scholarly journals Notification data and criteria during a large Q-fever epidemic reassessed

2019 ◽  
Vol 147 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. A. T. Hanssen ◽  
G. Morroy ◽  
M. M. A. de Lange ◽  
C. C. H. Wielders ◽  
W. van der Hoek ◽  
...  

AbstractFrom 2007 to 2010, the largest reported Q-fever epidemic occurred in the Netherlands with 4026 notified laboratory-confirmed cases. During the course of the epidemic, health-seeking behaviour changed and awareness among health professionals increased. Changes in laboratory workflows were implemented. The aim of this study was to analyse how these changes instigated adjustments of notification criteria and how these adjustments affected the monitoring and interpretation of the epidemic. We used the articles on laboratory procedures related to the epidemic and a description of the changes that were made to the notification criteria. We compared the output of a regional laboratory with notifications to the regional Public Health Service and the national register of infectious diseases. We compared the international notification criteria for acute Q-fever. Screening with ELISA IgM phase II and PCR was added to the diagnostic workflow. In the course of the epidemic, serology often revealed a positive IgG/IgM result although cases were not infected recently. With increasing background seroprevalence, the presence of IgM antibodies can only be suggestive for acute Q-fever and has to be confirmed either by seroconversion of IgG or a positive PCR result. Differences in sero-epidemiology make it unlikely that full harmonisation of notification criteria between countries is feasible.

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 88-93
Author(s):  
Md. Abu Jafar Sujan ◽  
Muhammad Tareque Hasan ◽  
Bikash Chandra Sah ◽  
Md. Al Amin Khan ◽  
Ishraque Chowdhury ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. e237155
Author(s):  
Pranav Mahajan ◽  
Kailash Pant ◽  
Shirin Majdizadeh

Q fever can present as a fever of unknown aetiology and can be challenging to diagnose because of the rare incidence. It can present as an acute illness with manifestations, including influenza-like symptoms, hepatitis, pneumonia or chronic disease involving the cardiovascular system. We present a case of a 39-year-old woman in the USA, who developed acute Q fever with associated sepsis and severe hepatitis. She received treatment with recovery from acute infection but currently has symptoms of post Q fever syndrome.


2017 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 991-991 ◽  
Author(s):  
Omar T. Dawood ◽  
Mohamed A. Hassali ◽  
Fahad Saleem ◽  
Inas R. Ibrahim ◽  
Aseel H. Abdulameer ◽  
...  

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 150460 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caroline Uggla ◽  
Ruth Mace

Parents face trade-offs between investing in child health and other fitness enhancing activities. In humans, parental investment theory has mostly been examined through the analysis of differential child outcomes, with less emphasis on the actions parents take to further a particular offspring’s condition. Here, we make use of household data on health-seeking for children in a high mortality context where such behaviours are crucial for offspring survival. Using Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) data from 17 sub-Saharan African countries, we examine whether maternal factors (age, health, marital status) and child factors (birth order, health, sex, age) independently influence parental investment in health-seeking behaviours: two preventative behaviours (malaria net use and immunization) and two curative ones (treating fever and diarrhoea). Results indicate that children with lower birth order, older mothers and mothers with better health status have higher odds of investment. The effects of a child’s sex and health status and whether the mother is polygynously married vary depending on the type of health-seeking behaviour (preventative versus curative). We discuss how these results square with predictions from parental investment theory pertaining to the state of mothers and children, and reflect on some potential mechanisms and directions for future research.


2021 ◽  
pp. 097206342110652
Author(s):  
Steven Masvaure

Religious rights as enshrined in the Zimbabwean constitution are sacrosanct, however, when church doctrine bars followers from seeking modern medical care, they start infringing on health rights especially of the ‘lesser beings’ the women and children who are members of these religious sects. The ‘lesser beings’ are bearing the brunt of high maternal and neonatal mortality as they depend on unsafe traditional birth attendants and unconventional medicine. This study is ethnographic and presents lessons learnt from a programme aiming to improve maternal, newborn and child health outcomes among the Apostolic Church of Johanne Marange members in Manicaland province, Zimbabwe. The findings show that despite the stringent doctrine and barriers placed on apostolic members who want to access conventional medicine, the women and children are using clandestine approaches to circumvent the doctrine and barriers. This article argues that a barrage of unconventional and conventional approaches can lead to changes in health-seeking behaviour of the apostolic church and ultimately maternal and child health outcomes. The article argues that the intransigence of the apostolic can only be overcome by covert approaches to providing health services and save lives.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document