Topics

Lessons from the COVID‐19 experience can minimise the morbidity, mortality and social disruption of future pandemics

Our society and health care systems have experienced significant challenges and undergone major changes as a consequence of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic: from the dramatic early days, with high rates of morbidity and mortality overseas,1,2 and the long, difficult lockdowns in several Australian states to incredible advances in medical knowledge in terms of both vaccination and treatment.

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1 The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC
2 The Royal Melbourne Hospital, Melbourne, VIC

Correspondence: douglas.f.johnson@mh.org.au

Competing interests:

No relevant disclosures.

1. Onder G, Rezza G, Brusaferro S. Case‐fatality rate and characteristics of patients dying in relation to COVID‐19 in Italy. JAMA 2020; 323: 1775‐1776.
2. Wang H, Paulson KR, Pease SA, et al. Estimating excess mortality due to the COVID‐19 pandemic: a systematic analysis of COVID‐19‐related mortality, 2020–21. Lancet 2022; 399: 1513‐1536.
3. McCloskey B, Heymann DL. SARS to novel coronavirus: old lessons and new lessons. Epidemiol Infect 2020; 148: e22.
4. Rowe SL, Leder K, Dyson K, et al. Associations between COVID‐19 and hospitalisation with respiratory and non‐respiratory conditions: a record linkage study. Med J Aust 2023; 218: 33‐39.
5. Australian Department of Health and Aged Care. COVID‐19 vaccine rollout update: 31 May 2021. https://www.health.gov.au/resources/publications/covid‐19‐vaccine‐rollout‐update‐31‐may‐2021 (viewed Nov 2022).
6. Feikin DR, Higdon MM, Abu‐Raddad LJ, et al. Duration of effectiveness of vaccines against SARS‐CoV‐2 infection and COVID‐19 disease: results of a systematic review and meta‐regression. Lancet 2022; 399: 924‐944.
7. Kelly P; Australian Department of Health and Aged Care. New COVID‐19 variant leads to increase in cases [media release]. 8 Nov 2022. https://www.health.gov.au/news/new‐covid‐19‐variant‐leads‐to‐increase‐in‐cases (viewed Nov 2022).
8. Andrews D (Premier of Victoria). BioNTech coup: more mRNA manufacturing, research in Melbourne [media release]. 7 Oct 2021. https://www.premier.vic.gov.au/biontech‐coup‐more‐mrna‐manufacturing‐research‐melbourne (viewed Nov 2022).
9. Monash University. Moderna to build manufacturing facility at Monash [media release]. 15 Aug 2022. https://www.monash.edu/news/articles/moderna‐to‐build‐manufacturing‐facility‐at‐monash (viewed Nov 2022).
10. Australian Department of Health and Aged Care. Australian Centre for Disease Control. Sept 2022. https://www.health.gov.au/initiatives‐and‐programs/australian‐cdc (viewed Nov 2022).
11. Summers J, Cheng HY, Lin HH, et al. Potential lessons from the Taiwan and New Zealand health responses to the COVID‐19 pandemic. Lancet Reg Health West Pac 2020; 4: 100044.
12. Chen JI, Yap JC, Hsu LY, Tao YY. COVID‐19 and Singapore: from early response to circuit breaker. Ann Acad Med Singap 2020; 49: 561‐572.
13. Fauci AS, Lane HC, Redfield RR. Covid‐19: navigating the uncharted [editorial]. N Engl J Med 2020; 382: 1268‐1269.

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Editorials

Welcoming the new MJA Editor‐in‐Chief, and the top ten original research articles in the MJA in 2022

Nicholas J Talley

Med J Aust 2023; 218 (1): . || doi: 10.5694/mja2.51801
Published online: 16 January 2023

ARTICLE
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Topics

General medicine

It has been a privilege to lead the Journal through challenging times, but it is time to pass the baton

From 23 January 2023, I hand over responsibility for the MJA to the new Editor‐in‐Chief, Professor Virginia (Ginny) Barbour. Professor Barbour is eminently qualified to lead the MJA, having been a Senior Editor at The Lancet and one of the founding editors and the first Chief Editor of PLOS Medicine. She completed her undergraduate immunology and medical degrees at Cambridge University, trained in haematology in the United Kingdom (including at University College London and the Royal Free Hospital), and was awarded her DPhil degree by Oxford University for her investigation of human α‐globin gene regulation. Open access for all medical journals is the future, and Professor Barbour is an internationally recognised expert in innovative scholarly communication, open access, and research integrity. In 2021, she was an expert advisor with the Australian delegation to the intergovernmental meeting of experts on the UNESCO Open Science Recommendation, and she has been involved in many international initiatives, including as vice‐chair of the Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA) steering committee and as a Plan S ambassador. Professor Barbour is based at the Queensland University of Technology, where she is co‐lead of the Office for Scholarly Communication and director of Open Access Australasia; she is also a member of the NHMRC Research Quality Steering Committee, and during the COVID‐19 pandemic was an editorial advisor to the medRxiv preprint server. I congratulate Professor Barbour on her appointment and wish her and the entire MJA team every success in the years to come. I know the Journal will be in very good hands!

