Group A rotavirus in Kenyan children and using the best evidence to guide TB diagnosis

Group A rotavirus in Kenyan children

Combining prospective hospital-based surveillance with demographic data in Kilifi, Kenya, James Nokes (of the KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme) and colleagues assess the burden of rotavirus diarrhoea in young children. They find that over 2% of children in Kilifi are admitted to hospital with group A rotavirus diarrhoea in the first 5 years of life. "This translates into over 28,000 vaccine-preventable hospitalisations per year across Kenya," say the authors, "and is likely to be a considerable underestimate."

Citation: Nokes DJ, Abwao J, Pamba A, Peenze I, Dewar J, et al. (2008) Incidence and clinical characteristics of group A rotavirus infections among children admitted to hospital in Kilifi, Kenya. PLoS Med 5(7): e153.doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.0050153

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CONTACT:James NokesDepartment of EpidemiologyKEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research ProgrammeKilifi, Coast ProvinceKenya+254 41 522063jnokes@kilifi.kemri-wellcome.org

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Using the best evidence to guide TB diagnosis

"There is great excitement in the TB scientific community over the introduction of new tools into TB control activities," say Madhukar Pai (McGill University, Canada) and colleagues in this week's PLoS Medicine, but these new tools require careful validation prior to their routine use. The world spends an estimated $1 billion per year on TB diagnostics, they say, and it is "important to ensure that such expenditure is backed by strong evidence." Fortunately, there have been at least 30 studies synthesizing the best evidence on TB diagnosis (such studies are known as systematic reviews), and Pai and colleagues summarize the implications of these studies for clinical and laboratory practice, TB control policies, and TB research and development.

Citation: Pai M, Ramsay A, O'Brien R (2008) Evidence based tuberculosis diagnosis. PLoS Med 5(7): e156. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.0050156

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CONTACT:Madhukar PaiDept. of Epidemiology, Biostatistics & Occupational HealthMcGill UniversityMontreal, Quebec H3A 1A2Canada+1 514 398 5422madhukar.pai@mcgill.ca

Source: Public Library of Science