Infectious Diseases (all articles)
Use of antibiotics during pregnancy and risk of spontaneous abortion
2 May, 2017 | 17:21h | UTCUse of antibiotics during pregnancy and risk of spontaneous abortion – Canadian Medical Association Journal (free) (RT @CMAJ see Tweet)
Commentary: Use of Certain Antibiotics in Pregnancy Tied to Spontaneous Abortion – Physician’s First Watch (free)
In this nested case-control study, use of common antibiotics such as macrolides (excluding erythromycin), quinolones, tetracyclines, sulfonamides and metronidazole during early pregnancy was associated with an increased risk of spontaneous abortion.
Women with symptoms of a urinary tract infection but a negative urine culture
2 May, 2017 | 17:15h | UTCWomen with symptoms of a urinary tract infection but a negative urine culture: PCR-based quantification of Escherichia coli suggests infection in most cases – Clinical Microbiology and Infection (link to abstract – Free and legal PDF here – via @unpaywall)
Sources: The most reliable test and predictive entity for uncomplicated UTI is the patient’s symptoms – Emergency Literature of Note Blog(free) AND Negative Urine Culture + Symptoms = UTI in Most Women – MedPage Today (free registration required)
This study suggests that women with symptoms of uncomplicated cystitis and a negative urinary culture should be treated nonetheless.
For Pregnant Women, Getting Serious About Whooping Cough
2 May, 2017 | 17:13h | UTCFor Pregnant Women, Getting Serious About Whooping Cough – The New York Times (10 articles per month are free)
Related: Effectiveness of Vaccination During Pregnancy to Prevent Infant Pertussis – Pediatrics (free) AND Study: Pertussis shot in pregnant moms protects newborns – CIDRAP (free) AND Get the Whooping Cough Vaccine While You Are Pregnant – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (free)
Guidelines for treatment of drug-susceptible tuberculosis and patient care
1 May, 2017 | 16:52h | UTCGuidelines for treatment of drug-susceptible tuberculosis and patient care (2017 update) – World Health Organization (free) (RT @paimadhusee Tweet)
World Malaria Day, 25 April 2017 – World Health Organization
26 Apr, 2017 | 16:11h | UTCWorld Malaria Day, 25 April 2017 – World Health Organization (free)
Press release: Prevent malaria – save lives: WHO push for prevention on World Malaria Day, 25th April (free)
WHO Reports 2017: A framework for malaria elimination (free) AND Malaria prevention works: let’s close the gap – World Malaria Day 2017(free)
See also: WHO’s work on malaria (free)
Related: Mapping the End of Malaria – Gates Notes (free) (RT @glassmanamanda and @BillGates see Tweet) AND 7 Good Reads For #WorldMalariaDay – NPR Goats and Soda (free) AND Editorial: Is malaria elimination within reach? – The Lancet Infectious Diseases (free)
Recommendations on hepatitis C screening for adults
25 Apr, 2017 | 15:50h | UTCGuideline: Recommendations on hepatitis C screening for adults – Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care (free)
News release: CTFPHC Releases Its First Hepatitis C Population-wide Screening Guideline (free)
See also: Summary of recommendations for clinicians and policy-makers (free) AND Clinician FAQ (free)
Commentary: Canada recommends against testing everyone for hepatitis C – Reuters Health (free) (RT @CMichaelGibson)
“Guideline recommends against screening for HCV in adults who are not at elevated risk”.
Community Mitigation Guidelines to Prevent Pandemic Influenza
25 Apr, 2017 | 15:51h | UTCGuideline: Community Mitigation Guidelines to Prevent Pandemic Influenza – United States, 2017 – CDC – MMWR (free)
Source: New CDC guidelines on flu pandemic measures reflect 2009 lessons – CIDRAP (free)
These new guidelines focus on nonpharmaceutical measures to fight and prevent influenza pandemics.
