Communicable Disease Control,3rd edition

SPECIAL THEME: COMMUNICABLE DISEASE Back pain, a communicable disease?

Background Back pain (BP) is a frequent disorder affecting currently up to 40% of adults in Western Europe. Most of it is said to be ‘non-specific’, i.e. lacking an obvious patho-anatomical explanation. It is seldom the consequence of a contagious disease caused by microorganisms. This does not exclude it from being communicable if ‘communicable’ is to refer to something being transmitted by sh...

Acute Communicable Disease Control

The Survey Effectiveness of Active Method in Communicable Disease Surveillance

Background and purpose: Surveillance is a system of continuing health checks, is considered as a critical part of public health practice for planning and implantation of effective prevention and control interventions for communicable diseases in the region. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of an active method of data collection on the improvement of these d...

Communicable Disease and Public Health

Current UK policy on immunisation for tetanus has changed in the light of evidence that five doses of vaccine probably provides sufficient protection as long as high-risk wounds are managed with tetanus immunoglobulin. This paper reviews the evidence base for tetanus immunisation policy in England and Wales: the epidemiology of tetanus, vaccination coverage and response to tetanus toxoid, and p...

Communicable Disease and Public Health

258 VOL 2 NO 4 DECEMBER 1999 Introduction Guidance on the risks and management of occupational exposure to hepatitis C was last issued in 1993 by the PHLS Hepatitis Subcommittee1. Since then, knowledge has increased about the prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in the United Kingdom (UK), the risks of occupational transmission, and the benefits of treatment. Guidance on the manageme...