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Biomedical subjects

A Nicoll

Publications and source records attributed to A Nicoll.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

Lessons learned from SARS: the experience of the Health Protection Agency, England.

The United Kingdom was assessed as a low risk country throughout the 2003 global SARS outbreaks. Despite this, 368 reports of potential SARS cases were made to the Health Protection Agency (HPA) between March and July 2003. The public health actions undertaken in response to these reports, the establishment of reporting mechanisms and the development of guidance documents were substantial. Lessons learned from mounting a UK response to SARS included: the importance of international collaboration; formation of a UK-wide, multidisciplinary Task Force; flexible case reporting mechanisms; integration of surveillance and laboratory data; generation of prompt and web-accessible guidance and advice; availability of surge capacity; and contingency planning. Lessons learned are being incorporated into the HPA's preparedness to prevent and control future newly emerging infectious disease threats.

Advisory Committees↗
PubMed2005

No clinical evidence of hidden vCJD in UK children.

Between May 1997 and November 2004 this national prospective surveillance study identified 1007 children with "progressive intellectual and neurological deterioration" (PIND). In most cases specific diagnoses were made, but of 92 undiagnosed children with PIND 46 had died and only four underwent full necropsy. There was no clinical evidence of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) in these undiagnosed cases, but without necropsy it is not possible to exclude vCJD completely.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

Evaluation of syndromic surveillance based on National Health Service Direct derived data--England and Wales.

INTRODUCTION: Syndromic surveillance systems might serve as an early warning to detect outbreaks of infectious diseases and chemical poisoning, including those caused by deliberate release. In England and Wales, data from National Health Service (NHS) Direct, a national telephone health advice service, were used for surveillance of 10 syndromes commonly occurring in the community. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to evaluate NHS Direct syndromic surveillance using the "Framework for Evaluating Public Health Surveillance Systems for Early Detection of Outbreaks", published by CDC. METHODS: Quantitative and qualitative assessments were performed. Examination of daily data flow was used to determine the timeliness and data quality. Validity was determined by comparing NHS Direct surveillance with a well-established clinical-based surveillance system using a time series analysis. Semistructured interviews of main stakeholders were conducted to determine usefulness, flexibility, acceptability, portability, stability, and system costs. RESULTS: NHS Direct syndromic surveillance has representative national coverage, provides near real-time recording and data analysis, and can potentially detect high-risk, large-scale events. Direct costs are low and variable costs are unpredictable. Flexibility depends on urgency of the need for change, and portability relies on the existence of infrastructure similar to NHS Direct. Statistically significant correlation exists between NHS Direct surveillance and a surveillance system based on the Royal College of General Practitioners data for influenza-like illness. CONCLUSION: The CDC framework is a useful tool to standardize the evaluation of syndromic surveillance. NHS Direct syndromic surveillance is timely, representative, useful, and acceptable with low marginal costs and borderline flexibility and portability. Cross-correlation time series modeling might represent an appropriate method in the evaluation of syndromic surveillance validity.

Disease Outbreaks↗
PubMed2004

The public health response to a case of Lassa fever in London in 2000.

OBJECTIVES: Evaluation of the Department of Health 1996 guidance, the Memorandum on the Management and Control of Viral Haemorrhagic Fevers. METHODS: Description of the public health management in 2000 of the fifth UK patient confirmed to have Lassa fever. RESULTS: Delayed risk categorisation of the patient occurred for a variety of reasons. DH Guidance was followed once infection control advice was sought. Active surveillance of 125 contacts was extremely resource intense, involving over 3000 communications. Self-monitoring by healthcare workers should be considered in future. Advice on use of ribavirin prophylaxis is not included in the Memorandum, nor advice or templates for information sheets for contacts. Information sheets are now available from the Health Protection Agency in the event of future cases. International aspects not adequately addressed include the need for reliable risk assessment to be carried out before patients are medically evacuated from the country of origin, and the steps required to repatriate UK nationals. Effective and efficient communication is required between national and international organisations involved in such incidents. CONCLUSIONS: If guidelines are unclear or impracticable they will not be followed. It is important that lessons are learned and documented and that national guidance be regularly reviewed.

Communicable Disease Control↗
PubMed2004

Variations in neurodegenerative disease across the UK: findings from the national study of Progressive Intellectual and Neurological Deterioration (PIND).

AIMS: To identify any UK children with variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) and obtain information about the causes of progressive intellectual and neurological deterioration (PIND) and the geographical distribution of cases. METHODS: The PIND Study uses the monthly surveillance card that is sent to all UK paediatricians by the British Paediatric Surveillance Unit. Case details are obtained from the reporting paediatricians by telephone interview, site visit, or self completion of a questionnaire. A paediatric neurology expert group then classifies the anonymised cases. The Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre (CDSC) provides mapping support. RESULTS: After five years and five months of surveillance, 1400 children had been reported. In the UK the majority of PIND cases had a confirmed diagnosis (comprising 99 different conditions); 505 "no cases" and 97 "outstanding" cases were excluded. A total of 798 PIND cases were included as follows: 577 with a confirmed underlying diagnosis; six with definite or probable vCJD, 51 who had undiagnosed PIND but were not thought to have vCJD, and 164 cases who were still under investigation. In some districts there were unexpectedly high numbers of PIND cases with a heterogeneous mixture of underlying diagnoses. In the five districts with the largest numbers of resident cases the majority not only came from a particular ethnic group but also had high reported rates of consanguinity. CONCLUSIONS: In districts with large numbers of PIND cases there are major resource implications. These children and their families have complex problems and they need access to diagnostic facilities and appropriate service provision.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Interpreting neonatal HIV seroprevalence data in Great Britain: the importance of differential fertility.