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Editor‐in‐Chief, the Medical Journal of Australia

Correspondence: nicholas.talley@newcastle.edu.au

Correspondence: ntalley@mja.com.au

Competing interests:

A complete list of disclosures is available at https://www.mja.com.au/journal/staff/editor‐chief‐professor‐nick‐talley.

1. Caly L, Druce J, Roberts J, et al. Isolation and rapid sharing of the 2019 novel coronavirus (SARS‐CoV‐2) from the first patient diagnosed with COVID‐19 in Australia. Med J Aust 2020; 212: 459‐462. https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2020/212/10/isolation‐and‐rapid‐sharing‐2019‐novel‐coronavirus‐sars‐cov‐2‐first‐patient
2. Hill NTM, Witt K, Rajaram G, et al. Suicide by young Australians, 2006–2015: a cross‐sectional analysis of national coronial data. Med J Aust 2021; 214: 133‐139. https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2021/214/3/suicide‐young‐australians‐2006‐2015‐cross‐sectional‐analysis‐national‐coronial
3. Machalek DA, Roberts JM, Garland SM, et al. Routine cervical screening by primary HPV testing: early findings in the renewed National Cervical Screening Program. Med J Aust 2019; 211: 113‐119. https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2019/211/3/routine‐cervical‐screening‐primary‐hpv‐testing‐early‐findings‐renewed‐national
4. Davis K, Remenyi B, Draper ADK, et al. Rheumatic heart disease in Timor‐Leste school students: an echocardiography‐based prevalence study. Med J Aust 2018; 208: 303‐307. https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2018/208/7/rheumatic‐heart‐disease‐timor‐leste‐school‐students‐echocardiography‐based
5. Tong EY, Roman CP, Mitra B, et al. Reducing medication errors in hospital discharge summaries: a randomised controlled trial. Med J Aust 2017; 206: 36‐39. https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2017/206/1/reducing‐medication‐errors‐hospital‐discharge‐summaries‐randomised‐controlled
6. Burrell AR, McLaws ML, Fullick M, et al. SEPSIS KILLS: early intervention saves lives. Med J Aust 2016; 204: 73. https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2016/204/2/sepsis‐kills‐early‐intervention‐saves‐lives
7. Zhao Y, Li SQ, Wilson T, Burgess CP. Improved life expectancy for Indigenous and non‐Indigenous people in the Northern Territory, 1999–2018: overall and by underlying cause of death. Med J Aust 2022; 217: 30‐35. https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2022/217/1/improved‐life‐expectancy‐indigenous‐and‐non‐indigenous‐people‐northern‐territory
8. Lord SJ, Daniels B, Kiely BE, et al. Long term risk of distant metastasis in women with non‐metastatic breast cancer and survival after metastasis detection: a population‐based linked health records study. Med J Aust 2022; 217: 402‐409. https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2022/217/8/long‐term‐risk‐distant‐metastasis‐women‐non‐metastatic‐breast‐cancer‐and
9. Hirani R, Weinert N, Irving DO. The distribution of ABO RhD blood groups in Australia, based on blood donor and blood sample pathology data. Med J Aust 2022; 216: 291‐295. https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2022/216/6/distribution‐abo‐rhd‐blood‐groups‐australia‐based‐blood‐donor‐and‐blood‐sample
10. Roder C, Maggs C, McNamara BJ, et al. Area‐level social and economic factors and the local incidence of SARS‐CoV‐2 infections in Victoria during 2020. Med J Aust 2022; 216: 349‐356. https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2022/216/7/area‐level‐social‐and‐economic‐factors‐and‐local‐incidence‐sars‐cov‐2‐infections
11. Williams P, Koirala A, Saravanos GL, et al. COVID‐19 in New South Wales children during 2021: severity and clinical spectrum. Med J Aust 2022; 217: 303‐310. https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2022/217/6/covid‐19‐new‐south‐wales‐children‐during‐2021‐severity‐and‐clinical‐spectrum
12. Begum H, Neto AS, Alliegro P, et al. People in intensive care with COVID‐19: demographic and clinical features during the first, second, and third pandemic waves in Australia. Med J Aust 2022; 217: 352‐360. https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2022/217/7/people‐intensive‐care‐covid‐19‐demographic‐and‐clinical‐features‐during‐first
13. Deng L, Clover C, Dymock M, et al. The short term safety of COVID‐19 vaccines in Australia: AusVaxSafety active surveillance, February – August 2021. Med J Aust 2022; 217: 195‐202. https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2022/217/4/short‐term‐safety‐covid‐19‐vaccines‐australia‐ausvaxsafety‐active‐surveillance
14. Iorfino F, Carpenter JS, Cross SPM, et al. Social and occupational outcomes for young people who attend early intervention mental health services: a longitudinal study. Med J Aust 2022; 216: 87‐93. https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2022/216/2/social‐and‐occupational‐outcomes‐young‐people‐who‐attend‐early‐intervention
15. Wang X, Carcel C, Hsu B, et al. Differences in the pre‐hospital management of women and men with stroke by emergency medical services in New South Wales. Med J Aust 2022; 217: 143‐148. https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2022/217/3/differences‐pre‐hospital‐management‐women‐and‐men‐stroke‐emergency‐medical
16. Banks E, Yazidjoglou A, Brown S, et al. Electronic cigarettes and health outcomes: systematic review of global evidence. Report for the Australian Department of Health. Apr 2022. Canberra: National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health. https://openresearch‐repository.anu.edu.au/bitstream/1885/262914/1/Electronic%20cigarettes%20health%20outcomes%20review_2022_WCAG.pdf (viewed Nov 2022).
17. Larcombe A, Allard S, Pringle P, et al. Chemical analysis of fresh and aged Australian e‐cigarette liquids. Med J Aust 2022; 216: 27‐32. https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2022/216/1/chemical‐analysis‐fresh‐and‐aged‐australian‐e‐cigarette‐liquids
18. Chlvers E, Janka M, Franklin P, et al. Nicotine and other potentially harmful compounds in “nicotine‐free” e‐cigarette liquids in Australia. Med J Aust 2019; 210: 127‐128. https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2019/210/3/nicotine‐and‐other‐potentially‐harmful‐compounds‐nicotine‐free‐e‐cigarette
19. Talley NJ. The impact of the MJA continues its rise. Med J Aust 2022; 217: 187‐188. https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2022/217/4/impact‐mja‐continues‐its‐rise
20. Atwoli L, Baqui AH, Benfield T, et al. Call for emergency action to limit global temperature increases, restore biodiversity, and protect health. Lancet 2021; 398: 939‐941.
21. Atwoli L, Erhabor GE, Gbakima AA, et al. COP27 Climate Change Conference: urgent action needed for Africa and the world. Med J Aust 2022; 217: 482‐483.
22. Zhang Y, Beggs PJ. The Lancet Countdown down under: tracking progress on health and climate change in Australia. Med J Aust 2018; 208: 285‐286. https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2018/208/7/lancet‐countdown‐down‐under‐tracking‐progress‐health‐and‐climate‐change
23. Churchill W. The end of the beginning: war speeches (ed. C Eade). London: Cassell and Company, 1943; p. 214.
24. Guest C. Welcoming the new Editor‐in‐Chief. Med J Aust 2015; 203: 419. https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2015/203/11/welcoming‐new‐editor‐chief

