The Medical journal of Australia
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Invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) is an uncommon but life-threatening infection caused by Neisseria meningitidis. Serogroups B, C, W and Y cause most IMD cases in Australia. The highest incidence occurs in children under 5 years of age. ⋯ Due to the epidemiology and disease burden from MenB, a meningococcal B vaccine program has been implemented in South Australia for individuals with age-specific incidence rates higher than the mean rate of 2.8/100 000 population in South Australia in the period 2000-2017, including infants, young children (< 4 years) and adolescents (15-20 years). Program evaluation of vaccine effectiveness against IMD is important. As observational evidence also suggests 4CMenB may have an impact on Neisseria gonorrhoeae with genetic homology between bacterial species, the vaccine impact on gonorrhoea will also be assessed.
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To determine the incidence of self-reported non-coeliac wheat sensitivity (SR-NCWS) and factors associated with its onset and resolution; to describe the prevalence of factors associated with gluten avoidance. ⋯ The prevalence of SR-NCWS was similar in 2015 and 2018. Baseline (2015) and incident SR-NCWS (2018) were each associated with functional gastrointestinal disorders. The number of people avoiding dietary gluten exceeds that of people with coeliac disease or SR-NCWS, and general health considerations and abdominal symptoms are the most frequently reported reasons for avoidance.
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To evaluate the health impact and cost-effectiveness of systematic testing for Lynch syndrome (LS) in people with incident colorectal cancer (CRC) in Australia. ⋯ Universal tumour testing strategies for guiding germline genetic testing of people with incident CRC for LS in Australia are likely to be cost-effective compared with no testing. Universal germline gene panel testing would not currently be cost-effective.