease has fluctuated over the last decade, with an increasing trend apparent since 2007. There has been a noticeable increase over the last 3 years of group C cases infected with the C:P1.5-1,10-8 strain (including all of the Northland cases). This strain has also been associated with a higher case fatality rate (16% in the period 2007-2011). Meningococcal C disease in New Zealand, although still less common than group B, is poorly understood. The relationships between carriage, invasive disease and community outbreaks deserve greater study. Active monitoring of surveillance data is warranted to ensure timely funded introduction of the highly effective meningococcal C conjugate vaccine on to the national immunisation schedule when appropriate, given increasing disease rates, the high case fatality rate and significant Mori non-Mori inequities in disease incidence.

SUMMARY

The Northland Emergency Meningococcal C Vaccination Programme

Clair Mills, Liane Penney

In 2011, there was a community outbreak of meningococcal C disease in Northland. This serious disease causes meningitis and septicaemia (blood poisoning) and can be rapidly fatal. An emergency vaccination programme was quickly implemented, aiming to vaccinate 85% of children and youth aged 1-

SUMMARY

The influenza pandemic of 1918–1919 in two remote island nations: Iceland and New Zealand

Jennifer A Summers, Nick Wilson, Michael G Baker, Magn\u00fas Gottfredsson

This article compares the epidemiological characteristics and public health interventions employed during the 1918-19 influenza pandemic by two remote island nations, from opposite sides of the globe: Iceland and New Zealand. Similar patterns of pandemic waves were found for both nations, although Iceland experienced a higher mortality rate overall and employed several public health interventions successfully.

SUMMARY

The epidemiology of acute rheumatic fever in Northland, 2002–2011

Audrey Robin, Clair Mills, Roger Tuck, Diana Lennon

We carried out an audit of Acute Rheumatic Fever cases in Northland in the period 2002-2011.This was to establish an accurate baseline against which we will be able to assess the impact of current prevention efforts (for example the school throat swabbing projects). Northland has very high rates and there are large inequalities in this illness: 95% of cases in Northland are in Maori children and young people, most between 5-15years of age, and nearly 90% live in the least well off one-third (NZDep 8-10) of communities in our DHB. There appeared be a trend upwards in the number of cases in the period 2002-2011.

SUMMARY

A nutritional analysis of New Zealand military food rations at Gallipoli in 1915: likely contribution to scurvy and other nutrient deficiency disorders

Nick Wilson, Nhung Nghiem, Jennifer A Summers, Mary-Ann Carter, Glyn Harper

Amongst New Zealand soldiers in Gallipoli in 1915 there were reports of poor food quality and cases of scurvy. To further understand this problem, we analysed the foods in the military rations for 1915 using food composition data on the closest equivalents for modern foods. The nutrient analysis suggested that the military rations were below modern requirements for vitamins A, C and E; potassium; selenium; and dietary fibre. If military planners had used modest amounts of the canned vegetables and fruit available in 1915, this would probably have eliminated four of these six deficits. In summary, there is now both historical and analytic evidence that the military rations provided to these soldiers were nutritionally inadequate. These deficits are likely to have caused cases of scurvy and may have contributed to the high rates of other illnesses experienced at Gallipoli. Such problems could have been readily prevented by providing rations that included some canned fruit or vegetables (e.g., as manufactured by New Zealand at the time).

SUMMARY

Temperature management in haematology patients with febrile neutropenia: a practice survey

Robert Weinkove, Jennifer Clay, Catherine Wood

Infections are a common problem after chemotherapy, and can be life-threatening. Patients with infection after chemotherapy must be promptly treated with antibiotics. These patients often have high fevers. This paper is a survey of haematologists (blood specialists) in New Zealand, which asks how they manage fever in patients who have had chemotherapy. The reason for asking this question, is that some researchers believe that having a high fever helps to eradicate an infection, and that measures to reduce fever (such as taking paracetamol) might be detrimental. However, we also know that paracetamol makes patients more comfortable. We found that the way clinicians manage fever among their patients is very variable, but that most do give their patients treatments to reduce their temperature. Nurses have a preference for intervening at a lower temperature than doctors do. The variability in clinical practice we found reflects the fact that there is no good evidence (from clinical trials) to guide us. In our survey, most clinicians supported the idea of a randomised trial to show whether lowering temperature during post-chemotherapy infections is beneficial or not.

Latest Issue

Vol 136 No 1582: 15 September 2023

Previous Issue

Vol 136 No 1581: 25 August 2023

All Issues

2010 - Present

Archive

1999 - 2009
No items found.
No items found.
Contact UsPrivacy