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Christmas competition
Winner

The Paediatric Aussie Chocolate Poo Scale

Guy D Eslick and Eloise G Eslick

Med J Aust 2022; 217 (11): . || doi: 10.5694/mja2.51779
Published online: 12 December 2022

ARTICLE
AUTHORS
REFERENCES

Topics

Digestive system diseases

The Bristol Stool Scale (BSS) was developed 30 years ago, with the aim of determining the range of bowel habits including stool types in the adult population.1 We conducted a PubMed search (All Fields), which identified more than 600 published papers associated with the BSS. The BSS is currently the gold standard to classify stool consistency in adults. In its present form, it has been useful in assessing intestinal transit time;2 the longer the time, the lower the stool number (eg, type 1 has the slowest transit time [constipation]; type 7 has the fastest transit time [diarrhoea]) (Box 1). The form of the stool strongly influences the act of defecation. The need to strain increases as the type number goes down, and the feeling of urgency increases as the type number rises.1 Feelings of incomplete evacuation occur quite often in normal individuals if their stool is at either end of the scale, but rarely if the stool is type 3 or 4.

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1 Centre for Research Excellence in Digestive Health, Hunter Medical Research Institute, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, NSW
2 Clued (Clinical Links using Evidence‐based Data), Sydney, NSW

Correspondence: guy.eslick@sydney.edu.au

Competing interests:

No relevant disclosures.

