Volume 190 - Issue 11
The law and order of infectious diseases
Author: Allen C Cheng
Med J Aust 2009; 190 (11): 647. || doi: 10.5694/j.1326-5377.2009.tb02596.x
Published online: 1 June 2009
Published online: 1 June 2009
Clinical cases in infectious diseases: a public health approach.
Sanjaya Senanayake. Sydney: McGraw-Hill, 2007 (x + 398 pp). ISBN 978 0 07 471662 5.
In the preface to this text, Sanjaya Senanayake quotes the introductory voiceover to the television series “Law and Order” about the connecting roles of the police and district attorneys in criminal law. This analogy is particularly apt for the practice of infectious diseases, and this book, by an infectious diseases physician with experience in public health, attempts to bridge the divide between clinicians and public health practitioners.
Clinical cases in infectious diseases provides a useful insight into 22 examples of infectious diseases that encompass a diverse range of epidemiological and clinical features. They are set out almost as a TV script, interspersed with referenced facts about each disease. At first I found this style a little irritating, particularly as the doctors in the scenarios seem to inhabit a parallel universe where they diagnose botulism and Bairnsdale ulcer within the first page. However, with the more realistic and common scenarios, the style works well to enliven what might otherwise be a dry subject.
Some of the diseases included are rare in Australia, whereas others, such as influenza and tuberculosis, are common. A strength of the author’s approach is his focus on answering the practical questions — specific tests and treatments, the period of infectivity, isolation measures and responses. As such, this easily read book succeeds as an introductory text for medical students and junior doctors, public health staff and laboratory microbiologists.
It is necessarily difficult for a book of this nature to be complete, and it does not pretend to be a textbook of infectious diseases. However, notable omissions are sexually transmitted infections, particularly HIV. Other more controversial issues could also be considered, such as the ethical implications of quarantine of infectious patients or dealing with reckless conduct. Yet this should not detract from what is an entertaining and informative read for junior staff interested in the interface between clinical practice and public health practice.
Hospital-Admitted Injection-Related Infections Among Incarcerated People Who Inject Drugs in Australia: A Retrospective Cohort Study
Andrew Palmer, Matthew Carter, Jeremy Yeo, Cecilia Shim, Jason Connor, Jeremy Hayllar, Gerald Holtmann, Naomi Moy, Elliott G. Playford, Naomi Runnegar, Paul J. Clark
The Live Attenuated Influenza Vaccine in Australia: An Additional Tool for Influenza Prevention
Cyra Patel, Alexis Pillsbury, Tran Nguyen, Xia Wang, Helen E. Quinn, Clayton K. Chiu, Allen C. Cheng, Katie L. Flanagan, Zhicheng Wang
Reflex Testing for Hepatitis D Infection: A Unique Opportunity to Reduce Hepatitis D-Related Chronic Liver Disease Deaths in Australia
Jessica Howell, Lauren Andersson, Miriam T. Levy, James O'Beirne, Leon Adams, Katharine Irvine, Avik Majumdar, Golo Ahlenstiel, Kathy Jackson, Krispin Hajkowicz, Joseph Doyle, Jane Davies, Sarah Cherian, Wayne Dimech, Alexander J. Thompson
Localised Herpes Simplex Following Midline Laparotomy
Jessica S. Bulluss, Paul Chee, Matthew J. Verheyden
West Nile virus Kunjin subtype in rural NSW
Emily Gibson, Megan Whitley, Peter Murray, Linda Hueston, Jane Bennett, Raguharan Kathiresu, David N Durrheim
Differentiated and simplified oral HIV pre‐exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) models hold the key to virtually eliminating HIV transmission in Australia by 2030
Tyson Arapali, Sarah Warzywoda, Anthony K J Smith, Curtis Chan, Timothy R Broady, Erin Sullivan, Catherine MacPhail, Mohamed A Hammoud, Alexander Dowell‐Day, Benjamin R Bavinton