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Health service utilisation in this setting may be enhanced by improving general awareness of the significance of childhood skin infections
Head lice is an ectoparasitic skin infection commonly seen in primary school-aged children. In remote Australia, where rates of other skin infections and downstream sequelae are endemic, the rate of head lice infestation is unknown.
Asymptomatic carriage of Streptococcus pyogenes (Strep A) may contribute to transmission, yet its role remains poorly understood and evidence on optimal detection methods is limited. While self-collected throat swabs are used in infectious disease surveillance, their value for identifying asymptomatic Strep A carriage in adults is uncertain. This pilot prospective cohort study, conducted at a Perth medical research institute between August and October 2024, assessed feasibility and acceptability of self-collection, with sensitivity as a secondary objective.
Household fabrics, such as clothes, bedding, and towels, are in close contact with the skin and are assumed to play a role in the transmission of skin pathogens/ectoparasites. International public health advice for managing skin conditions therefore usually includes recommendations to wash clothes and bedding. However, such advice is often general and inconsistent between sources.
A children’s book – written by community, for community – has been launched in Western Australia’s south-west to help children and families understand more about one of the most common inflammatory skin conditions in children.
Streptococcus pyogenes (Strep A) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality across the globe, annually causing hundreds of millions of cases of disease.
Streptococcus pneumoniae is a leading cause of pneumonia and meningitis worldwide. Many different serotypes co-circulate endemically in any one location. The extent and mechanisms of spread and vaccine-driven changes in fitness and antimicrobial resistance remain largely unquantified.
Group A Streptococcus (Strep A) is responsible for a significant global health and economic burden. The recent prioritization of Strep A vaccine development by the World Health Organization has prompted global research activities and collaborations. To progress this prioritization, establishment of robust surveillance for Strep A to generate updated regional disease burden estimates and to establish platforms for future impact evaluation is essential.
Children spend almost one-third of their waking hours at school. Streptococcus pyogenes (Strep A) is a common childhood bacterial infection that can progress to causing serious disease. We aimed to detect Strep A in classrooms by using environmental settle plates and swabbing of high-touch surfaces in two remote schools in the Kimberley, Western Australia.
Life-threatening invasive infections caused by Streptococcus pyogenes and Streptococcus dysgalactiae subsp. equisimilis (SDSE) are unpredictable, frequently fatal, and are increasing in incidence globally. In the absence of evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCTs), clinical management for these conditions varies. Understanding current management approaches and areas of clinical equipoise will inform planning of feasible high-impact RCTs.