1. Heaton KW, Radvan J, Cripps H, et al. Defecation frequency and timing, and stool form in the general population: a prospective study. Gut 1992; 33: 818‐824.
2. Lewis SJ, Heaton KW. Stool form scale as a useful guide to intestinal transit time. Scand J Gastroenterol 1997; 32: 920‐924.
3. Jadrešin O, Hojsak I, Mišak Z, et al. Lactobacillus reuteri DSM 17938 in the treatment of functional abdominal pain in children: RCT study. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr 2017; 64: 925‐929.
4. Bekkali N, Hamers SL, Reitsma JB, et al. Infant stool form scale: development and results. J Pediatr 2009; 154: 521‐526.
5. Velasco‐Benitez CA, Llanos‐Chea A, Saps M. Utility of the Brussels Infant and Toddler Stool Scale (BITSS) and Bristol Stool Scale in non‐toilet‐trained children: a large comparative study. Neurogastroenterol Motil 2021; 33: e14015.

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Reflection

Clinical staging of clinicians

Gordon B Parker

Med J Aust 2022; 217 (11): . || doi: 10.5694/mja2.51780
Published online: 12 December 2022

ARTICLE
AUTHORS
REFERENCES

Topics

Medical education

Medical practice weights clinical staging models, so why not a staging model for medical practitioners themselves?

Clinical staging models are relevant to managing many medical conditions and have the potential to determine prognosis and phase‐specific interventions. Reflecting this age of personalised medicine, a staging model for personalising clinicians (henceforth, personalised to “you”) is now offered.

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University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW

Correspondence: g.parker@unsw.edu.au

Open access

Open access publishing facilitated by University of New South Wales, as part of the Wiley – University of New South Wales agreement via the Council of Australian University Librarians.

Competing interests:

No relevant disclosures.

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Editorial

From meals, movies and microbes to a new chocolate yuk scale, mortality among wizards, and medical career staging: season's greetings!

Nicholas J Talley

Med J Aust 2022; 217 (11): . || doi: 10.5694/mja2.51783
Published online: 12 December 2022

ARTICLE
AUTHORS
REFERENCES

Topics

Information science

Time to celebrate another successful year in difficult times, but we are mindful of the challenges that remain

Welcome to the final MJA issue of 2022! As most Australians take well earned Christmas–New Year breaks, many health professionals across Australia continue to serve their communities, staff our hospitals and clinics, and provide outstanding health care 24 hours a day. We at the MJA thank everyone working in health and medicine for all you do every day, during the holiday season and throughout the year, and hope that you too will find time for a break.

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Editor‐in‐Chief, the Medical Journal of Australia

Correspondence: ntalley@mja.com.au

Acknowledgements:

I thank the tireless efforts of the editorial team throughout 2022, without which the quality and timely publication of our Journal would be impossible: deputy editors Alisha Dorrigan, Francis Geronimo, Robyn Godding, Tania Janusic, Wendy Morgan, Aajuli Shukla, Elizabeth Zuccala, and Maria Inacio; our scientific and structural editors, Paul Foley, Graeme Prince, and Laura Teruel; our consultant biostatistician, Elmer Villanueva; our news and online editor, Cate Swannell; our graphic designer, Leilani Widya; our head of publishing content, Ben Dawe; and our senior publishing coordinator, Kerrie Harding.

Competing interests:

Guy Eslick, the winner of the Christmas competition, is employed part time by the University of Newcastle, and works with the author. A complete list of disclosures is available at https://www.mja.com.au/journal/staff/editor‐chief‐professor‐nick‐talley

