World health statistics quarterly. Rapport trimestriel de statistiques sanitaires mondiales最新文献

{"title":"Women and tuberculosis.","authors":"M Connolly,&nbsp;P Nunn","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Tuberculosis is the leading infectious cause of death in women worldwide. The disease poses a major threat to women's health security. Population growth, the HIV epidemic, increasing poverty and rising levels of drug resistance will inevitably increase the burden of this disease in women. Women are at increased risk of progression to disease during their reproductive years. However, in most low-income countries, twice as many men are notified with tuberculosis as women. Biological mechanisms may account for most of this difference but socioeconomic and cultural factors leading to barriers in accessing health care may cause under-notification in women. Tuberculosis control programmes should be sensitive to the constraints faced by women in accessing health care, in order to empower women to commence and complete treatment. The fear and stigma associated with tuberculosis have a greater impact on women than on men, often leaving them in a more precarious social and economic position. Tuberculosis in women creates orphans, impoverished families and reduces the economic development of society. Tuberculosis is a major cause of preventable suffering and death in women. WHO's recommended tuberculosis control strategy, DOTS, represents a cost-effective response to the problem of tuberculosis in women. Tuberculosis is a major women's health issue. It is a global health priority that tuberculosis treatment be made available to women, particularly to those in low-income countries who are bearing the brunt of this epidemic.</p>","PeriodicalId":76824,"journal":{"name":"World health statistics quarterly. Rapport trimestriel de statistiques sanitaires mondiales","volume":"49 2","pages":"115-9"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1996-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"20006993","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Disasters in Africa: old and new hazards and growing vulnerability.","authors":"A Loretti,&nbsp;Y Tegegn","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Disasters occur when hazards and vulnerability meet. Out of 100 disasters reported worldwide, only 20 occur in Africa, but Africa suffers 60% of all disaster-related deaths. This is probably due to the type of hazards that affect this continent, to under-reporting, and to the fact that under the circumstances prevailing in Africa, it is easy for any disaster to escalate and multiply its impact. Africa's natural hazards are mainly epidemics, endemic diseases, drought, floods, agricultural pests and bush fires, but some areas are also susceptible to earthquakes, cyclones and volcanic eruptions. The natural hazards interact with manmade ones, such as armed conflicts, air, road and railway incidents, other industrial hazards such as mining accidents, chemical spills, etc., and with widespread vulnerability. The context is one of rapid population growth, forced movements of population, environmental degradation, precarious urbanization, food insecurity, poverty, fragile economies, infrastructures and institutions, and cultural and political instability. The 53 countries of the continent are highly susceptible and vulnerable and their 761,390,000 people are exposed to both natural and manmade hazards. Through complex causal chains, disasters affect people directly and indirectly. In the first 6 months of 1996, meningitis had already killed 5,000 people. Throughout Africa, there are 500,000 measles-associated deaths each year; the direct and indirect costs of malaria are estimated at US$ 1.7 billion per year. In June 1996 food emergencies were looming in 14 African countries with 22 million people facing direct food shortages. Since 1980, conflicts have caused at least 3.7 million excess deaths and cost the Region about US$ 13 billion per year. Wars have destroyed 70% of the health network of some countries, and have left behind 30-40 million landmines, making Africa the most mine-infested continent in the world.</p>","PeriodicalId":76824,"journal":{"name":"World health statistics quarterly. Rapport trimestriel de statistiques sanitaires mondiales","volume":"49 3-4","pages":"179-84"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1996-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"20116834","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Mental health under war conditions during the 1991-1995 war in the former Yugoslavia.","authors":"S B Jensen","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>If this war were a \"peace time disaster\" it is estimated that more than one million people would be in need of assistance due to mental health issues. The estimated helping capacity, however, can cover only a small proportion of the need. This imbalance may create a severe threat to the mental health of the war-torn population in a medium- and long-term perspective. Complications related to war-trauma-induced stress disorders may give rise to significant increases in alcohol and drug abuse, domestic and criminal violence, suicides, homicides and chronic mental illness. This article outlines the international efforts to include psychosocial and mental health interventions as part of the emergency assistance programme. Special emphasis is directed at the development of the new WHO Regional Model on Mental Health. The model is a coordinated set of mental health activities for a defined geographical area with a population of 300,000-400,000 inhabitants. The key elements are: coordination, collection of background data (\"war-time epidemiology\"), capacity building and self-empowerment of local professionals at all levels, as well as a community-oriented approach to mental health care and primary health care. A new structure to achieve sustainability and continuity of preventive mental health interventions, the European University Centre for Mental Health and Human Rights, is proposed for the medium- and long-term perspective of assistance.