The cost of double standard risk communication during the swine-flu epidemic: Reflections from Norway
January 2011
The pandaemia of swine influenza 2009 released a multitude of reactions and actions of public authorities and private enterprises. After the first announcement of a probable new epidemic in May 2009 WHO issued a pandaemia warning in June 2009. Norwegian health authorities reacted swiftly to the WHO recommendations and Norway became the first country opting for buying vaccines for the whole population. The background of...
Epidemiology of malaria and insecticide resistance burden in Nigeria
January 2011
Anopheles mosquito larvae were collected from the natural breeding sites in five of the six ecological zones in Nigeria between 2002 and 2004. The larvae were reared to adulthood in a standard insectary. Susceptibility tests were conducted on non - blood fed, 2 to 3-day-old emerged adult female mosquitoes using standard WHO procedures, diagnostic kits and test papers (WHO, 1998). PCR assays were used for the...
Evaluation of health status of pre-menarcheal and post-menarcheal girls by Rohrer index in Purulia, West Bengal
January 2011
Undernutrition in children and adolescents is a major problem in India. Age at menarche is a significant indicator of growth in girls. The present study records age at menarche, prevalence of under nutrition measured by Rohrer Index in both pre-menarcheal (n=107) as well as post-menarcheal (n = 131) girls (n = 238) aged 6.01 to 14.63 years. In this cross-sectional study, mean age at menarche is estimated to be 12.60...
Male perspective(s) on condom use: Context of STI/HIV prevention in the University of Ghana community
January 2011
This study examined the influence of condom use on men’s sexual behaviour in the University of Ghana community. In all, 600 men were sampled for this study using stratified and simple random sampling techniques. The ages of respondents ranged from 17 to 74 years with a mean age of 24 years. The study found that while 80% men have ever used condom, a little over 50% of them used condom at their last sexual...
The impact of parental education on infant mortality in Gaza strip, Palestine
January 2011
A society's infant mortality rate is considered an important indicator of its health status. Maternal education has been accepted almost unanimously as a major socio-economic factor in infant mortality. In addition, it is one of the few measures of health status for which data are widely available in most countries. Many research studies have been done on this topic, but never in Palestine. This study was...
Contraceptive knowledge and usage amongst female secondary school students in Lagos, Southwest Nigeria
January 2011
The high maternal mortality and morbidity rate in Nigeria is a major concern for every stakeholder in the health sector and unsafe abortion is a major cause. As a remedy, it was suggested that active efforts to promote sexuality education and contraceptive use should be intensified among Nigerian adolescents. In this regard, we studied the level of contraceptive knowledge and use among adolescents in three secondary...
Disasters in Kenya: A major public health concern
January 2011
A disaster is defined as an event or series of events, which give rise to casualties and/or damage or loss of property, infrastructure, essential services or means of livelihoods on a scale which is beyond the normal capacity of the affected community to cope with unaided. This event or events disrupt the normal patterns of life (or ecosystem) and extraordinary emergency interventions are required to save and preserve...
Preterm delivery and low birth weight among neonates born to HIV-positive and HIV-negative Ghanaian women
December 2010
In sub-Saharan Africa, several hundreds of pregnancies are exposed to both malaria and HIV infections annually. Adverse perinatal outcomes as a result of these infections include preterm delivery (PTD), and low birth weight (LBW). These are not well characterized in Ghana. We determined whether malaria and HIV infections during pregnancy increase the risk of delivering a preterm or a LBW neonate. We enrolled 1,154 women...
Application of Gis-Rs in bacteriological examination of rural community water supply and sustainability problems with UNICEF assisted borehole: A case study of Alabata community, South-western Nigeria
December 2010
Alabata is a community with no electricity and comprehensive topographic or administrative map. They also depend on a fuelled generating set to power the pumping machine for the UNICEF assisted borehole. The citizens often had to resort to an unsafe alternative water source for domestic purposes. In March 2006 an observational study trip through which data on sanitation, health and water sources were acquired was made...
Vaginal douching practice in Eskisehir in Turkey
December 2010
The objective of the study was to identify the vaginal douching habits and the factors that would have a connection with this practice in women from Eskisehir Province in Turkey. This descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted from 1 May to 30 June, 2005. In present study, any sampling technique was not used. The subjects were women belonging to the 15 - 49 age groups who were admitted to No. 2 Family Planning...
