American journal of preventive medicine
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Enacting state laws to regulate firearm use, availability, or manufacture is one plausible strategy for preventing firearm-related injuries. Organizations that use a wide range of advocacy tactics may be successful in promoting gun control policies. ⋯ Organizations advocating for state gun control laws have a varied tactical repertoire, with fewer using electioneering and litigation than other approaches. Financial resources do not appear to be the determining factor in the advocacy methods employed.
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Determination of the occupational risk of hepatitis B and C to public safety workers is important in identifying prevention opportunities and has significant legal and policy implications. ⋯ Data suggest that emergency medical service (EMS) providers are at increased risk of contracting hepatitis B, but data have failed to show an increased prevalence of hepatitis C. EMS providers have exposure risks similar to those of hospital-based healthcare workers. Other public safety workers appear to have lower rates of exposure. Urban areas have much higher prevalence of disease, and public safety workers in those areas are likely to experience a higher incidence of exposure events.
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To identify factors associated with undervaccination of African-American preschoolers, to describe the number of vaccination visits made by undervaccinated children and the number of visits needed to be series complete, and to describe the children who did not receive the single dose of measles-containing vaccine recommended for preschoolers. ⋯ Our study suggests that the estimated coverage of 73.8% for the 4:3:1:3 vaccine series among African-American children aged 19 to 35 months was not a result of limited access to care. On the contrary, 90.5% of African-American children had enough vaccination visits to complete the series. To raise coverage and prevent potential outbreaks, providers should assess each child's vaccination status at every visit, and administer all needed vaccinations at that time. For the most severely undervaccinated children, this strategy may not be adequate, because they did not have the minimum number of vaccination visits required for series completion. For these children, other strategies are needed for increasing vaccination coverage.