Articles: disease.
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The objectives of this research were to study the epidemiological characteristics and home-based treatment of childhood burns in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. Children aged 0-5 years with a burn history were identified through a community-based, multisite survey. A standard questionnaire was administered to mothers of 630 of these children to elicit information on their sociodemographic characteristics and the circumstances of the burn event. ⋯ Otherwise, treatment with a traditional preparation was the most popular first-aid choice. Since a considerable proportion of burns happened between meals when children 'play with fire' in the house yard, the provision of alternative play activities and community play areas may reduce the incidence of burns to these children. Secondly, we recommend that education on first-aid management of burns be intensified, with special emphasis on alternatives to the use of traditional preparations.
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Sero-prevalence to hepatitis B and C virus infection in refugees from Mozambique in southern Africa.
Serological markers for evidence of past exposure to hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) were investigated in a cohort of refugees from Mozambique. Serological markers for past exposure to HBV were detected in 56% of the population and, in addition, 13.2% carried the HBV surface antigen. ⋯ Only one anti-HCV antibody positive individual was positive for HBsAg. Immunity to rubellavirus had reached 85% by 11 years of age.
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Clinical Trial Controlled Clinical Trial
Effectiveness of health instruction provided by student nurses in rural secondary schools of Zimbabwe: a feasibility study.
This demonstration project used student nurses (n = 12) on community deployment to provide health instruction among rural school-age populations in Zimbabwe. A quasi-experimental (pre- and post-test), non-equivalent control group design was used and consisted of 141 school pupils in the intervention group and 144 pupils in the comparison group (N = 285). ⋯ More than 70% of the pupils who received health instruction from student nurses gave a high approval rating of student nurses' performance. Further, student nurses, teachers and tutors all support school health instruction by student nurses although tutors and teachers differ on teaching about condoms.
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To assess the knowledge and attitudes towards AIDS among practicing physicians in the Asir Region, Saudi Arabia. ⋯ These results indicate an urgent need to develop AIDS specific continuing medical education program to deal with erroneous ideas to convey the message properly to the public.
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The purpose of prenatal screening is obviously to identify genetic and other disorders before a child is born. In the majority of cases, the intention is that the pregnancy should be terminated if the child is found to be affected by a serious disorder. Despite this expectation, the law in Victoria does not recognize fetal abnormality as a ground for abortion. ⋯ When the fetus is older, a doctor may be charged with child destruction as well as abortion. This requires proof that the doctor 'unlawfully cause[d] such child to die' and acted 'with intent to destroy the life of a child capable of being born alive'. These terms are open to interpretation but it is not necessarily a defence that the child had a serious abnormality.