The objective of the study was to identify risk factors and describe outcomes for children newly identified with blood lead levels (BLLs) ≥45 µg/dL in New York City (NYC) during 2004-2010 to promote timely identification as well as inform clinical practice and public health policy.

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Kyasanur Forest disease virus (KFDV) was first identified in 1957, when it was isolated from a sick monkey from the Kyasanur Forest in Karnataka State, India. Since then it has been reported to be enzootic in five districts of Karnataka State. Despite the availability of a vaccine against the disease, reports of human infections are on the rise. Isolated cases and antibody against KFDV have been reported from new areas from the states of Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Kerala in India.

Each year, about 210 million women become pregnant and about 140 million newborn babies are delivered. The sheer scale of maternal health issues makes maternal well being and survival vital concerns. A decade after The Lancet published a Series on maternal survival, a new Series of six papers brings our knowledge of maternal health, its epidemiology, successes, and current failings together, and at a crucial time within the sustainable development framework to 2030.

The biological mechanisms by which cleaning products and disinfectants - an emerging risk factor - affect respiratory health remain incompletely evaluated. Studying genes by environment interactions (GxE) may help identify new genes related to adult-onset asthma.

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By analysing the similarity of viral genetic sequences from nearly 1,600 people with HIV in one community in KwaZulu-Natal, the study shows that adolescent girls and women in their early 20s tend to pick up the virus from men aged around 30. When the women grow older, they go on to infect their long-term partners, who in turn may pass the virus on through affairs with younger women.

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Multi isolate whole genome sequencing (WGS) and typing for outbreak investigations has become a reality in the post-genomics era. We applied this technology to strains from Escherichia coli O157:H7 outbreaks. These include isolates from seven North America outbreaks, as well as multiple isolates from the same patient and from different infected individuals in the same household. Customized high-resolution bioinformatics sequence typing strategies were developed to assess the core genome and mobilome plasticity.

Brazil has experienced an unprecedented epidemic of Zika virus (ZIKV), with ~30,000 cases reported to date. ZIKV was first detected in Brazil in May 2015 and cases of microcephaly potentially associated with ZIKV infection were identified in November 2015. Using next generation sequencing we generated seven Brazilian ZIKV genomes, sampled from four self-limited cases, one blood donor, one fatal adult case, and one newborn with microcephaly and congenital malformations.

This study aimed to determine the epidemiological characteristics of imported malaria infections in Al-Ahsa, Eastern province of Saudi Arabia, based on a retrospective analysis of central laboratory records over the last ten-year period from 2005 to 2015. Records showing details of all positive slides for malaria blood films over a 10-year period were analysed. The focus was on identifying the common types of malarial parasites in the area, the nationality and the age of the patients.

Adolescent girls often lack knowledge regarding reproductive health including menstruation hygiene which can be due to socio-cultural barriers in which they grow up. The objective of the study was to to explore the knowledge, practices and sources of information regarding menstruation and hygiene among adolescent girls in Bangalore, India.

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