Articles: disease.
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This paper begins with a review of the problem of teen pregnancy in the United States. Domestic trends are compared with those of other developed countries. Antecedents of the problem are discussed. ⋯ An analysis of the different ways in which the problem can be framed and the implications for solutions of the problem follow. Examples of promising teen pregnancy and STD/HIV/AIDS prevention programs are provided. The paper ends with a recommendation for an eclectic approach to framing the problem and possible solutions.
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Bull. World Health Organ. · Jan 1999
Comparative StudyDiagnosing anaemia in pregnancy in rural clinics: assessing the potential of the Haemoglobin Colour Scale.
Anaemia in pregnancy is a common and severe problem in many developing countries. Because of lack of resources and staff motivation, screening for anaemia is often solely by clinical examination of the conjunctiva or is not carried out at all. A new colour scale for the estimation of haemoglobin concentration has been developed by WHO. ⋯ Sensitivity using the colour scale was consistently better than for conjunctival inspection alone and interobserver agreement and agreement with Coulter Counter measurements was good. The Haemoglobin Colour Scale is simple to use, well accepted, cheap and gives immediate results. It shows considerable potential for use in screening for anaemia in antenatal clinics in settings where resources are limited.
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Bull. World Health Organ. · Jan 1999
Transmission of hepatitis B, hepatitis C and human immunodeficiency viruses through unsafe injections in the developing world: model-based regional estimates.
Thousands of millions of injections are delivered every year in developing countries, many of them unsafe, and the transmission of certain bloodborne pathogens via this route is thought to be a major public health problem. In this article we report global and regional estimates of the number of hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections that may occur from unsafe injections in the developing world. The estimates were determined using quantitative data on unsafe injection practices, transmission efficiency and disease burden of HBV, HCV and HIV and the prevalence of injection use obtained from a review of the literature. ⋯ The estimated range for HBV infections is in accordance with several epidemiological studies that attributed at least 20% of all new HBV infections to unsafe injections in developing countries. Our results suggest that unsafe injections may lead to a high number of infections with bloodborne pathogens. A major initiative is therefore needed to improve injection safety and decrease injection overuse in many countries.
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Bull. World Health Organ. · Jan 1999
Mass vaccination with a two-dose oral cholera vaccine in a refugee camp.
In refugee settings, the use of cholera vaccines is controversial since a mass vaccination campaign might disrupt other priority interventions. We therefore conducted a study to assess the feasibility of such a campaign using a two-dose oral cholera vaccine in a refugee camp. The campaign, using killed whole-cell/recombinant B-subunit cholera vaccine, was carried out in October 1997 among 44,000 south Sudanese refugees in Uganda. ⋯ Mass vaccination of a large refugee population with an oral cholera vaccine therefore proved to be feasible. A pre-emptive vaccination strategy could be considered in stable refugee settings and in urban slums in high-risk areas. However, the potential cost of the vaccine and the absence of quickly accessible stockpiles are major drawbacks for its large-scale use.
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J Natl Black Nurses Assoc · Jan 1999
AIDS: risk behaviors and situations as perceived by adolescents in Gaborone, Botswana.
While AIDS continues to escalate in Botswana, no systematic investigation has been done of the contextual (behavioral and situational) variables important to the tailoring of AIDS educational prevention program for adolescents. A cross-sectional descriptive study identified the specific behaviors and situations placing adolescents at risk for AIDS as perceived by a convenience sample of 48 adolescents. Adolescents attended gender-specific focus groups and completed a demographic questionnaire. ⋯ For younger adolescents AIDS-related behaviors involved sex and intravenous drug use; for older adolescents AIDS-related behaviors involved multiple sexual partners and sexual relationships between older men and adolescent girls. Though a consensus existed regarding the situational variables, gender and age influenced the situation that was most challenging to these adolescents. The data support that AIDS educational prevention programs must be tailored to the adolescents' gender and age.