BACKGROUND This article on the state of epidemiology in the WHO Western Pacific Region (WPR) is the first in a series of eight articles commissioned by the International Epidemiological Association (IEA) to identify global opportunities to promote the development of epidemiology. METHODS Global mortality and disease data were used to summarize the burden of mortality, disease, risk factor and...

BACKGROUND Bloodstream infections due to Candida species cause significant morbidity and mortality, and the epidemiology of Candida infection is changing. Surveillance for candidemia is necessary to detect trends in species distribution and antifungal resistance. METHODS The medical and electronic records of all patients who had candidemia at the authors' hospital from 2009 to 2011 were revie...

BACKGROUND Extrapulmonary tuberculosis (EPTB) and most pediatric TB cannot be diagnosed using sputum-based assays. The epidemiological impact of different strategies to diagnose EPTB and pediatric TB is unclear. METHODS We developed a dynamic epidemic model of TB in a hypothetical population with epidemiological characteristics similar to India. We evaluated the impact of four alternative dia...

BACKGROUND Traumatic spinal cord injuries (TSCI) pose a significant burden globally, while existing epidemiological data-especially on population mortality-are limited. The aim of this study was to calculate the age-standardized population mortality rates attributable to TSCI in 22 European countries, along with the pooled age-standardized mortality rate attributable to TSCI in Europe. METHOD...