Annals of global health
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Annals of global health · Nov 2014
ReviewThe burden of dengue and chikungunya worldwide: implications for the southern United States and California.
Dengue virus (DENV) spreads to humans through the bite of an infected Aedes aegypti or Aedes albopictus mosquito and is a growing public health threat to both industrialized and developing nations worldwide. Outbreaks of autochthonous dengue in the United States occurred extensively in the past but over the past 3 decades have again taken place in Florida, Hawaii, and Texas as well as in American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands. As the Aedes vectors spread worldwide it is anticipated that DENV as well as other viruses also transmitted by these vectors, such as Chikungunya virus (CHKV), will invade new areas of the world, including the United States. ⋯ Dengue and chikungunya viruses present real risks to states where the Aedes vector is now established. Scientists, physicians, and public health authorities should familiarize themselves with these risks and prepare appropriately.
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Ebola is a viral illness of which the initial symptoms can include a sudden fever, intense weakness, muscle pain and a sore throat, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Airborne transmission of Ebola virus has been hypothesized but not demonstrated in humans. Ebola is not spread through the air or by water, or in general, by food. ⋯ Ebola virus can be transmitted by direct contact with blood, bodily fluids, or skin of patients with or who died of Ebola virus disease. As of late October 2014, the World Health Organization reported 13,567 suspected cases and 4922 deaths, although the agency believes that this substantially understates the magnitude of the outbreak. Experimental vaccines and treatments for Ebola are under development, but they have not yet been fully tested for safety or effectiveness.
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Screening programs involve testing asymptomatic individuals with an accurate screening test to identify those likely to have the disease of interest and to further investigate them to confirm or exclude the disease. The aim of cancer screening is to prevent cancer deaths and improve quality of life by finding cancers early and by effectively treating them. A decision to introduce a screening program in public health services depends on the evidence that the benefits outweigh the harms of screening, disease burden, availability of suitable screening test, effective treatment, adequate resources, and efficient health services. Screening programs should achieve high participation for testing, diagnosis, and treatment to be effective and efficient. ⋯ Implementation of VIA screening in several LMICs is conducive to future HPV screening programs when affordable HPV tests become widely available. Both HPV vaccination and HPV screening have a huge potential to eliminate cervical cancer in LMICs. A mammography screening program is a complex undertaking involving substantial resources and infrastructure that may not be feasible in many LMICs.
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Annals of global health · Sep 2014
ReviewInfection and cancer: global distribution and burden of diseases.
Infection is one of the main risk factors for cancer. ⋯ Widespread application of existing public health methods for the prevention of infection, such as vaccination, safer injection practices, quality-assured screening of all donated blood and blood components, antimicrobial treatments, and safer sex practices, including minimizing one's lifetime number of sexual partners and condom use, could have a substantial effect on the future burden of cancer worldwide.
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Annals of global health · Jul 2014
ReviewThe developmental neurotoxicity of arsenic: cognitive and behavioral consequences of early life exposure.
More than 200 million people worldwide are chronically exposed to arsenic. Arsenic is a known human carcinogen, and its carcinogenic and systemic toxicity have been extensively studied. By contrast, the developmental neurotoxicity of arsenic has been less well described. The aim of this review was to provide a comprehensive review of the developmental neurotoxicity of arsenic. ⋯ The published literature indicates that arsenic is a human developmental neurotoxicant. Ongoing and future prospective birth cohort studies will allow more precise definition of the developmental consequences of arsenic exposure in early life.