1. Talley NJ. From the curious case of patient K to TOP GEAR and Bond. Med J Aust 2018; 209: 468‐471. https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2018/209/11/curious‐case‐patient‐k‐top‐gear‐and‐bond
2. Yousef O, De Souza S. Meals and movies: making our microbiota merry. Med J Aust 2022; 217: 597‐600.
3. Gaertner VD, Helwig ED, Manley BJ, et al. “Harry Potter and the Multitudinous Maladies”: a retrospective population‐based observational study of morbidity and mortality among witches and wizards. Med J Aust 2022; 217: 592‐597.
4. Eslick GD, Eslick EG. The paediatric Aussie chocolate poo scale. Med J Aust 2022; 217: 591‐592.
5. Parker GB. Clinical staging of clinicians. Med J Aust 2022; 217: 587‐588.
6. Choung RS, Locke GR, Zinsmeister AR, et al. Epidemiology of slow and fast colonic transit using a scale of stool form in a community. Aliment Pharmacol Ther 2007; 26: 1043‐1050.
7. Talley NJ, O'Connor S. Clinical OSCEs: guide to passing the OSCEs. Sydney: Elsevier, 2022.
8. Caly L, Druce J, Roberts J, et al. Isolation and rapid sharing of the 2019 novel coronavirus (SARS‐CoV‐2) from the first patient diagnosed with COVID‐19 in Australia. Med J Aust 2020; 212: 459‐462. https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2020/212/10/isolation‐and‐rapid‐sharing‐2019‐novel‐coronavirus‐sars‐cov‐2‐first‐patient
9. Duckett SJ, Sutton B. On entering Australia's third year with COVID‐19. Med J Aust 2021; 215: 509‐510. https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2021/215/11/entering‐australias‐third‐year‐covid‐19
10. White H, McDonald SJ, Barber B, et al. Care for adults with COVID‐19: living guidelines from the National COVID‐19 Clinical Evidence Taskforce. Med J Aust 2022; 217: 368‐378. https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2022/217/7/care‐adults‐covid‐19‐living‐guidelines‐national‐covid‐19‐clinical‐evidence
11. Talley NJ. The impact of the MJA continues its rise. Med J Aust 2022; 217: 187‐188. https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2022/217/4/impact‐mja‐continues‐its‐rise
12. World Health Organization. COVID‐19 policy briefs. Updated 14 Sept 2022. https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel‐coronavirus‐2019/covid‐19‐policy‐briefs (viewed Oct 2022).
13. World Health Organization. WHO health emergency dashboard: Australia. https://covid19.who.int/region/wpro/country/au (viewed 20 Oct 2022).
14. Long COVID working group. Australia must plan now for a significant burden of disease and disability due to Long COVID [media release]. OzSAGE, 23 June 2022. https://ozsage.org/media_releases/australia‐must‐plan‐now‐for‐a‐significant‐burden‐of‐disease‐and‐disability‐due‐to‐long‐covid (viewed Oct 2022).
15. Li Y, Liang M, Gao L, et al. Face masks to prevent transmission of COVID‐19: a systematic review and meta‐analysis. Am J Infect Control 2021; 49: 900‐906.
16. Scott IA, Duckett SJ. In search of professional consensus in defining and reducing low‐value care. Med J Aust 2015; 203: 179‐181. https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2015/203/4/search‐professional‐consensus‐defining‐and‐reducing‐low‐value‐care
17. Dwyer JM, Duckett SJ. Restructuring primary health care in Australia. Med J Aust 2016; 205: 435‐436. https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2016/205/10/restructuring‐primary‐health‐care‐australia
18. Playford D, May JA, Ngo H, Puddey IB. Decline in new medical graduates registered as general practitioners. Med J Aust 2020; 212: 421‐422. https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2020/212/9/decline‐new‐medical‐graduates‐registered‐general‐practitioners
19. McRae IS, van Gool KC. Variation in the fees of medical specialists: problems, causes, solutions. Med J Aust 2017; 206: 162‐163. https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2017/206/4/variation‐fees‐medical‐specialists‐problems‐causes‐solutions
20. Marques MD, Douglas KM, Jolley D. Practical recommendations to communicate with patients about health‐related conspiracy theories. Med J Aust 2022; 216: 381‐384. https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2022/216/8/practical‐recommendations‐communicate‐patients‐about‐health‐related‐conspiracy
21. Beggs PJ, Zhang Y, McGushin A, et al. The 2022 report of the MJA–Lancet Countdown on health and climate change: Australia unprepared and paying the price. Med J Aust 2022; 217: 439‐548. https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2022/217/9/2022‐report‐mja‐lancet‐countdown‐health‐and‐climate‐change‐australia‐unprepared
22. Ring IT, Griffiths K. Life expectancy for Indigenous people is improving, but closing the gap remains unacceptably slow. Med J Aust 2022; 217: 26‐27. https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2022/217/1/life‐expectancy‐indigenous‐people‐improving‐closing‐gap‐remains‐unacceptably

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Editorials

Reducing the burden of group A streptococcal disease in the Northern Territory: the role of chemoprophylaxis for those at greatest risk

Katherine Gibney and Andrew Steer

Med J Aust 2022; 217 (10): . || doi: 10.5694/mja2.51766
Published online: 21 November 2022

ARTICLE
AUTHORS
REFERENCES

Topics

Environment and public health

Indigenous health

Infectious diseases

Urologic diseases

The unacceptably high prevalence among Indigenous people and people who need dialysis warrants a clinical trial of prophylactic antibiotics

Relatively little is known about the epidemiology of invasive group A streptococcal (iGAS) disease in Australia. In this issue of the MJA, Birrell and colleagues report that the iGAS disease burden in the Northern Territory continues to fall largely on Indigenous Australians and people undergoing haemodialysis.1 This raises the question of whether antibiotic prophylaxis should be provided to those at greatest risk. Their report is timely, as national public health guidelines are being developed following the listing of iGAS disease as nationally notifiable in July 2021.2

1 Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC
2 Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, VIC
3 Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC

Correspondence: katherine.gibney@unimelb.edu.au

Acknowledgements:

Katherine Gibney receives salary support from a Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) fellowship awarded in 2020.