Azithromycin doesn’t seem to increase the risk of ventricular arrhythmia
26 Apr, 2017 | 16:04h | UTCCohort study: Use of azithromycin and risk of ventricular arrhythmia – Canadian Medical Association Journal (free)
Source: No Major Azithromycin Arrhythmia Risk in Huge European Cohort – Medscape (free registration required)
Contradicting a previous study (free) and a 2013 safety warning from the US Food and Drug Administration (free), this large cohort did not show an association between azithromycin and ventricular arrhythmia when compared to amoxicillin.
Relationship between hospital ward design and healthcare-associated infection rates
25 Apr, 2017 | 15:46h | UTCRelationship between hospital ward design and healthcare-associated infection rates: a systematic review and meta-analysis – Antimicrobial Resistance & Infection Control (RT @brhospitalist and @PreetiNMalani see Tweet)
Single-patient rooms and easily accessible hand rub dispensers located near the patient’s bed are the most effective measures.
Global hepatitis report, 2017 – World Health Organization
24 Apr, 2017 | 15:31h | UTCReport: Global hepatitis report, 2017 – World Health Organization (free)
Press release: New hepatitis data highlight need for urgent global response (free)
Related resources: WHO’s work on Hepatitis (free) AND Global health sector strategy on viral hepatitis, 2016-2021 (free)
The World Health Organization has released the first ever Global Hepatitis Report, with estimates on Hepatitis B and C burden, incidence and mortality. According to the report, deaths from viral hepatitis are increasing, with 1.34 million deaths in 2015, a number comparable to deaths caused by tuberculosis and HIV.
Climate Change and Health Reports
21 Apr, 2017 | 14:37h | UTCWhy the Menace of Mosquitoes Will Only Get Worse – The New York Times Magazine (RT @CIDRAP and @marynmck see Tweet) (10 articles per month are free)
Related: Disease Burden Growing as Vector Insects Adapt to Climate Change – IPS (free) (source Global Health NOW Newsletter) AND UN Doc: Climate Change is New Challenge in Fighting Disease Outbreaks – MedPage Today (free registration required)
“Climate change is altering the environment in ways that increase the potential for viruses like Zika”.
The Lancet Countdown: Tracking Progress on Health and Climate Change – The Lancet (free)
Editorial: Climate and health: joining up the pieces, scaling up the action (free)
Medical Alert! Climate Change Is Harming Our Health – Medical Society Consortium on Climate & Health (link to summary – free PDF available)
Sources: Medical Societies Come Together on Harms of Climate Change – Medscape (free registration required) AND Climate Change Already Affecting Human Health – Physician’s First Watch (free)
Australasian Society for Infectious Diseases: low value interventions
20 Apr, 2017 | 14:30h | UTCAustralasian Society for Infectious Diseases: low value interventions – The Medical Journal of Australia (free) (RT @ChooseWiselyAU and @ASIDANZ see Tweet)
See also: Choosing Wisely initiative was launched 5 years ago in our April 5 issue.
The society has just released a selection of 5 low value interventions (details in the text):
– Prescribing antibiotics for asymptomatic bacteriuria.
– Taking a swab of a leg ulcer without signs of clinical infection and treating the patient with antibiotics against the identified bacteria.
– Treating upper respiratory tract infections with antibiotics.
– Investigation for fecal pathogens in the absence of diarrhea or other gastrointestinal symptoms.
– Ordering multiple serological investigations for patients with fatigue without a clinical indication or relevant epidemiology.
Why it’s a bad idea to space out your child’s vaccination shots
19 Apr, 2017 | 14:17h | UTCWhy it’s a bad idea to space out your child’s vaccination shots – The Washington Post (a few articles per month are free)
“Splitting immunizations into several visits only increases children’s stress” (RT @IDSAInfo see Tweet)
Integrating neglected tropical diseases in global health and development
19 Apr, 2017 | 14:08h | UTCPress release: Unprecedented progress against neglected tropical diseases, WHO reports (free)
See also: Executive summary (free) AND Neglected No More – Gates Notes (free) AND The world’s assault on tropical diseases is working – STAT News (free)
A guide to neglected tropical diseases prioritised by the World Health Organisation – Financial Times (free) (RT @NTDCOUNTDOWN See Tweet)
See also: Fact sheets relating to NTD – World Health Organization (free)
“The World Health Organisation has selected 18 as good candidates to be controlled”
The cross-cutting contribution of the end of neglected tropical diseases to the sustainable development goals
10 Apr, 2017 | 16:06h | UTCThe cross-cutting contribution of the end of neglected tropical diseases to the sustainable development goals – Infectious Diseases of Poverty(free) (RT @ghn_news see Tweet)
Related commentary from the author: Impact beyond the neglected (free)
See also: United Nations – Sustainable Development Goals
This review examines how the interventions being used against neglected tropical diseases are contributing to achieving the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals.
