Articles: mortality.
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Current laboratory techniques cannot distinguish the mode of vertical transmission (intrauterine, intrapartum, or postnatal) of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) from mother to infant. The ability to transmit HIV-1 via breast feeding has been established in 24 case reports, primarily involving mothers who seroconvert after delivery. Whether breast-feeding adds a notable additional risk of HIV-1 infection to the risk from pregnancy is controversial. ⋯ Pasteurization and storage enhance the intrinsic, antiviral properties of human milk. Banked human milk is pasteurized to destroy the HIV-1 virus but retains properties that may be helpful to infants of HIV-1-positive mothers in developed countries where breast-feeding is not recommended. For infants in populations where the infant mortality rate is high, the risk of death associated with HIV infection acquired via breast milk is lower than the risk associated with not being breast-fed.
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During a 5-month study period, 323 of 863 (37.5%) children below 5 years of age admitted to Shongwe Mission Hospital in rural South Africa were malnourished, two-thirds severely so. The incidence of bacteraemia in malnourished children was 9.6%, 11.8% in those severely malnourished and 5.8% in nutritional dwarfs. The predominant organisms retrieved were Gram-negative enteric bacilli (48.5%). ⋯ The case fatality rate of severely malnourished bacteraemic children was 20.8%. In malnutrition categories overall, the case fatality rate for bacteraemic children (22.6%) was significantly greater than in those without bacteraemia (9.3%). In hospitals with limited resources, full identification of bacteria may not be necessary, provided that regular surveillance for emerging resistance is conducted.
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MMWR Morb. Mortal. Wkly. Rep. · Feb 1996
Morbidity and mortality surveillance in Rwandan refugees--Burundi and Zaire, 1994.
In April 1994, resumption of a longstanding conflict between the Hutus and Tutsis--the two major ethnic groups in the central African countries of Burundi and Zaire--resulted in civil war and mass genocide in Rwanda. An estimated 63,000 (primarily Tutsi) refugees subsequently moved from Rwanda into northern Burundi, and 500,000 refugees fled to Tanzania (Figure 1). ⋯ To monitor the health status of the refugees, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) working in refugee camps in both countries established systems for rapid surveillance of morbidity and mortality. This report presents the findings of these systems during May-September 1994 (the period of the most intensive population migration) and indicates that mortality was high among refugees in camps in both countries.
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MMWR Morb. Mortal. Wkly. Rep. · Jan 1996
Deaths associated with Hurricanes Marilyn and Opal--United States, September-October 1995.
The 1995 hurricane season was one of the most severe in U. S. history and included 11 hurricanes. ⋯ To characterize the deaths attributed to these storms, CDC contacted medical examiners/coroners (ME/Cs) in the affected areas. This report summarizes the findings of these investigations.