Infectious Diseases - Research Publications

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Author: Gibney, Katherine × Author: Leder, Karin × End date: 2019 × Start date: 2010 ×

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    Imported infections: What information should be collected by surveillance systems to inform public health policy?
    Neave, PE ; Heywood, AE ; Gibney, KB ; Leder, K (ELSEVIER SCI LTD, 2016)
    BACKGROUND: International travel carries the risk of imported diseases, which are an increasingly significant public health problem. There is little guidance about which variables should be collected by surveillance systems for strategy-based surveillance. METHODS: Surveillance forms for dengue, malaria, hepatitis A, typhoid and measles were collected from Australia and New Zealand and information on these compared with national surveillance forms from the UK and Canada by travel health experts. Variables were categorised by information relating to recent travel, demographics and disease severity. RESULTS: Travel-related information most commonly requested included country of travel, vaccination status and travel dates. In Australia, ethnicity information requested related to indigenous status, whilst in New Zealand it could be linked to census categories. Severity of disease information most frequently collected were hospitalisation and death. CONCLUSIONS: Reviewing the usefulness of variables collected resulted in the recommendation that those included should be: overseas travel, reason for travel, entry and departure dates during the incubation period, vaccination details, traveller's and/or parents' country of birth, country of usual residence, time resident in current country, postcode, hospitalisation and death details. There was no agreement about whether ethnicity details should be collected. The inclusion of these variables on surveillance forms could enable imported infection-related policy to be formulated nationally and internationally.
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    Cost of gastroenteritis in Australia: A healthcare perspective
    Barker, SF ; Zomer, E ; O'Toole, J ; Sinclair, M ; Gibney, K ; Liew, D ; Leder, K ; Kirk, M (PUBLIC LIBRARY SCIENCE, 2018-04-12)
    BACKGROUND: Acute gastroenteritis illness is a common illness that causes considerable morbidity, but current estimates of the cost to the Australian healthcare system are unknown. OBJECTIVE: To estimate the current healthcare utilisation and direct public healthcare system costs attributable to acute gastroenteritis illness in Australia. METHODS: This is an incidence-based cost-of-illness study focused on quantifying direct health care costs using a bottom-up approach. Data on general practitioner consultations, prescribed medications, diagnostic tests, specialist consultations, emergency department visits and hospital admissions were collected from national reports. RESULTS: Using 2016 prices, the estimated annual direct per capita cost of acute gastroenteritis illness was AUD$14.87 (USD$10.71), equating to AUD$20.27 (USD$14.59) per case. The estimated overall economic burden in Australia was AUD$359 million (USD$258 million; AUD$1.5 million per 100,000 people). The major contributors to this cost were hospital admissions (57.1%), emergency department visits (17.7%), and general practitioner consultations (14.0%). Children under five years of age have the highest per capita rates of acute gastroenteritis illness; however, service utilisation rates vary by age group and both young children and older adults accounted for a substantial proportion of the overall economic burden attributable to acute gastroenteritis illness. CONCLUSIONS: Although chronic diseases comprise a large cost burden on the healthcare system, acute illnesses, including acute gastroenteritis illness, also impose substantial direct healthcare system costs. Providing data on current cost estimates is useful for prioritizing public health interventions, with our findings suggesting that it would be ideal if targeted interventions to reduce hospitalisation rates among young children and older adults were available.
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    Manual of Travel Medicine Fourth Edition
    Torresi, J ; McGuinness, S ; Leder, K ; O'Brien, D ; Ruff, T ; Starr, M ; Gibney, K (Springer Singapore, 2019)
    The fourth edition of this well received book provides an authoritative and up-to-date resource to support good practice in travel medicine, a field that has evolved substantially in recent years. Concretely, there has been intensified monitoring of health problems among travelers, as well as extensive research efforts, which have led to the development of evidence-based approaches to the field. The book includes expert recommendations regarding e.g. immunizations, malaria prophylaxis, travelers’ diarrhea, altitude sickness, emerging infections, and non-infectious health issues encountered by travelers. It provides a practical approach to the pre-travel consultation and management of most issues that arise in medical care for travelers. In addition, it provides expert advice for high-risk travelers, e.g. those with immunosuppression, the elderly, pregnant women and young children. The text offers a user-friendly, practical handbook for healthcare practitioners during their clinical consultations, as well as nurses and pharmacists.