In order to derive more accurate estimates of HIV infection among the general population in Great Britain from unlinked anonymous neonatal seroprevalence data, the differential HIV and fertility patterns amongst groups of women were explored. The HIV risk in women was estimated using neonatal seroprevalence data and reports of diagnoses of HIV infection in pregnant women. Live birth rates were estimated using population data and these were supplemented using data from a prospective European cohort of HIV-infected pregnant women. HIV prevalence was higher in women born in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and injecting drug users (IDUs) (2.50% and 0.29% respectively in London) compared to other women (0.068%). Fertility was also higher in women born in SSA (OR 1.33 using population data), whilst IDUs were more likely to have had a previous termination (OR 1.48 using the European cohort of HIV-infected pregnant women data). We conclude that when unlinked anonymous neonatal seroprevalence data is used to estimate general population prevalence, adjustments need to be made for fertility differentials in population subgroups at varying risk of HIV.

Africa South of the Sahara↗
PubMed2003

SARS: UK public health response--past, present and future.

The emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in China, the occurrence of epidemics of SARS in China and a number of Southeast Asian countries, and its spread to countries elsewhere, have presented major challenges to public health systems throughout the world. Although very few true cases of SARS were detected in the United Kingdom, the public health response to the threat of SARS was considerable. The main components of this response were the early detection, isolation and reporting of cases, and the provision of comprehensive information to health professionals, cases, their contacts and the public. The development of the response to SARS raised a number of more general issues relevant to future infectious epidemic threats. Although the World Health Organisation has now declared SARS 'contained', the possibility of re-emergence is ever present. All countries will need to be vigilant and plan their response to the possibility of a renewed SARS epidemic.

Health Planning↗
PubMed2002

Health protection--a strategy and a national agency.

The Chief Medical Officer for England has published a strategy for health protection and announced the formation of a new body, the Health Protection Agency, to deal with the threats to health from infectious disease, chemicals, toxins and radiation hazards. This reflects international recognition of the need to combat threats to health from the likes of tuberculosis, HIV, influenza, anti-microbial resistance, chemical accidents and bio-terrorism, and the risks to health associated with increased movements of people, animals and goods, climate change and industrialisation. The strategy will strengthen surveillance and response linking contributions from clinical specialities with public health, microbiology, toxicology and radiation science within the health protection family. The Agency will be formed by combining a number of national and specialist public bodies and personnel delivering local protection services. The strategy represents a unique opportunity to strengthen local and national structures and develop a world-class health protection service. Detailed plans are being developed by the Department of Health with a variety of stakeholders for the launch of the Agency in 2003. A number of challenges will have to be met including developing and training the workforce in health protection, providing career structures for public health scientists and nurses, strengthening electronic communications and developing health protection networks within broader public health structures. Health protection should now be recognised as a sub-speciality of public health.

Bioterrorism↗
PubMed2002

Breast feeding.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Attitude to Health↗
PubMed2002

Roles and functions of a European Union Public Health Centre for Communicable Diseases and other threats to health.

An international consensus has been reached that a European Union (EU) Technical Coordination Structure (TCS) for communicable diseases is needed to improve Europe s future response to international communicable disease threats within and beyond its boundaries. After the American events of September 11 2001 and the deliberate releases of anthrax, the EU created a Health Security Committee, adopted a civil protection decision, and established for 18 months a team to develop responses for deliberate releases of biological and chemical agents. These two initiatives, the network s approach and health security work, must converge into a single stream addressing health protection for the people of Europe. They could be combined into a European Centre for Communicable Diseases that is planned to become active by 2005.

Communicable Disease Control↗
PubMed2002

Impact of infections on primary care--greater than expected.

Though infection has declined as a cause of death it consumes a major proportion of primary care resources, and because of antibiotic resistance is increasingly important. We examined the burden of illness attributable to infection in primary care by analysing data from the fourth practice-based national morbidity survey which monitored all consultations by diagnosis in 470,000 persons over a 12 month period from September 1991 to August 1992. Rates of persons consulting, new episodes of illness and consultations were calculated according to the list of infections published by Wilson and Bhopal (W&B list), and as amended by the Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre (CDSC list); selected comparisons were made with national data on hospital derived finished consultant episodes and deaths. Forty-one percent of all registered persons consulted on at least one occasion during the year for infection (estimated by either list). Infections accounted for 40% of all new episodes of illness and 29% of all consultations; respiratory infections accounted for approximately half the infection total. New episode rates were highest in children aged less than 1 year and lowest in males 25-54 years and females 55-64 years. Except in infancy, rates were higher in females. There were 734 episodes of infection annually per 1,000 population reported in general practice compared with 20 per 1,000 finished consultant episodes. The average episode of infection prompted 1.2 general practice consultations. Improved management through more precise diagnosis by near patient tests is desirable, but is unlikely to be obtained cost effectively if consultation numbers or the time spent is substantially increased. These results emphasise the importance of adequate training for general practitioners in the natural history, epidemiology, diagnosis and treatment (pharmacology) of infection.

Adolescent↗