Tackling Rotavirus
April 24, 2017
Rotavirus gastroenteritis is the leading cause of diarrhea-associated hospitalizations and death in children younger than 5 years of age. Rotavirus illness is caused by a virus which enters the body by mouth and infects the intestines. It is a particularly hardy and contagious virus, capable of surviving on inanimate surfaces for long periods and spreading readily from child to child and also ...
Congenital Cytomegalovirus Infection and Hearing Loss
March 16, 2017
It has been over 50 years that the association between congenital Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection and hearing loss was described by Medearis et al. During that time, advances in understanding the pathogenesis and the natural history of the disease have been made. It is now acknowledged that CMV infection is not only the most common congenital viral infection in the world but also the leading ...
Supporting Universal Antenatal Pertussis Vaccination
July 20, 2016
Pertussis (Whooping Cough) is a serious health issue, especially in the very young infant. It is caused by a bacteria, Bordetella pertussis, and is transmitted person to person via aerosol droplets usually by coughing or sneezing. The illness typically begins with cold-like symptoms which may then progress to the characteristic paroxysms of cough terminating with an inspiratory whoop. In young ...
Tetanus Elimination: An Amazing Public Health Achievement
June 14, 2016
Neonatal tetanus is one form of a devastating illness with a very high mortality rate. The illness was recognized by Hippocrates as early as the 5th century BC. The causative bacterium and its exotoxin were identified in the late 1800s. An effective toxoid vaccine was developed in 1924 and widely used during World War II to prevent tetanus induced by battle wounds. The illness itself is ...
