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Research

The COVID-19 pandemic is the first major pandemic of the digital age and has been characterised by unprecedented public consumption of spatial and temporal disease data, which can enable greater transparency and accountability of governments to the public for their public health decisions.

Research

Physical sequelae related to multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB) are emerging and under-recognised global challenges. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to quantify the prevalence and the types of long-term physical sequelae associated with patients treated for MDR- and XDR-TB.

Research

Tuberculosis is the second most common infectious cause of death globally. Low TB case detection remains a major challenge to achieve the global End TB targets. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to determine whether training of health professionals and volunteers increase TB case detection.

Research

The impact of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs) on pneumonia in children is well-documented but data on 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPV23) are lacking. Between 2001 and 2011, Indigenous children in Western Australia (WA) were recommended to receive PPV23 at 18-24 months of age following 3 doses of 7-valent PCV. We evaluated the incremental effectiveness of PPV23 against pneumonia hospitalisation.

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Nutritional interventions substantially improve tuberculosis (TB) treatment outcomes and prevent complications. However, there is limited evidence about the connections between having nutritional support and TB treatment adherence. The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of nutritional support in improving treatment adherence among patients with TB. 

Research

Nirsevimab is an extended half-life monoclonal antibody to the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) fusion protein that has been developed to protect infants for an entire RSV season. Previous studies have shown that the nirsevimab binding site is highly conserved. However, investigations of the geotemporal evolution of potential escape variants in recent (ie, 2015–2021) RSV seasons have been minimal.

Research

Protracted bacterial bronchitis (PBB) is a leading cause of chronic wet cough in children. The current standard treatment in European and American guidelines is 2 weeks of antibiotics, but the optimal duration of therapy is unknown. We describe the first randomised controlled trial to assess the duration of antibiotic treatment in children with chronic wet cough and suspected PBB.

Research

Pneumonia is a leading cause of childhood mortality with Streptococcus pneumoniae a major contributor. Pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs) have been introduced into immunisation programs in many low- to middle-income countries yet there is a paucity of data evaluating the effectiveness in these settings. We assess the effectiveness of 13-valent PCV against hypoxic pneumonia, hospitalisation and other clinical endpoints in children <5 years living in Eastern Highlands Province, Papua New Guinea).

Research

This article introduces the fourth update of the Australian and New Zealand consensus guidelines for the management of invasive fungal disease and use of antifungal agents in the haematology/oncology setting. These guidelines are comprised of nine articles as presented in this special issue of the Internal Medicine Journal. This introductory chapter outlines the rationale for the current update and the steps taken to ensure implementability in local settings.

Research

Although previous evidence suggests that the infection fatality rate from COVID-19 varies by age and sex, and that transmission intensity varies geographically within countries, no study has yet explored the age-sex-space distribution of excess mortality associated with the COVID pandemic.