Articles: disease.
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To guide acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) prevention program planning, 181 tenth grade students residing in or near an AIDS epicenter completed a survey measuring past year involvement in sexual intercourse and condom use, beliefs about self-efficacy for AIDS preventive behaviors, and beliefs about susceptibility to and severity of AIDS, and outcome efficacy of AIDS preventive actions. A degree of uncertainty existed for all areas of self-efficacy surveyed: refusing sexual intercourse under a variety of circumstances, questioning sex partners about past risky behaviors, and correct and consistent condom use. Students were most uncertain of their ability to refuse sex with a desirable partner, under pressure, or after drinking alcohol or using marijuana; to purchase condoms, or use them consistently after drinking alcohol or using marijuana; and to question partners about past homosexual history. ⋯ Similarly, those students with lower self-efficacy for correct, consistent condom use were five times less likely to have used condoms consistently. These associations remained even after adjusting for the influence of other AIDS-related beliefs. Implications of these findings focus on exploiting the link between self-efficacy and behavior by building a prevention program that emphasizes skills-building rather than the traditional knowledge-only approach.
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Bull. World Health Organ. · Jan 1992
Tuberculosis control and research strategies for the 1990s: memorandum from a WHO meeting.
Tuberculosis is the largest cause of death from a single infectious agent in the world, killing nearly 3 million people every year. This death toll represents 25% of avoidable adult deaths in developing countries. It imposes a heavy burden on the 8 million new individuals who contract the disease each year, and on their households; morbidity and mortality are concentrated in young adults. ⋯ Broad action is therefore warranted and should be aimed at introducing the effective strategies on as wide a scale as possible to reach the targets of 70% case detection and 85% cure of smear-positive patients, by the year 2000. Research is needed to implement these strategies throughout the world and to ensure that effective tools will remain available for controlling tuberculosis despite emerging problems such as resistance to the major drugs currently available. To make a real impact on the tuberculosis problem, a focused global programme must be created, under the leadership of WHO, to bring tuberculosis to the world's attention, to mobilize support on a major scale, and to provide direct guidance and support to national programmes.
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An epidemic of dengue haemorrhagic fever occurred in Delhi during 1988. A total of 21 paediatric patients with dengue haemorrhagic fever/dengue shock syndrome were evaluated from September to November 1988. All the patients had fever, restlessness, ecchymotic spots and ascites. ⋯ The remaining 10 cases exhibited raised IgM antibody levels against dengue virus type 2. The fatality rate for serologically proven cases was 13% (2 of 15 patients), while for all patients (including those diagnosed clinically (6) and serologically (15)) it was 33.3% (7 of 21). Patients who survived had no sequelae, except one who had transient hypertension that lasted for two weeks.
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This article presents results from a population-based study of the magnitude and causes of maternal mortality in the Giza governorate of Egypt in 1985-86. Deaths to women in the reproductive ages were identified through the death registration system. Family members of the deceased were interviewed using the "verbal autopsy" approach. ⋯ An average of 2.3 causes per maternal death were reported; the most common causes were postpartum hemorrhage (31 percent of cases) and hypertensive diseases of pregnancy, such as toxemia and eclampsia (28 percent of cases). Women experiencing hemorrhage, hypertensive diseases of pregnancy, or other serious complications must have easy access to hospital and maternity centers equipped for handling these conditions. Since most deliveries occur at home, many with the help of traditional birth attendants, TBAs will need training in early diagnosis, treatment, and/or effective referral of problem pregnancies.