Competing interests:

No relevant disclosures.

1. Birrell JM, Boyd R, Currie BJ, et al. Invasive group A streptococcal disease in the Northern Territory and the impact of melioidosis antibiotic prophylaxis. Med J Aust 2022; 217: 544‐545.
2. Australian Department of Health and Aged Care. Group A streptococcal disease: invasive (iGAS). Updated 14 June 2022. https://www.health.gov.au/diseases/group‐a‐streptococcal‐disease‐invasive‐igas (viewed Oct 2022).
3. Thomson TN, Campbell PT, Gibney KB. The epidemiology of invasive group A streptococcal disease in Victoria, 2007–2017: an analysis of linked datasets. Aust N Z J Public Health 2022; doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/1753‐6405.13290 [online ahead of print].
4. May PJ, Bowen AC, Carapetis JR. The inequitable burden of group A streptococcal diseases in Indigenous Australians. Med J Aust 2016; 205: 201‐203. https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2016/205/5/inequitable‐burden‐group‐streptococcal‐diseases‐indigenous‐australians
5. Close RM, McAuley JB. Disparate effects of invasive group A Streptococcus on Native Americans. Emerg Infect Dis 2020; 26: 1971‐1977.
6. Wright CM, Moorin R, Pearson G, et al. Increasing incidence of invasive group A streptococcal disease in Western Australia, particularly among Indigenous people. Med J Aust 2021; 215: 36‐41. https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2021/215/1/increasing‐incidence‐invasive‐group‐streptococcal‐disease‐western‐australia
7. Steer AC, Lamagni T, Curtis N, Carapetis JR. Invasive group a streptococcal disease: epidemiology, pathogenesis and management. Drugs 2012; 72: 1213‐1227.
8. Boyd R, Patel M, Currie BJ, et al. High burden of invasive group A streptococcal disease in the Northern Territory of Australia. Epidemiol Infect 2016; 144: 1018‐1027.
9. Merridew N, Birrell J; NT Health. Public health management of invasive group A streptococcal disease in the Northern Territory guideline, version 2.0. 18 May 2022. https://health.nt.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/1111122/invasive‐group‐A‐streptococcal‐disease‐northern‐territory‐guidelines.pdf (viewed Oct 2022).
10. You JQ, Lawton P, Zhao Y, et al. Renal replacement therapy demand study, Northern Territory, 2001 to 2022. Mar 2015. Darwin: NT Department of Health. https://digitallibrary.health.nt.gov.au/prodjspui/bitstream/10137/633/1/Renal%20Replacement%20Therapy%20Demand%20Study%20NT%202001%20to%202022.pdf (viewed Oct 2022).
11. Mearkle R, Saavedra‐Campos M, Lamagni T, et al. Household transmission of invasive group A Streptococcus infections in England: a population‐based study, 2009, 2011 to 2013. Euro Surveill 2017; 22: 30532.
12. Oliver J, Wilmot M, Strachan J, et al. Recent trends in invasive group A Streptococcus disease in Victoria. Comm Dis Intell (2018) 2019; 43.

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Editorials

Where should we offer mass drug administration for trachoma?

Jaki Adams, Sung Hye Kim and Anthony W Solomon

Med J Aust 2022; 217 (10): . || doi: 10.5694/mja2.51752
Published online: 21 November 2022

ARTICLE
AUTHORS
REFERENCES

Topics

Eye diseases

Indigenous health

Elimination programs should be guided by the prevalence of markers of infection, not of disease

Trachomatous trichiasis can be devastating: it deforms the eyelid, scars the cornea, and blinds the eye.1 It disables the individual and impoverishes their family; quality of life is severely impaired.2 As restoring sight to a dry eye with a vascularised cornea using keratoplasty is difficult, these effects are generally irreversible. Most people blinded by trachomatous trichiasis live in poor, remote communities without the visual rehabilitation and support services available in major cities.

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1 The Fred Hollows Foundation, Darwin, NT
2 World Health Organization Regional Office for the Western Pacific, Manila, Philippines
3 Hanyang University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
4 World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland

Correspondence: solomona@who.int

Competing interests:

Sung Hye Kim and Anthony W Solomon are staff members of the World Health Organization. The authors alone are responsible for the views expressed in this article and they do not necessarily represent the views, decisions, or policies of the institutions with which they are affiliated.

