Se Asian J Trop Med
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Se Asian J Trop Med · Jan 2007
Malnutrition and infectious disease morbidity among children missed by the childhood immunization program in Indonesia.
Although it has been thought that child immunization programs may miss the children who are in greatest need, there are little published quantitative data to support this idea. We sought to characterize malnutrition and morbidity among children who are missed by the childhood immunization program in Indonesia. Vaccination and morbidity histories, anthropometry, and other data were collected for 286,500 children, aged 12-59 months, in rural Indonesia. ⋯ Of children with complete, partial, and no immunization coverage, respectively, the prevalence of severe underweight (weight-for-age Z score < -3) was 5.4, 9.9, and 12.6%, severe stunting (height-for-age Z score < -3) was 10.2, 16.2, and 21.5%, and current diarrhea was 3.8, 7.3, and 8.6% (all p < 0.0001), respectively. In families where the child had complete, partial, and no immunizations, the history of infant mortality was 6.4, 11.4, and 16.5%, and under-five child mortality was 7.3, 13.4, and 19.2% (both p < 0.0001). Expanded programmatic coverage is needed to reach children who are missed by childhood immunizations in rural Indonesia, as missed children are at higher risk of morbidity and mortality.
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Se Asian J Trop Med · Jan 2007
ReviewTraditional Bhutanese medicine (gSo-BA Rig-PA): an integrated part of the formal health care services.
Traditional medicine in Bhutan is known as gSo-ba Rig-pa and is one of the oldest surviving medical traditions in the world. Other medical systems, such as Chinese medicine, Indian Ayurvedic medicine, Unani medicine, Greco-Roman medicine and the country's rich cultures and traditions have greatly influenced the way traditional Bhutanese medicine evolved. However, Buddhist philosophy remains the mainstream of this medical system. gSo-ba Rig-pa's principles are based on the perception the human body is composed of three main elements: rLung ('Air'), mKhris-pa ('Bile') and Bad-kan ('Phlegm'). ⋯ This makes the traditional Bhutanese medicine a unique and holistic health care system. The traditional medicine is an integrated and recognized part of the formal health care services in Bhutan under the auspices of the Ministry of Health. The article highlights three main points which can be learned from the Bhutanese experience: (1) the strong tradition of herbal medicines within gSo-ba Rig-pa forms a unique opportunity to prospect for new leads for development of pharmaceuticals, (2) the availability of the traditional medicine along with biomedicine broadens the health care choices for patients, and (3) the experiences of integrating two conceptually very different health care systems within one ministry contains important managerial lessons to be learned.
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Se Asian J Trop Med · Sep 2006
Viral investigation of acute hemorrhagic conjunctivitis outbreak (2003) in Nepal using molecular methods.
A nationwide outbreak of acute hemorrhagic conjunctivitis (AHC) occurred in Nepal during August to September 2003, which affected nearly half of the population. Sixty conjunctival swabs from AHC patients were collected at Tilganga Eye Center in Kathmandu. For the first time in Nepal, we demonstrated the etiologic viral agents of AHC, namely, Coxsackievirus A24 variant (CA24v) by reverse transcription real time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). ⋯ Conversely, Adenovirus (AdV) was detected in 32 samples, which suggested that the epidemic was caused by mixed infection. AdV was detected also on 10 rupee notes. Findings indicated that inadequate personal hygiene was the main cause of the spread of these highly contagious viruses in the community environment in Nepal during the summer of 2003.
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Se Asian J Trop Med · Sep 2006
Case ReportsPurpuric-like rash as cutaneous eruptions in parvovirus B19 infection in Thai infant.
An 8-month-old girl presented with fever, rash, and diarrhea. Physical examination revealed multiple well-circumscribed, brownish-black, purpuric-like rashes on the face, arms, and legs with cervical and suboccipital lymphadenopathy. ⋯ The patient recovered uneventfully with symptomatic and supportive treatment. Since the infection can manifest in many dermatological patterns, it should also be included in the differential diagnosis of febrile illness with purpuric rash in children.
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We are reporting a case of a 43-year-old Chinese male from Hong Kong, who came to see a doctor complaining of acute onset of severe upper abdominal pain. A diagnosis of acute cholecystitis was made and an emergency cholecystectomy was carried out. ⋯ The worms were identified as Clonorchis sinensis. After the operation the patient was treated with praziquantel and he had an uneventful recovery.