Articles: disease.
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Genitourinary medicine · Dec 1993
Historical ArticleHistorical account of venereal diseases in Mexico.
This paper reviews the history of sexually acquired diseases in Mexico. It is divided into four major chronological sections which discuss social attitudes and values, the development of services and of official policy, and historical epidemiology.
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A case-control study has been undertaken in a rural area of The Gambia to evaluate risk factors for death from acute lower respiratory tract infections (ALRI) in young children. On the basis of a post-mortem interview 129 children aged < 2 years were thought to have died from ALRI. These cases were each matched according to age, sex, ethnic group, time and place of death with a child who had died from a cause other than an ALRI and with two live control children. ⋯ Comparison of children who died from causes other than ALRI with the live controls showed a similar pattern of associations and no significant differences were found in any of the risk factors studied between children whose deaths were attributed to ALRI and those whose death was attributed to another cause. Association of death with exposure to smoke during cooking was the strongest risk factor identified. This risk might be altered by reducing smoke exposure during cooking.
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J. Clin. Microbiol. · Dec 1993
Comparative StudyIsolation of Mycobacterium avium complex from water in the United States, Finland, Zaire, and Kenya.
Disseminated infection with organisms of the Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) is a common complication of AIDS in the United States and other developing countries, but it is rare or absent in sub-Saharan Africa. To assess the comparative likelihood of exposure to MAC in these geographic areas, we used a standard protocol to culture 91 water samples from environmental sites and piped water supply systems in the United States, Finland, Zaire, and Kenya. MAC was isolated from all geographic areas and from 22 of 91 (24%) samples. ⋯ Serovar determinations showed that six of eight isolates from the United States were serovar 4 or 8. One MAC isolate from Zaire was identified as an "X" mycobacterium. These data suggest that exposure to MAC in water is likely in diverse areas of the world, but that the likelihood of human exposure to the organism in water may be slightly less in sub-Saharan Africa than in developed countries in the Northern Hemisphere.
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Comparative Study
Reduced childhood mortality after standard measles vaccination at 4-8 months compared with 9-11 months of age.
To evaluate the impact on mortality of standard Schwarz measles immunisation before 9 months of age. ⋯ Standard measles vaccination before 9 months is not associated with higher childhood mortality than is the currently recommended strategy of immunising from 9 months, and it may reduce mortality. This has implications for measles immunisation strategy in developing countries.