Communicable disease report. CDR review最新文献

Q fever is an important zoonosis caused by the rickettsial organism Coxiella burnetii, which can result in life threatening illness, especially in those with an underlying cardiac defect. C. burnetii infections in England and Wales reported to the PHLS Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre between 1984 and 1994 were reviewed. A total of 1117 cases were reported, a third of which came from the South Western region. The annual totals fell over this period. The mean age of cases was 45 years, and 74% were men. Reports peaked in the month of May. Contact with animals, mainly cattle and sheep, was reported in 60 cases. Occupationally acquired infection was reported for 24 cases including abattoir workers, farmers, veterinary surgeons, hide handlers, and butchers. Forty-seven per cent of cases presented with respiratory symptoms, 7% with heart disease, and 5% with hepatitis. Seven per cent of cases reported travel abroad before becoming ill. Joint veterinary and medical investigations should be undertaken to establish the natural history of C. burnetii infection in England and Wales and formulate policies to prevent acute and chronic infections.

An outbreak of gastrointestinal illness occurred among a party of diners at a hotel in South Yorkshire. A case control study identified a gateau, from an outside supplier, as the likeliest vehicle of infection. Further gateaux from the same baker's premises and other outlets were examined microbiologically. Three other outbreaks of food poisoning in neighbouring districts were recognised and found to be associated with gateaux supplied by the same baker. A total of 32 cases were identified. Stool specimens from 24 cases grew Salmonella enteritidis phage type (PT) 4. The same organism was also grown from gateau in the domestic refrigerator of the chef of one hotel, cheesecake made by the same baker, and a gateau and ingredients from the baker's premises. The isolates of S. enteritidis PT4 were all fully sensitive to antibiotics, and had the same plasmid and pulsed field gel electrophoresis profiles. It is most likely that cross contamination occurred from infected raw eggs on the baker's premises. The control measures instituted probably prevented two further outbreaks, and the baker now uses only pasteurised eggs. The benefits of close cooperation between different local and health authority districts in the investigation of the outbreaks are discussed.

Fourteen cases of Escherichia coli O157 infection were reported to the consultant in communicable disease control in Sunderland Health Authority in August 1995. E. coli O157 phage type 2, Vero cytotoxin 2 was isolated from the faeces of ten cases. Nine of the isolates were indistinguishable by Vero cytotoxin subtyping and analysis of chromosomal DNA. Two cases with haemolytic uraemic syndrome were confirmed serologically and two cases remained unconfirmed. A case control study showed infection with E. coli O157 to be associated with having eaten precooked meats from a single shop. Environmental investigations at the shop showed that cooked meats were stored close to raw beef, raw meats were left on preparation surfaces, and the same staff served both raw and cooked meats. This outbreak draws attention to standards of food preparation and handling in outbreaks of E. coli O157, the issue of cross contamination, and the need to improve local surveillance of haemolytic uraemic syndrome.

This paper analyses routinely available data on infectious intestinal diseases occurring in people aged 65 years and over in England and Wales from 1990 to 1994. These data include annual reports of consultations with general practitioners in spotter practices collated by the Royal College of General Practitioners, notifications of food poisoning collated by the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys, hospital admissions extracted from Hospital Episode Statistics data, reports of general outbreaks and laboratory reports of faecal isolates both collated by the PHLS Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre, and death registrations held at the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys. From 1 January 1990 to 31 December 1994 a total of 8,910 episodes of infectious intestinal disease in people aged 65 years and over were seen in the 93 spotter practices that care for a population of all ages of about 700,000. This extrapolates to about 925,000 cases in elderly people in England and Wales, if consultation rates in spotter practices are representative. Twenty-seven thousand two hundred and thirty-three cases of food poisoning were notified and 46,216 faecal isolates were reported in people of the same age group. The commonest pathogens detected were campylobacter, Clostridium difficile and salmonellas. Thirteen thousand five hundred and eighty-five people aged 65 years and over were admitted to hospital with infectious intestinal disease between 1 April 1991 and 31 March 1994. The PHLS Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre learnt of 360 outbreaks in residential institutions and hospital wards for elderly people between 1 January 1992 and 31 December 1994, 52% of which were caused by small round structured viruses. Seven hundred and seventy-seven deaths attributable to infectious intestinal disease in elderly people were registered from 1990 to 1994. Infectious intestinal disease is a largely preventable group of conditions that cause substantial morbidity and mortality in elderly people. Appropriate food hygiene and infection control measures, particularly in institutions, will help to reduce the incidence of infectious intestinal disease in elderly people.