Risk assessment of cardiovascular disease among staff of the University of Buea, South Western Cameroon
December 2010
Current changing lifestyles of Africans may impact on their risk of developing cardiovascular diseases. This study aimed at identifying the pattern of the major risk factors of CVD and the total risk of CVD among workers of the University of Buea. A cross-sectional study was carried out involving 313 teaching and support staff of the institution. Fasting blood sugar, total cholesterol, Triglycerides and HDL cholesterol...
Factors associated with disease outcome in children at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH)
December 2010
Globally, 10.5 million children die annually. Approximately 6 million of Kenya’s population are under five years with a child mortality rate of 74 per 1000 live births. Children attending Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) have preventable and treatable illnesses. The aim of the study was to assess care taker factors associated with disease outcome among children at KNH. A cross sectional study was conducted;...
Childhood leprosy: A retrospective study
December 2010
Leprosy remains an important public health and social issue in South Asia, particularly in India. Its presence in childhood is an immense social burden on account of the associated disabilities and widely prevalent misconceptions regarding communicability and treatment potential. Besides, the prevalence of leprosy among children suggests possible lacunae in the operation of the national programmes aimed at elimination...
Comparison of various immunoassay kits for rapid screening of pandemic influenza H1N1-2009 viruses
November 2010
The success of therapeutic measures is predicted on the basis of rapid and precise diagnosis of infection. A comparison of three rapid influenza immunoassay (RIIA) kits, the Directigen Flu A+B test, QuickVue influenza A+B test and the Quick S-INFLU A.B, for detection of pandemic influenza H1N1 (2009) viruses, have been made on 105 patients with flu like syndrome. The sensitivity, specificity and ability to screen...
Contraception among persons living HIV with infection attending an HIV care and support centre in Kabale, Uganda
November 2010
The choice of contraception in people living with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is constrained by the need to prevent both sexual transmission of HIV and unwanted pregnancies. We assessed contraceptive use among 400 HIV- positive persons attending a care and support centre in Kabale, Uganda. Participants completed a structured questionnaire on socio-demographic characteristics, sexuality,...
Community social capital and the use of health care services in Uganda
November 2010
Evidence mainly from high and middle income countries shows that community social capital is associated with positive health outcomes. The current policy interest in social capital stems from the anticipation that investing in it will enhance improvements in population health and some governments in high income countries have promoted initiatives to enhance its generation. However, there is a paucity of empirical...
Influenza surveillance results during 2008 - 2009 season in Turkey
November 2010
National influenza surveillance was performed by two institutions in Turkey, Refik Saydam National Public Health Agency (RSNPHA) and Istanbul Faculty of Medicine (IFM), which both are National Influenza Reference Laboratories. RSNPHA received samples from 9 sentinel Provinces and IFM received samples from 5 sentinel Provinces. We report the 2008 to 2009 surveillance results from October 2008 - May 2009. As many as 1,980...
Adolescent suicidal behaviors, self rated health and multiple health risk behaviors: Exploring new perspectives in suicide prevention research
November 2010
We sought to evaluate the extent to which self-rating of health, gender, and the co-occurrence of other health risk behaviors were related to suicidal behaviors among adolescents. Cross-sectional survey data of Colorado middle and high school students aged 12 to 18 years were analyzed using logistic regression. Main outcome variables were suicide ideation, suicide planning, and suicide attempt. Predictors included...
Environmental risk factors and hospital-based cancers in two Nigerian cities
November 2010
This ecologic study assessed disparities between environmental risk factors and cancers in two Nigerian cities. Environmental data were obtained for Port Harcourt (highly industrialized) and Ibadan(less industrialized) cities respectively. Ten- year cancer records were also obtained from the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH), Port Harcourt and the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan. Data were...
Epidemiological features of a GIS-supported investigation of cholera outbreak in Abeokuta, Nigeria
October 2010
This study seeks to assess the epidemiological features of a GIS supported investigation of a cholera outbreak in Abeokuta. Abeokuta, the capital city of Ogun State, Southwestern Nigeria with an area of 1256 km2 and a population of 605, 451 people had an outbreak of cholera from 20th November, 2005 to 1st of January, 2006. The outbreak affected the Abeokuta North Local Government area where the municipal...
