Bulletin of the World Health Organization
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New rapid diagnostic tests for Ebola may help Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone reach zero cases and allow routine health services to resume. Fiona Fleck reports.
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Bull. World Health Organ. · Feb 2015
Screening for tuberculosis and testing for human immunodeficiency virus in Zambian prisons.
To improve the Zambia Prisons Service's implementation of tuberculosis screening and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing. ⋯ Both tuberculosis and HIV infection are common within Zambian prisons. We enhanced tuberculosis screening and improved the detection of tuberculosis and HIV in this setting. Our observations should be useful in the development of prison-based programmes for tuberculosis and HIV elsewhere.
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Bull. World Health Organ. · Feb 2015
ReviewThe effectiveness of interventions to reduce the household economic burden of illness and injury: a systematic review.
To determine the nature, scope and effectiveness of interventions to reduce the household economic burden of illness or injury. ⋯ In general, interventions designed to reduce the complex household economic burden of illness and injury appear to have had little impact on household economies. We only found a few relevant studies using rigorous study designs that were conducted in defined patient populations. The studies were limited in the range of interventions tested and they evaluated only a narrow range of household economic outcomes. There is a need for method development to advance the measurement of the household economic consequences of illness and injury and facilitate the development of innovative interventions to supplement the strategies based on health insurance.
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Bull. World Health Organ. · Feb 2015
Observational StudyAn observational study of adults seeking emergency care in Cambodia.
To describe the characteristics and chief complaints of adults seeking emergency care at two Cambodian provincial referral hospitals. ⋯ In emergency admissions in two public hospitals in Cambodia, there is high admission-to-death ratio and limited application of diagnostic techniques. We identified ways to improve procedures, including better documentation of vital signs and increased use of diagnostic techniques.
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The progress in genomic research has led to increased sampling and storage of biological samples in biobanks. Most biobanks are located in high-income countries, but the landscape is rapidly changing as low- and middle-income countries develop their own. When establishing a biobank in any setting, researchers have to consider a series of ethical, legal and social issues beyond those in traditional medical research. ⋯ International collaborations are frequently being created to support the establishment and proper running of biobanks in low- and middle-income countries. However, these collaborations cause cross-border issues – such as benefit sharing and data access. It is thus necessary to define and implement a fair, equitable and feasible biobank governance framework to ensure a fair balance of risks and benefits among all stakeholders.