</p>","PeriodicalId":76824,"journal":{"name":"World health statistics quarterly. Rapport trimestriel de statistiques sanitaires mondiales","volume":"49 3-4","pages":"213-7"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1996-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"20117335","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Sexual transmission of HIV to women in industrialized countries.","authors":"C Hankins","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Biological differences between men and women help explain why the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is infecting increasing numbers of young girls and women in industrialized countries through heterosexual activity. As well, lack of economic and educational opportunities may not only lead women to resort to entering into sexual relationships for economic reasons but may also reduce both their willingness and their capacity to negotiate protection. Although advocating partner condom use remains the primary prevention message, increasing effort is being directed at the development and evaluation of woman-controlled prevention methods. Long-term solutions to women's vulnerability lie in the empowerment of women to achieve economic autonomy and full participation in decisions which affect their lives.</p>","PeriodicalId":76824,"journal":{"name":"World health statistics quarterly. Rapport trimestriel de statistiques sanitaires mondiales","volume":"49 2","pages":"106-14"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1996-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"20006992","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Older women in an aging world: achieving health across the life course.","authors":"R Bonita,&nbsp;A L Howe","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This article, based on a report (Women, aging and health: achieving health across the life span) prepared for the WHO Global Commission on Women's Health under the guidance of WHO's Aging and Health Programme, presents demographic data that clearly demonstrate the need for recognition of the health of aging women as a global issue of major public health concern. The authors show that, while female life expectancy at birth is significantly different in developed and developing countries (because of high infant and maternal mortality in the latter), these differences tend to decrease for women in developing countries who reach middle age. The authors review the various facets of the \"gender transition\" brought about by demographic and epidemiological transitions, drawing attention to contrasts between the situation in developing countries in Asia and Latin America and that in Eastern Europe, for example. The role of older women as care-givers is discussed, as is the likelihood of a future increase in the proportion of older women living alone in the developing world (a factor which renders them particularly vulnerable in many socioeconomic and health respects). Suggestions are made on methodologies for monitoring health trends in aging women, and on the role of WHO in this respect. A basic goal for global strategies relating to the health of older women is formulated: reduction of the inequities in life expectancy between developed and developing countries.</p>","PeriodicalId":76824,"journal":{"name":"World health statistics quarterly. Rapport trimestriel de statistiques sanitaires mondiales","volume":"49 2","pages":"134-41"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1996-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"20006995","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Impact of Hurricane Luis on the health services of Antigua and Barbuda.","authors":"T Gibbs,&nbsp;D van Alphen","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Antigua and Barbuda, located in the Caribbean, was one of the countries most affected by Hurricane Luis in 1995. Electricity, water supply and health facilities were disrupted for several weeks. Inadequate criteria at the design stages, unsound structural design, and lack of maintenance of building components, are some of the reasons that damage was so severe. The main hospitals and 6 health facilities were destroyed and flooded and most of the medical staff had to cope with their own damaged houses. Although the knowledge and materials are available to reduce the losses caused by hurricanes, building codes are not reinforced by laws and preventive maintenance to protect health care facilities from natural hazard damage is not usually budgeted for. The additional cost of making a single or two-storey health facility almost invulnerable to future catastrophe in a hurricane is only 2% in initial capital cost and becomes negligible when spread over the life of a building. The effort of UN International Decade for Natural Disasters (IDNDR) directed towards disaster mitigation should be increased over the remainder of the decade to ensure that standards are respected and building codes are mandatory.</p>","PeriodicalId":76824,"journal":{"name":"World health statistics quarterly. Rapport trimestriel de statistiques sanitaires mondiales","volume":"49 3-4","pages":"200-3"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1996-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"20116837","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Standardization of health relief items needed in the early phase of emergencies.","authors":"R Gray","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Concepts, ideas and advocacy for standardization of medical materials have been in existence for over a hundred years and until 1957 were the domain of the Red Cross Movement. Following the Second World War there emerged both national and international organizations concerned with standardization of medical materials. The Gulf War brought deficiencies in emergency relief to the attention of the United Nations System and one of the consequences of this was the decision to standardize all emergency relief items needed in the early phase of emergencies. Standardization of health relief items made up one part of this process.