Epidemiological characteristics of liver cancer in Niger (1992 - 2006)
October 2010
The present work aims to bring out the epidemiological characteristics of liver cancer in Niger, especially as no previous studies have worked on the national epidemiology of cancer in Niger. This is a retrospective study in the period 1992 to 2006. The data were collected from the Laboratory of Pathological Anatomy and Cytology of the Faculty of Health Sciences of Niamey, which receives all the swabs intended for the...
Prevalence and epidemiology of pandemic H1N1 strains in hospitals of Eastern India
October 2010
A novel Influenza A (pH1N1) virus which emerged in April, 2009, spread rapidly across the continents to become pandemic by June, 2009. In Eastern India, testing for influenza was initiated in June, 2009 and continued through July, 2010 to determine prevalence and epidemiological character of circulating pandemic H1N1 strain. Real time PCR was done on nasal and throat swab samples of patients with influenza like symptoms...
Epidemiological characteristics of Bancroftian filariasis and the Nigerian environment
September 2010
Bancroftian filariasis, caused by Wuchereria bancrofti is widespread in Nigeria. It is a serious public health problem as well as a major cause of acute and chronic morbidity in Nigeria. Anopheles gambiae and Anopheles funestus are the main vectors in the rural Nigeria while Culex quenquifasciatus is the vector in the urban and semi-urban areas. Although these mosquito...
Zoonotic tuberculosis: A review of epidemiology, clinical presentation, prevention and control
September 2010
The current increasing incidence of tuberculosis in humans, particularly in immunocompromised persons, has given a renewed interest in the zoonotic importance of Mycobacterium bovis, especially in developing countries. The roles of meat and milk, the commonest source of protein to man, in the transmission of the disease remain significant. Due to the grave consequences of M. bovisinfection on animal and human...
Disease surveillance and reporting in two Southwestern states in Nigeria: Logistic challenges and prospects
September 2010
Disease surveillance has been recognized as an effective strategy in the control and prevention of diseases most especially communicable diseases. An effective surveillance system allows early intervention for the prevention and reduction of the mortality and morbidity that may result from epidemics of communicable diseases. This study assesses the adequacy of training of disease surveillance and notification officers...
The impact of antenatal voluntary counseling and testing for HIV on future fertility intentions, desired family size and contraception in Uganda
September 2010
This study aimed is at assessing the impact of voluntary counseling and testing for HIV on family planning in a setting of high HIV prevalence and high TFR. An intervention study was conducted between January and March 2004 among women who had been counseled about HIV, STI and contraception during pregnancy followed with voluntary HIV testing. 121 HIV positive and 206 HIV negative attending antenatal clinic aged 24.6...
Priority families for health care according to family socio-demographic risks
September 2010
Socio-economic inequalities have been shown to be associated with disease burden in developing as well as developed countries. The aim of the study was (1) to test the association between family socio-demographic risks and health problems, and (2) to identify a “family sociodemographic risk line” above which families are at significant risk of developing health problems. A cross sectional community-based...
Symptomatic vulvovaginal candidiasis and genital colonization by Candida species in Nigeria
September 2010
Vulvovaginal candidiasis is a common clinical finding among women especially the sexually active group, even though there has been a sustained increase in both the variety and potency of antifungal drugs over the past three decades. The disease apparently appears not to have sufficiently yielded to these breakthroughs nevertheless. The study was therefore set up to ascertain the prevalence of vaginal candidiasis among...
Perspective: Filling in the gaps of the global research agenda for eliminating malaria
August 2010
Despite the scaling-up of existing control measures and the commitment to controlling malaria the global situation has worsened. Concurrently, the drug, which was hailed as the biggest hope for eradicating malaria, Artemisinin by having significant activity against developing gametocytes, is showing signs of resistance at the Thailand-Cambodia border. This article purports to draw on lessons learnt from this...
Prevalence and constraints of typhoid fever and its control in an endemic area of Singida region in Tanzania: Lessons for effective control of the disease
August 2010
Typhoid fever (TF) is an important communicable disease that is endemic to Tanzania, quite often complicated with malaria co-infection leading to diagnostic complications and significant mortality. Despite considerable control efforts, the disease continues to persist in Singida urban leading to significant morbidity and mortality. This paper retrospectively examines morbidity and mortality trend of typhoid infection...
