Open AccessHigh burden of infectious disease and antibiotic use in early life in Australian Aboriginal communities
Author(s) -
Cuningham Will,
McVer Jodie,
Lydeamore Michael J.,
Andrews Ross M.,
Carapetis Jonathan,
Kearns Therese,
Clucas Danielle,
Dhurrkay Roslyn Gundjirryirr,
Tong Steven Y.C.,
Campbell Patricia T.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
australian and new zealand journal of public health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.946
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1753-6405
pISSN - 1326-0200
DOI - 10.1111/1753-6405.12876
Subject(s) - medicine , antibiotics , medical prescription , infectious disease (medical specialty) , skin infection , respiratory tract infections , confidence interval , public health , upper respiratory tract infection , population , pediatrics , disease , environmental health , staphylococcus aureus , respiratory system , pathology , biology , genetics , bacteria , microbiology and biotechnology , pharmacology
Objective : To quantify the childhood infectious disease burden and antibiotic use in the Northern Territory’s East Arnhem region through synthesis and analysis of historical data resources. Methods : We combined primary health clinic data originally reported in three separate publications stemming from the East Arnhem Healthy Skin Project (Jan‐01 to Sep‐07). Common statistical techniques were used to explore the prevalence of infectious conditions and the seasonality of infections, and to measure rates of antibiotic use. Results : There was a high monthly prevalence of respiratory (mean: 32% [95% confidence interval (CI): 20%, 34%]) and skin (mean: 20% [95%CI: 19%, 22%]) infectious syndromes, with upper respiratory tract infections (mean: 29% [95%CI: 27%, 31%]) and skin sores (mean: 15% [95%CI: 14%, 17%]) the most common conditions. Antibiotics were frequently prescribed with 95% (95%CI: 91%, 97%) of children having received at least one antibiotic prescription by their first birthday, and 47% having received six antibiotic prescriptions; skin sores being a key driver. Conclusions : Early life infections drive high antibiotic prescribing rates in remote Aboriginal communities. Implications for public health : Eliminating skin disease could reduce antibiotic use by almost 20% in children under five years of age in this population.