Meningococcal disease, which is caused by Neisseria meningitidis (N. meningitidis), may present clinically as meningococcemia, meningitis, or with a mixed picture. A 3-year-old girl was admitted to our hospital tender, immobile, hard, hot and erythematous mass measuring 3x4 cm on the left anterior part of neck. The patient diagnosed branchial cleft cyst in side neck regularly followed an otolar...

Aims: To describe trends in case notification data for vaccine-preventable diseases in NSW for 2009. Methods: Risk factor and vaccination status data was collected from cases through public health unit follow-up. Data from the NSW Notifiable Diseases Database were analysed by: area health service of residence; age; vaccination status; and sub-organism, as appropriate for the period 1991–2009. R...

In the twentieth century, vaccination has been possibly the greatest revolution in health. Together with hygiene and antibiotics, vaccination led to the elimination of many childhood infectious diseases and contributed to the increase in disability-free life expectancy that in Western societies rose from 50 to 78-85 years (Crimmins, E. M. & Finch, C. E. 2006 Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 103, 498-5...

The 3 patients infected with W135 in our study did not receive bivalent meningococcal vaccines. W135 meningococcal disease appears to be an emerging problem that should be investigated epidemiologically. These patients highlight the need for further epidemiologic surveillance to monitor changes in the incidence of meningococcal disease caused by W135 and for improved public health disease contr...

BACKGROUND Tracing persons who have been in contact with an infectious patient may be very effective in preventing the spread of communicable diseases. However, criteria to decide when to conduct contact tracing are not well established. We have investigated the available evidence for contact tracing with a focus on public ground transport aiming to give guidance in what situations contact trac...

In order to assist national public health authorities in the European Union to assess the risks associated with the transmission of infectious agents on board aircrafts, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control initiated in 2007 the RAGIDA project (Risk Assessment Guidance for Infectious Diseases transmitted on Aircraft). RAGIDA consists of two parts: the production of a systemati...

CONTEXT Use of the quadrivalent meningococcal vaccine for control of outbreaks has increased in recent years, but the efficacy of meningococcal vaccine during mass vaccination campaigns in US civilian populations has not been assessed. OBJECTIVES To evaluate the efficacy of the quadrivalent meningococcal vaccine against serogroup C meningococcal disease in a community outbreak setting and to ...

Serogroup B Neisseria meningitidis is a frequent cause of invasive meningococcal disease, yet there are no effective vaccines suitable for routine immunisation. Limited efficacy has been shown with meningococcal outer membrane vacccines in children 4 years and older. Here we review the status of current research and consider new approaches to development of meningococcal serogroup B vaccines.

What is meningococcal disease? Meningococcal disease is caused by the bacterium Neisseria meningitidis. The bacteria are transmitted from person to person through nasopharyngeal secretions. Close and prolonged contact is usually required for transmission. Most people carry the bacteria asymptomatically in the nose and throat. Disease occurs very rarely when bacteria invade the bloodstream. Meni...

This summary report on vaccine preventable diseases in Australia brings together the 3 most important national sources of routinely collected data on vaccine preventable diseases (notifications, hospitalisations and deaths) for all age groups for the period January 2008 to December 2011. The general trend towards improved control of disease is evident, particularly in the childhood years. Detai...