</p>","PeriodicalId":76824,"journal":{"name":"World health statistics quarterly. Rapport trimestriel de statistiques sanitaires mondiales","volume":"49 3-4","pages":"218-20"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1996-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"20117336","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Chernobyl accident and radiation risks: dynamics of epidemiological rates (morbidity, disability and death rates) according to the data in the national registry.","authors":"V K Ivanov,&nbsp;A F Tsyb","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Ten years have elapsed since the Chernobyl accident. The gravest technologically generated accident throughout human history has attracted considerable attention from the whole world community. At the same time, the problem of estimating the total damage to life and health of people exposed to radiation remains very complicated. The negative effects of Chernobyl include a spectrum of factors which may reinforce each other. In particular, to date there are no theoretical models or practical recommendations on estimating the contribution of the social, psychological or emotional factors that surround diseases due to radiation accidents. On the other hand, for maximum effective rehabilitation of the affected population, the impartial determination of the contribution by both radiation and non-radiation components is necessary. Therefore, the continuation of long-standing investigations within the framework of the National and Radiation and Epidemiological Registry along with obtaining new scientific data in the field of radiation epidemiology is of great practical importance in limiting the health consequences of the accident.</p>","PeriodicalId":76824,"journal":{"name":"World health statistics quarterly. Rapport trimestriel de statistiques sanitaires mondiales","volume":"49 1","pages":"22-8"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1996-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"19860199","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Sexual abuse in the health professions--who's counting?","authors":"M McPhedran","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In an examination of the health security of women, sexual exploitation of women patients when the perpetrators hold the trusted position of care provider, merits some considerable attention. Availability of data varies, with the majority gathered in the United States and Canada, focusing on medicine, psychotherapy and nursing. However, even for those professions, this field of research is in its early stages. Within the past few years, research has been undertaken in Australia and New Zealand, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway and the United Kingdom. Central to any discussion of this aspect of women's access to safe and appropriate health care are 3 questions about data. Do we know whether women are the principal victims of this abuse? Do such numbers count? Do we in fact need more data collection as we learn to respond more effectively to this particular form of violence against women? The author, who chaired Canada's first inquiry into the sexual abuse of patients by doctors, answers all 3 questions in the affirmative, with an emphasis on combining data collection with action. The sampling of research in this article demonstrates the need to combine qualitative and quantitative data to gain a more accurate understanding of the dynamics of abuse, within the social context of women's experience.</p>","PeriodicalId":76824,"journal":{"name":"World health statistics quarterly. Rapport trimestriel de statistiques sanitaires mondiales","volume":"49 2","pages":"154-7"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1996-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"20006301","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Profiles of non-cancer diseases in atomic bomb survivors.","authors":"K Kodama,&nbsp;S Fujiwara,&nbsp;M Yamada,&nbsp;F Kasagi,&nbsp;Y Shimizu,&nbsp;I Shigematsu","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This article summarizes the results of a recent study of atomic bomb radiation and non-cancer diseases in the AHS (Adult Health Study) population by the RERF (Radiation Effects Research Foundation) along with a general discussion of previous studies. The association of atomic bomb radiation and CVD was examined by incidence studies and prevalence studies of various endpoints of atherosclerosis, such as MI, stroke, aortic arch calcification, isolated systolic hypertension, and pulse wave velocity, and, although the excess was small, all endpoints indicated an increase of CVD in the heavily exposed group. Because of the consistency of the results, it is almost certain that CVD is higher among atomic bomb survivors. However, all CVD risk factors associated with lifestyle had not necessarily been adjusted for in studies to date, and it is difficult at present to conclude that the increase in CVD among survivors was a direct effect of radiation. Recent studies have demonstrated almost certainly that uterine myoma is more frequent among atomic bomb survivors. It cannot, at present, be concluded that uterine myoma is caused by radiation, because there are no reported studies of other exposed populations. Further analyses including the role of confounding factors as well as molecular approaches are needed to verify this radiation effect. The relationship between atomic bomb radiation exposure and hyperparathyroidism can now be said to have been established in view of the strong dose response, the agreement with results of studies of other populations, the high risk in the younger survivors, and the biological plausibility. Future studies by molecular approaches, etc., are needed to determine the pathogenic mechanism. Among other benign tumours, a dose response has been demonstrated for tumours of the thyroid, stomach and ovary. Although fewer studies have been conducted than for cancer, a clear association between radiation and various benign tumours is emerging. Concerning the association between atomic bomb radiation exposure and chronic liver diseases, the recent incidence study of members of the AHS population demonstrated a significant dose response. Both chronic hepatitis and cirrhosis were suggested as being associated with exposure. The possibility that the increased occurrence of chronic liver diseases among the survivors may be due to hepatitis virus infection cannot be excluded, and the results of the ongoing hepatitis C virus antibody titre studies are awaited.</p>","PeriodicalId":76824,"journal":{"name":"World health statistics quarterly. Rapport trimestriel de statistiques sanitaires mondiales","volume":"49 1","pages":"7-16"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1996-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"19860197","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}