When Globalization Brings Brain-Invading Worms
10 Apr, 2017 | 15:55h | UTCWhen Globalization Brings Brain-Invading Worms – The Atlantic (free) (RT @PreetiNMalani and @AdrienneLaF)
Infectious diseases are spreading faster and emerging quicker due to globalization.
Long-term use of antibiotics and risk of colorectal adenoma
6 Apr, 2017 | 15:13h | UTCLong-term use of antibiotics and risk of colorectal adenoma – Gut (free)
Sources: Antibiotics overuse could increase bowel cancer risk, study finds – The Guardian (free) (RT @Onisillos) AND Long-Term Use of Antibiotics Associated with Later-Life Colorectal Adenomas – Physician’s First Watch (free)
Managing supplies of vaccines is a huge problem
6 Apr, 2017 | 15:02h | UTCManaging supplies of vaccines is a huge problem – The Economist (free) (RT @glassmanamanda)
See also: Building Next Generation Immunization Supply Chains – Vaccine Supplement (free) AND Global Immunization Impact Constrained by Outdated Vaccine Delivery Systems, Researchers Say – World Health Organization (free)
Antibiotic-Resistant ‘Superbugs’ Are Here
6 Apr, 2017 | 15:04h | UTCAntibiotic-Resistant ‘Superbugs’ Are Here – Council on Foreign Relations (free)
See also: Tackling Drug-Resistant Infections Globally: final report and recommendations (free)
Source: Global Health NOW Newsletter
One in 10 Pregnant Women With Zika in U.S. Have Babies With Birth Defects
5 Apr, 2017 | 21:46h | UTCOne in 10 Pregnant Women With Zika in U.S. Have Babies With Birth Defects – The New York Times (10 articles a month are free)
See also: 51 Babies Born With Zika-Related Birth Defects In The U.S. Last Year – NPR (free) AND Just released CDC report (free)
We’re at more risk than ever of a global pandemic
5 Apr, 2017 | 21:47h | UTCSeven reasons we’re at more risk than ever of a global pandemic – CNN (free) (RT @AthaliaChristie)
American College of Radiology (ACR) Appropriateness Criteria Adds Topics
4 Apr, 2017 | 21:19h | UTCACR Appropriateness Criteria Adds Topics, Covers More Clinical Variants Than Ever Before (free)
Browse Appropriateness Criteria Topics (free)
Source: Newswise
This comprehensive guide from American College of Radiology (ACR) covers 230 topics with more than 1,100 clinical indications and has just been updated. It is a very useful resource for doctors in all specialties to guide which exam is most appropriate in each clinical situation.
Building Next Generation Immunization Supply Chains
3 Apr, 2017 | 19:26h | UTCBuilding Next Generation Immunization Supply Chains – Vaccine Supplement (free)
News release: Global Immunization Impact Constrained by Outdated Vaccine Delivery Systems, Researchers Say – World Health Organization(free)
See also: Battling Infectious Diseases in the 20th Century: The Impact of Vaccines (free – classic 2015 page with interesting infographics) (RT @stefaniei)
This 29 open access articles are part of a special supplement published in Vaccine to address the challenges of Immunization Supply Chains.
The World Is Unprepared for a Global Pandemic
3 Apr, 2017 | 19:22h | UTCThe World Is Completely Unprepared for a Global Pandemic – Harvard Business Review (free) (RT @glassmanamanda and @BillGates)
You Should Appreciate Germs
4 Apr, 2017 | 21:15h | UTCYou Should Appreciate Germs – Gates Notes (free)