Factors influencing the sero-prevalence of Trypanosoma brucei gambiense sleeping sickness in Juba District, Central Equatoria State, Southern Sudan
August 2010
A surveillance of the Gambian type of Human African Trypanosomosis (HAT) conducted in Juba area using the Card Agglutination Test for Trypanosomosis (CATT) showed that 257 (11.1%) out of 2322 individuals were sero-positive. The sero-positive rate in the pooled adults was higher but not significanty different from that of the pooled children. The adult females sero-prevalence rate was significantly higher than those of...
Socio-economic implications of Simulium damnosum complex infestation in some rural communities in Odeda Local Government Area of Ogun State, Nigeria
August 2010
Simulium damnosum sensu lato constitutes serious public health hazard and socio-economic problem in many areas of West Africa. The present study was carried out to document the socio-economic implications of black fly infestation in some rural communities of Odeda Local Government. Structured questionnaires were administered to thirty randomly selected people aged 18 years and above in three selected...
Professional analysis of medical staff in public hospitals in China
July 2010
To analyze the efficiency of public hospitals in Guangdong Province, China, and to compare the differences by region and levels of care. To carry out a survey of selected hospitals in different cities by the method of cluster sampling and to analyze the efficiency of these hospitals using data envelopment analysis (DEA). 254 public hospitals were surveyed with a 100% response rate. About 184 (72.4%) completed the survey...
Hypertension-related knowledge, attitudes and life-style practices among hypertensive patients in a sub-urban Nigerian community
July 2010
Hypertension (htn) is an important public health challenge at Auchi, Nigeria. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological survey was to determine hypertensive patients’ knowledge, perceptions, attitudes and life-style practices so as to optimize their health and treatment needs. We examined a cohort of 108 randomly selected hypertensive by means of a self-structured questionnaire and a detailed interview....
The impact of health facility monitoring on cold chain management practices in Lagos, Nigeria
July 2010
About 1000 privately owned health facilities (HFs) were (re)-visited between September 2007 and September, 2009. A total of 2,100 health workers (HWs) were interviewed in these HFs to evaluate their knowledge on vaccine management and administration. Cold chain assessment form was completed for each HF revisited. Health Workers that were deficient in cold chain management knowledge were given on the spot training....
Refuse disposal practices in three major motor parks in Ibadan municipality, Nigeria
July 2010
Transportation and human mobility have become a part of development in many developing countries. In Nigerian cities, this vital activity has also led to problems associated with large quantities of waste generation and became a management issue for Local and State Governments. This work was carried out at three major motor parks, viz. Akinyele, Iwo Road, and New Garage, in Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State in...
Staphylococcal enterotoxins: Molecular aspects and detection methods
June 2010
Members of the Staphylococcus genus, especially Staphylococcus aureus, are the most common pathogens found in hospitals and in community-acquired infections. Some of their pathogenicity is associated with enzyme and toxin production. Until recently, S. aureus was the most studied species in the genus; however, in last few years, the rise of infections caused by coagulase-negative staphylococci...
Bovine trypanosomosis and its impact on cattle in derived savanna areas of Ogun State, Nigeria
June 2010
Parasitological evaluation of bovine trypanosomosis to assess its impact in 113 cattle from Ogunola, Olodo, and Imeko in derived savanna areas of Ogun State were carried out. Blood samples were collected aseptically and screened using Standard Trypanosome Detection Methods in addition to packed cell volume (PCV) determination. Results showed that mean prevalence rate of bovine trypanosomosis was 31.62% with varying...
Parasitic infections and anaemia during pregnancy in the Kassena-Nankana district of Northern Ghana
June 2010
Anaemia is often an adverse outcome of severe parasitic infections during pregnancy in developing countries. This study examined the association between anaemia and Plasmodium and or intestinal helminth infections during pregnancy. A hospital based survey was conducted on 300 pregnant women on their first consultation to antenatal services in the Kassena-Nankana district of Northern Ghana from...
The effect of intermittent preventive treatment using sulphadoxine pyrimethamine in the control of malaria in pregnancy: A cross-sectional study in the Offinso district of Ghana
June 2010
Malaria infection during pregnancy causes maternal anaemia and placental parasitaemia both of which pose substantial risks to the mother, the foetus and the newborn. This study assessed the effects of intermittent preventive treatment (IPTp) using sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) to control malaria in pregnancy in the Offinso district, Ghana. Pregnant women attending antenatal clinics (ANC) between October 2005 and June...
