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Infants born before 28 weeks' gestation account for approximately 75% of neonatal morbidity and mortality. Late-onset sepsis (LOS) affects around 25% of these infants and is associated with an increased risk of adverse long-term outcomes. The topical application of coconut oil has been used for centuries in newborn care. Coconut oil is rich in saturated fatty acids, several of which have demonstrated antimicrobial properties. It is considered safe for extremely preterm infants, improves skin condition and may reduce the incidence of LOS.
Group A Streptococcal (GAS) pharyngitis is an important precursor infection to severe complications including rheumatic fever and invasive GAS. Rapid molecular point of care testing (POCT) for GAS infection has advantages over traditional microbiological culture, especially in settings with limited or absent laboratory infrastructure and where GAS complications predominate.
During winter months of temperate regions, concurrent epidemics of multiple respiratory pathogens can occur, causing periods of increased clinical burden. Case time series, which are predominantly used to monitor infection levels, can exhibit substantial noise and day-of-the-week effects, limiting the visual interpretation of trends in raw data.
This study described the presenting features, initial assessment, hospital care, and complications at discharge among Australian adolescents and young adults with Invasive meningococcal disease.
The pathogenesis of acute rheumatic fever (ARF) is poorly understood, limiting the development of immune-modulating therapies to treat disease and prevent progressive heart damage. Here, participants with definite ARF were compared to other severe acute paediatric conditions and matched healthy controls by profiling circulating immune molecules and cells to inform disease mechanisms and potential druggable pathways.
In the austral summer of 2021-2022, Australia experienced an unprecedented Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) outbreak, with detections over 3000 km south of previous occurrences. Given the limited knowledge of JEV transmission ecology in Australia, we developed geospatial models of transmission risk to support the public health response. We created time-varying habitat suitability models for suspected mosquito vectors and ardeid hosts using month-scaled occurrence and covariate data from 2000-2023.
This study adapts the Multiple Streams Framework (MSF) to explore why COVID-19 vaccine mandates were applied at sectoral and subnational levels in Vietnam while the central government maintained that vaccination was voluntary. Document analysis reveals that these mandates arose from the effective coupling of the three streams—problem, policy, and politics—in a setting of authoritarian rule, where the streams function differently (and more uniformly) compared to democratic contexts.
Mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a predominant route of infection for children in Ethiopia. No study has so far reported a nationwide estimate of the risk of MTCT of HBV. We conducted a meta-analysis of surveys and estimated the pooled risk of MTCT of HBV in the context of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection.
Since the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 in 2019 through to mid-2021, much of the Australian population lived in a COVID-19-free environment. This followed the broadly successful implementation of a strong suppression strategy, including international border closures. With the availability of COVID-19 vaccines in early 2021, the national government sought to transition from a state of minimal incidence and strong suppression activities to one of high vaccine coverage and reduced restrictions but with still-manageable transmission.
We aimed to assess safety, tolerability, and Plasmodium vivax relapse rates of ultra-short course (3.5 days) high-dose (1 mg/kg twice daily) primaquine (PQ) for uncomplicated malaria because of any Plasmodium species in children randomized to early- or delayed treatment.