The Pan African medical journal
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This review aims at identifying barriers to utilization of cervical cancer prevention services in low- and middle-income countries. An electronic search was conducted using the following key words, HPV vaccination, screening, barriers, utilization and low and middle income/developed countries. Using the Garrard (1999) Matrix method approach, a modified matrix was designed and used as a data collection tool and data related to each category listed on the tool were entered into a matrix containing columns reflecting the categories. ⋯ Age, marital status, diffidence, social economic status, cultural and religious belief of the women also determine the women's' willingness to utilize the services. In some communities there is stigma attached to discussing reproductive health issues and this limits the young women's awareness of cervical cancer and its prevention. Understanding individual, community and health system barriers that hinder women's utilization of cervical cancer prevention services is very crucial in designing effective cervical cancer control programs in low- and middle-income countries.
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Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) started as a minor infection in Uganda in 1974 and has been frequent in Central Africa Region for the past 40 years. For over 40 years, Ebola was treated as an African disease, called a fever and known by other names where occurrences have been frequent. EVD has become a global public health threat following the most recent outbreak in West Africa. ⋯ It is transmitted through blood, vomit, diarrhea and other bodily fluids but cultural attributes associate its etiology to man-made and supernatural causes, hence stemming public health approaches to contain EVD difficult. Distrust and conflict between two healing systems are rife necessitating an African Model of EVD care and prevention. The African model remains indispensable to understand EVD and developing appropriate EVD containing approaches.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
[Should we continue to infiltrate the scalp with a local anesthetic for a craniotomy?].
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Case Reports
Tuberous sclerosis complex presenting as pulmonary lymphangioleiomyomatosis--a clinicoradiological diagnosis.
Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) manifests predominantly as a neurocutaneous disorder. Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) is a rare pulmonary manifestation of TSC. ⋯ In newly diagnosed patients, it helps not only to confirm the diagnosis of TSC, but also helps in identifying clinically significant complications. We describe the radiological findings in lungs and other organs in a middle aged female with TSC.
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The current Ebola epidemic in West Africa is unprecedented in terms of magnitude and spread. A year after the index case had been identified in a remote village in Guinea, over 17,000 cases and 6,000 deaths were reported in Africa and beyond. Many interventions have been implemented but the outbreak rages on. This paper examines key gaps in the interventions and calls for evidence-based actions to reverse the trend and prevent future epidemics of this proportion.