1. Palmer SL, Winskell K, Patterson AE, et al. “A living death”: a qualitative assessment of quality of life among women with trichiasis in rural Niger. Int Health 2014; 6: 291‐297.
2. Habtamu E, Wondie T, Aweke S, et al. The impact of trachomatous trichiasis on quality of life: a case control study. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2015; 9: e0004254.
3. Solomon AW, Burton MJ, Gower EW, et al. Trachoma. Nat Rev Dis Primers 2022; 8: 32.
4. Gambhir M, Basáñez MG, Burton MJ, et al. The development of an age‐structured model for trachoma transmission dynamics, pathogenesis and control. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2009; 3: e462.
5. Solomon AW, Holland MJ, Burton MJ, et al. Strategies for control of trachoma: observational study with quantitative PCR. Lancet 2003; 362: 198‐204.
6. Solomon AW, Peeling RW, Foster A, Mabey DC. Diagnosis and assessment of trachoma. Clin Microbiol Rev 2004; 17: 982‐1011.
7. World Health Organization. WHO Alliance for the Global Elimination of Trachoma: progress report on elimination of trachoma, 2021. Wkly Epidemiol Rec 2022; 97: 353‐364. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/who‐wer9731‐353‐364 (viewed Sept 2022).
8. Kirby Institute. Australian trachoma surveillance report 2019. Sydney: UNSW, 2020. https://kirby.unsw.edu.au/report/australian‐trachoma‐surveillance‐report‐2019 (viewed Sept 2022).
9. Ramadhani AM, Derrick T, Macleod D, et al. The relationship between active trachoma and ocular Chlamydia trachomatis infection before and after mass antibiotic treatment. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2016; 10: e0005080.
10. World Health Organization Regional Office for the Western Pacific. Expert consultation on the elimination of trachoma in the Pacific: Melbourne, Australia, 17–19 January 2018 [meeting report]. https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/325940 (viewed Sept 2022).
11. O'Brien KS, Emerson P, Hooper PJ, et al. Antimicrobial resistance following mass azithromycin distribution for trachoma: a systematic review. Lancet Infect Dis 2019; 19: e14‐e25.
12. Lynch K, Morotti W, Brian G, et al. Clinical signs of trachoma and laboratory evidence of ocular Chlamydia trachomatis infection in a remote Queensland community: a serial cross‐sectional study. Med J Aust 2022; 217: 538‐543.
13. World Health Organization. Validation of elimination of trachoma as a public health problem (WHO/HTM/NTD/2016.8). Geneva: World Health Organization, 2016. https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/208901 (viewed Sept 2022).
14. World Health Organization. Vanuatu leads the way for Pacific elimination of trachoma: the world's biggest infectious cause of blindness. Manila: World Health Organization, 2022. https://www.who.int/westernpacific/about/how‐we‐work/pacific‐support/news/detail/12‐08‐2022‐vanuatu‐leads‐the‐way‐for‐pacific‐elimination‐of‐trachoma‐‐‐the‐world‐s‐biggest‐infectious‐cause‐of‐blindness (viewed Aug 2022).
15. Butcher R, Handley B, Garae M, et al. Ocular Chlamydia trachomatis infection, anti‐Pgp3 antibodies and conjunctival scarring in Vanuatu and Tarawa, Kiribati before antibiotic treatment for trachoma. J Infect 2020; 80: 454‐461.
16. Butcher R, Tagabasoe J, Manemaka J, et al. Conjunctival scarring, corneal pannus and Herbert's pits in adolescent children in trachoma‐endemic populations of the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. Clin Infect Dis 2021; 73: e2773–e2780.

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Editorials

The long term implications of fertility therapy for the health of women

Robert J Norman

Med J Aust 2022; 217 (10): . || doi: 10.5694/mja2.51760
Published online: 21 November 2022

ARTICLE
AUTHORS
REFERENCES

Topics

Cardiovascular diseases

Statistics, epidemiology and research design

Women's health

Cardiovascular disease mortality is not increased in women undergoing IVF, but vigilant surveillance is nonetheless required

Since the first birth facilitated by in vitro fertilisation (IVF) in 1978, the use of IVF has spread across the world and more than eight million babies have been born.1 The use of medically assisted reproduction, including IVF, currently accounts for about 7% of all births in Australia, and the annual number of births involving assisted reproductive technology has increased by 55% over the past ten years.2 IVF is a recognised medical technology with a reasonable success rate in younger women, partially funded by Medicare, widely available across Australia, and well accepted by the Australian community.

