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Biomedical subjects

R Mayon-White

Publications and source records attributed to R Mayon-White.

13 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2002

Enhancing surveillance of cryptosporidiosis: test all faecal specimens from children.

The heightened risk of waterborne cryptosporidiosis, associated with heavy rainfall in autumn 2000, prompted us to survey laboratory practice in the South East Region of England in testing faecal specimens for Cryptosporidium spp. oocysts and reporting to the Public Health Laboratory Service Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre (PHLS CDSC). Varied practices were found. Ideally, all faecal specimens should be tested, but where laboratories are unable to do so, screening all faecal specimens from children age 15 years or younger would improve surveillance and could probably be accomplished with minimal additional resources.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Outcome of invasive pneumococcal disease: a UK based study. Oxford Pneumococcal Surveillance Group.

METHODS: The records of 106 children aged less than 5 years with invasive disease caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae were reviewed. RESULTS: The clinical manifestations were meningitis (37%), upper respiratory tract infection (24%), pneumonia (19%), and occult bacteraemia (18%). One child died and seven had persisting neurological impairment. Five serotypes caused 83% of disease and 92% of the serotypes are included in the seven valent conjugate vaccines which are undergoing trials. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that S pneumoniae infection is associated with a low case fatality rate but substantial morbidity in the UK.

Child, Preschool↗
PubMed1999

Public health physicians who contribute to on-call communicable disease control duties: national comparative clinical audit by questionnaire survey.

BACKGROUND: In most health authorities in the UK, general public health physicians provide out-of-hours cover for specialists in communicable disease control. Although communicable disease control was part of their specialist training, there is no current formal mechanism to enable these doctors to keep up to date. The Faculty of Public Health Medicine has an active Continuing Professional Development Programme. A new initiative aimed to assess the knowledge of general public health physicians who take part in on-call communicable disease control rotas, or may do so in the future, by means of an educational clinical audit exercise. METHODS: Experts in communicable disease control developed a questionnaire containing a selection of scenarios, covering six different situations that might arise on-call. This was circulated to all members of the Faculty, but participation was voluntary. Answers were marked against model answers agreed by the experts. Results were analysed by positions held by participants. RESULTS: Response was unacceptably low. Overall scores ranged from 15 per cent to 89 per cent with a mean of 63 per cent. There was a trend of improvement in marks from those not normally involved in on-call (mean score 56.1 per cent (95 per cent confidence interval 51.6-60.7 per cent)) through Directors of Public Health (58.4 (54.9-62.0) per cent), Consultants (62.8 (60-65.6) per cent), and specialist registrars (67.9 (65.2-70.6) per cent), to Consultants in Communicable Disease Control (70.9 (68.1-73.6) per cent). CONCLUSION: The public health physicians who took part in this audit appear to be competent in their knowledge of communicable disease control, and particularly good at dealing with meningitis and salmonella, which are frequently encountered out of hours.

Clinical Competence↗
PubMed1995

Escherichia coli O 157: outbreak in a day nursery.

Seventeen out of 54 preschool children at a day nursery became infected with Escherichia coli O 157. The nursery outbreak formed part of a wider community outbreak, whose source was not identified. Epidemiological investigation suggested that the nursery outbreak resulted from person to person spread. Children with diarrhoea or a positive faecal specimen were excluded until their symptoms had resolved and one negative faecal specimen had been obtained. Children who were asymptomatic throughout were not excluded. This policy appeared to be effective in preventing further spread of infection within the nursery.

Child Day Care Centers↗
PubMed1988

General practitioners and management of infection with HIV.

General practitioners will have an increasingly important role in the management of patients with the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and infections with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) as the numbers of cases increase. Altogether 280 general practitioners working in Oxfordshire were sent a postal questionnaire inquiring about their education, knowledge, current practice, and attitudes in relation to managing infections with HIV. Of the 235 (84%) general practitioners who replied, nine out of 10 were giving advice about infection with HIV to their patients. One in two were testing patients for such infection, and one in four were caring for infected patients. Nevertheless, uncertainty remained about the risks of transmission of infection with HIV and general practitioners' knowledge of educational activities for their patients could be improved. The introduction of a facilitator to work with general practitioners in managing patients with AIDS or infection with HIV is planned, especially to help general practitioners develop the skills needed for prevention.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