BACKGROUND Pertussis is the only vaccine-preventable disease that has re-emerged in Israel. The reported crude incidence of the disease increased 16-fold since 1998. OBJECTIVES To describe the epidemiology of pertussis and explain the substantial increase in reported pertussis incidence in Israel in recent years. METHODS Crude and specific pertussis incidence by age, patient immunization st...

Chikungunya virus is no stranger to the Indian sub­ continent. Since its first isolation in Calcutta, in 1963, there have been several reports of chikungunya virus infection in different parts of India. The last outbreak of chikungunya virus infection occurred in India in 1971. Subsequently, there has been no active or passive surveillance carried out in the country and therefore, it ‘seemed’ t...

Iodine is an essential nutrient for human growth and development. The thyroid gland is dependent upon iodine for production of thyroid hormone. It is a common perception that iodine deficiency is not a major public health concern in mainland Australia, with sporadic studies carried out about a decade ago showing average urinary iodine excretion levels of around 200 microg/day. Recent evidence, ...

Thrice weekly in-center hemodialysis is the standard of care for dialysis patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). However, there is ongoing debate as to whether more frequent hemodialysis, with its readier management of both toxin and fluid removal, benefits patients. New evidence from recent studies, both in center dialysis and in home haemodialysis patients, adds further confirmation of...