Bulletin of the World Health Organization
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To quantify the deaths from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) that are misattributed to other causes in South Africa's death registration data and to adjust for this bias. ⋯ Adjusting for cause of death misclassification, a simple procedure that can be carried out in any country, can improve death registration data and provide empirical estimates of HIV/AIDS deaths that may be useful in assessing estimates from demographic models.
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Bull. World Health Organ. · Apr 2011
Low infant mortality among Palestine refugees despite the odds.
To present data from a 2008 infant mortality survey conducted in Jordan, Lebanon, the Syrian Arab Republic, the Gaza Strip and the West Bank and analyse infant mortality trends among Palestine refugees in 1995-2005. ⋯ Largely owing to the primary health care provided by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) for Palestine Refugees in the Near East and other entities, infant mortality among Palestine refugees had consistently decreased. However, it is no longer dropping. Measures to address the most likely reasons - early marriage and childbearing, poor socioeconomic conditions and limited access to good perinatal care - are needed.
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Bull. World Health Organ. · Jan 2011
Indian approaches to retaining skilled health workers in rural areas.
The lack of skilled service providers in rural areas of India has emerged as the most important constraint in achieving universal health care. India has about 1.4 million medical practitioners, 74% of whom live in urban areas where they serve only 28% of the population, while the rural population remains largely underserved. ⋯ The problem of uneven distribution of skilled health workers can be solved. Educational strategies and community health worker programmes have shown promising results. Most of these strategies are too recent for outcome evaluation, although this would help optimize and develop an ideal mix of strategies for different contexts.
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Bull. World Health Organ. · Dec 2010
Comparative StudyPaediatric surgery and anaesthesia in south-western Uganda: a cross-sectional survey.
to study paediatric surgery rates in south-western Uganda, compare them to rates in England, and determine if existing surgical facilities and workforce meet World Health Organization (WHO) standards. ⋯ access to all surgery, including paediatric surgery, is poor in south-western Uganda and investment in basic health-care facilities and surgical workforce and training is urgently needed. Mission and NGO hospitals make a valuable contribution to elective surgery, and externally funded surgeons make an important contribution to specialist surgery. In-theatre mortality was lower than reported for similar settings.
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Bull. World Health Organ. · Dec 2010
Health transition in Africa: practical policy proposals for primary care.
Sub-Saharan Africa is undergoing health transition as increased globalization and accompanying urbanization are causing a double burden of communicable and noncommunicable diseases. Rates of communicable diseases such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria in Africa are the highest in the world. The impact of noncommunicable diseases is also increasing. ⋯ We put forward practical policy proposals to improve the primary-care response to the problems posed by health transition: (i) improving data on communicable and noncommunicable diseases; (ii) implementing a structured approach to the improved delivery of primary care; (iii) putting the spotlight on quality of clinical care; (iv) aligning the response to health transition with health system strengthening; and (v) capitalizing on a favourable global policy environment. Although these proposals are aimed at primary care in sub-Saharan Africa, they may well be relevant to other regions also facing the challenges of health transition. Implementing these proposals requires action by national and international alliances in mobilizing the necessary investments for improved health of people in developing countries in Africa undergoing health transition.