Pleomorphic appearance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis
April 2010
Mycobacterium tuberculosis still remains a substantial global threat due to ill defined mechanisms that enable this organism to persist and replicate. Although molecular methods have revolutionized the diagnostic techniques in tuberculosis, yet a conventional simple microscopy remains the most cheap, easy and simple method for its diagnosis. The only requirement for the same is a trained eye to identify different...
Emerging health threats among a primitive tribal group of Central India
April 2010
A cross-sectional study was conducted among adult Saharia, a primitive tribal group (PTG) of Madhya Pradesh. A total of 364 subjects (168 males and 196 females) ranging in age group 18 - 60 years were divided into two groups based on their random blood sugar level. Stature, weight, waist circumference, hip circumference, skin fold thicknesses, fat percent, blood pressure and blood sugar level were measured for all the...
Beta thalassemia major: The Moroccan experience
April 2010
Thalassemia has been described originally around the Mediterranean Sea. The main objective of this study is to find out how Morocco deals with it. It is a retrospective study which has been done in the hemato-oncology service that treats patients with beta thalassemia major who are registered for receiving blood transfusions. With sample size of 78, demographics, clinical and family data were collected and descriptive...
The European union micro-projects program in water and sanitation and reduction in the incidence of some diseases in the rural communities of Imo State
February 2010
Many studies in the rural communities in Imo State have revealed that the levels of water and sanitation services are generally unsatisfactory. This has led to high prevalence of many diseases associated with water scarcity and poor hygiene. This study examined the role of the European Union Micro-Projects Program in water and sanitation in the reduction of the incidence of some of these diseases in the rural areas of...
Laparoscopic repair of ventral hernia an early experience at Khyber teaching hospital Peshawar
February 2010
To analyze the results and outcome of laparoscopic ventral hernia repair as a relatively new technique in our setup. Prospective study from June 2007 to June 2008. Surgical-D Unit, Khyber Teaching Hospital, Peshawar. All the patients undergoing laparoscopic ventral hernia repair. The patients were evaluated clinically and by investigations. After appropriate preparation, laparoscopic mesh repair was performed. Intra and...
Prevalence of Campylobacter in poultry meat in Sokoto, North-western Nigeria
December 2009
The study was conducted in Sokoto, Nigeria from November 2007 to October 2008 to investigate the presence of Campylobacter spp. in poultry meat, by standard culture techniques. Campylobacter was detected in 558 (81.9%) of the 681 meat samples, the isolates were characterized by conventional phenotypic tests.Campylobacter jejuni was the most commonly identified species accounting for 340 (60.9%)...
Chromium and copper in toenails of some Kano inhabitants
December 2009
Toenail chromium and copper concentrations in toenails of some inhabitants resident in Kano for at least six months were assessed by atomic absorption spectrometry. Average toenail chromium and copper concentrations were 1.33 ± 0.68 and 27.62 ± 13.29 µg/g respectively. Both chromium and copper concentrations in nails decreased with age indicating that these metals may be playing some physiological...
Desire for pain relief in labour in Northeastern Nigeria
December 2009
Labour pain is a distressing and psychologically traumatizing experience to the parturient but little data exist in the Northeastern part of Nigeria regarding pain relief in labour, despite its many advantages. To determine the knowledge, desire and access to pain relief in labour as well as perception of labour pain. This is a cross sectional study of two hundred and fifty five women in two tertiary institutions in...
The use of intermittent preventive treatment with sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine in pregnancy in Ibadan, Nigeria: Implications for policy
October 2009
Malaria in pregnancy (MIP) remains a major public health concern, inspite of the adoption of WHO recommended intermittent preventive treatment (IPTp) with sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) for its control in Nigeria. Using interviewer administered questionnaires, information on knowledge of the burden, consequences and the use of SP for malaria control in pregnancy was obtained from 800 mothers within 24 h after delivery...
Cyanobacteria and absence of cyanotoxins in a public water supply source
October 2009
Current analysis, involving measurements of biotic and abiotic factors, determined which factor favored cyanobacteria with subsequent concentrations of microcystins in water collected from a public water supply source during the dry and rainy periods and which received residual water from agricultural production systems. Since no microcystins were detected, waters fitted within the maximum limits of...
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