We present data on outbreaks of infectious intestinal disease in schools and nurseries obtained from the surveillance scheme of all general outbreaks of infectious intestinal disease in England and Wales reported to the PHLS Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre between 1992 and 1994. A minimum set of data was received for 1280 outbreaks, 95 of which (7%) arose in schools and nurseries. The commonest pathogens were salmonellas, Shigella sonnei, and small round structured viruses. The mode of transmission was described as mainly from person to person in 55 outbreaks and mainly foodborne in 30. The mean attack rate was 30% and median duration was 10 days. The attack rate and duration varied with the pathogen involved. Forty-five of the 3118 people reported to have been ill were admitted to hospital. Outbreaks in schools and nurseries are common. Attack rates are high and such outbreaks are often prolonged. Effective infection control policies and appropriate training of staff are needed. Good local systems for surveillance can help identify outbreaks quickly and allow control measures to be applied early.

Twenty-eight cases of Salmonella tosamanga infection were identified in six western European countries during the first half of 1995. Salm-Net, a European system for collaborative surveillance of gastrointestinal infection, detected the outbreak and coordinated its investigation. There were 28 cases, 14 of each sex, with a broad age distribution. Interviews with cases to identify common food and other exposures failed to generate a working hypothesis. The initial cluster occurred in a period of eight weeks and, since only one further case occurred in June, the investigation was closed. This incident shows that Salm-Net is effective in identifying international outbreaks of human salmonellosis. Practical difficulties in the field investigation of the outbreak are discussed.

Three main routine sources of data on food poisoning are used in England and Wales. The first is the statutory notification system, in which clinicians notify the 'proper officer' of their local authorities of cases or suspected cases of food poisoning, and the data are collated by the Office for National Statistics. Second and third are the reporting schemes for laboratory confirmed infections and general outbreaks of infectious intestinal disease, both of which are coordinated by the PHLS Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre. This review discusses the strengths and weaknesses of the three sources.

We describe the epidemiological, virological, and clinical features of an epidemic of hand, foot, and mouth disease, attributed to coxsackie A virus serotype 16, that occurred throughout England and Wales in the last quarter of 1994. Nine hundred and fifty-two cases were reported by spotter practices that make weekly returns to the Royal College of General Practitioners, which made this the largest epidemic of hand, foot, and mouth disease in England and Wales reported to date. Most patients were aged 1 to 4 years and lived in central or southern regions. Clinical features were unavailable from the weekly returns but were described in detail for 39 patients, mostly by means of a questionnaire to general practitioners near the PHLS Coxsackie Reference Laboratory. All cases had a rash on their hands and 23 also had rashes on their feet and in their mouths. Most cases were mild. Severity was associated with the degree of mouth involvement. Secondary cases in family members were rare. Data from the Royal College of General Practitioners since 1963 reveal a period between epidemics of two to three years. The epidemics in 1988 and 1990 also occurred in the last quarters of these years and cases were concentrated in the central and southern regions.

Notifications of pertussis in England and Wales have fallen dramatically from 65 810 during the epidemic year of 1982 to 3963 cases during the epidemic year of 1994, as vaccine coverage has risen. The incidence of pertussis has declined in all ages, including babies under 3 months of age who would have been at risk of disease from older siblings vaccinated under the accelerated schedule introduced in 1990 if immunity induced as result of this schedule had been short lived. To document the efficacy of the current whole cell vaccine under the accelerated schedule an enhanced surveillance scheme based on laboratory confirmed cases of pertussis was set up in 1994. Three deaths occurred in infants with confirmed pertussis, all of whom were under 8 weeks of age and unvaccinated. The overall vaccine efficacy for those over 6 months and under 5 years of age was 94%. This estimate may be inflated, as a number of biases could lead to the underascertainment of cases in vaccinated children, but it is similar to previous estimates obtained for children of the same age vaccinated under the 3, 5, and 10 month schedule. Vaccine efficacy was 89% for children aged over 5 and under 15 years. The enhanced surveillance scheme will enable us to monitor the duration of protection under the accelerated schedule and evaluate the continuing impact of pertussis infection.

Routine data from Hospital Episode Statistics and the Compendium of Health Statistics were used to estimate costs incurred by hospitals for inpatient treatment of infectious intestinal disease in England from 1991 to 1994. The estimated cost for the three years was 83,139,685 pounds associated with 108,037 inpatient episodes. The annualised age specific incidence of patients admitted to hospital for infectious intestinal disease varied from 25 to 613 per 100,000 population and was highest in children under 4 years of age. The cost of inpatient treatment attributable to infectious intestinal disease is high, but it represents only a proportion of the total costs of diarrhoeal illness. More detailed studies are needed to describe the total economic impact of infectious intestinal disease.