The Robinson Research Institute, the University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA

Correspondence: robert.norman@adelaide.edu.au

Competing interests:

No relevant disclosures.

1. European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology. Eight million IVF babies since the birth of the world’s first in 1978 [media release]. 4 July 2018. https://www.focusonreproduction.eu/article/ESHRE‐News‐GlobalIVF18 (viewed Oct 2022).
2. Choi SKY, Venetis C, Ledger W, et al. Population‐wide contribution of medically assisted reproductive technologies to overall births in Australia: temporal trends and parental characteristics. Hum Reprod 2022; 37: 1047‐1058.
3. Venn A, Hemminki E, Watson L, et al. Mortality in a cohort of IVF patients. Hum Reprod 2001; 16: 2691‐2696.
4. Venn A, Watson L, Lumley J, et al. Breast and ovarian cancer incidence after infertility and in vitro fertilisation. Lancet 1995; 346: 995‐1000.
5. Yiallourou S, Magliano D, Haregu TN, et al. Long term all‐cause and cardiovascular disease mortality among women who undergo fertility treatment. Med J Aust 2022; 217: 532‐537.
6. Sergentanis TN, Diamantaras AA, Perlepe C, et al. IVF and breast cancer: a systematic review and meta‐analysis. Hum Reprod Update 2014; 20: 106‐123.
7. Spaan M, van den Belt‐Dusebout AW, Lambalk CB, et al. Long‐term risk of ovarian cancer and borderline tumors after assisted reproductive technology. J Natl Cancer Inst 2021; 113: 699‐709.
8. Joham AE, Norman RJ, Stener‐Victorin E, et al. Polycystic ovary syndrome. Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol 2022; 10: 668‐680.
9. Moran LJ, Norman RJ, Teede HJ. Metabolic risk in PCOS: phenotype and adiposity impact. Trends Endocrinol Metab 2015; 26: 136‐143.
10. Wang R, Li W, Bordewijk EM, et al. Reproductive Medicine Network; International Ovulation Induction IPDMA Collaboration. First‐line ovulation induction for polycystic ovary syndrome: an individual participant data meta‐analysis. Hum Reprod Update 2019; 25: 717‐732.
11. Gomes JMD, VanHise K, Stachenfeld N, et al. Subclinical cardiovascular disease and polycystic ovary syndrome. Fert Steril 2022; 117: 912‐923.
12. Saito K, Kuwahara A, Ishikawa T, et al. Endometrial preparation methods for frozen‐thawed embryo transfer are associated with altered risks of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, placenta accrete and gestational diabetes. Hum Reprod 2019; 34: 1567‐1575.
13. Luke B, Brown MB, Eisenberg M, et al. In vitro fertilization and risk for hypertensive disorders of pregnancy: associations with treatment parameters. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2020; 222: 350.e1‐350. e13.

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Learning from the past to prepare for the future

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Welcoming the new MJA Editor‐in‐Chief, and the top ten original research articles in the MJA in 2022

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Reducing the burden of group A streptococcal disease in the Northern Territory: the role of chemoprophylaxis for those at greatest risk

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Where should we offer mass drug administration for trachoma?

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The long term implications of fertility therapy for the health of women

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The Future Healthy Countdown 2030: holding Australia to account for the health and wellbeing of future generations

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Learning from the past to prepare for the future

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Comment

Do you have any competing interests to declare? *

Welcoming the new MJA Editor‐in‐Chief, and the top ten original research articles in the MJA in 2022

Topics

Author

Comment

Do you have any competing interests to declare? *

The Paediatric Aussie Chocolate Poo Scale

Topics

Author

Comment

Do you have any competing interests to declare? *

Clinical staging of clinicians

Topics

Author

Comment

Do you have any competing interests to declare? *

From meals, movies and microbes to a new chocolate yuk scale, mortality among wizards, and medical career staging: season's greetings!

Topics

Author

Comment

Do you have any competing interests to declare? *

Reducing the burden of group A streptococcal disease in the Northern Territory: the role of chemoprophylaxis for those at greatest risk

Topics

Author

Comment

Do you have any competing interests to declare? *

Where should we offer mass drug administration for trachoma?

Topics

Author

Comment

Do you have any competing interests to declare? *

The long term implications of fertility therapy for the health of women

Topics

Author

Comment

Do you have any competing interests to declare? *

Reducing the burden of anaemia for people undergoing major surgery

Topics

Author

Comment

Do you have any competing interests to declare? *

The Future Healthy Countdown 2030: holding Australia to account for the health and wellbeing of future generations

Topics

Author

Comment

Do you have any competing interests to declare? *

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