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Culture and health : orientation texts on the 1996 theme

UNITED NATIONS EDUCATIONAL, SCIENTIFIC AND CULTURAL ORGANISATION (UNESCO)
THE JOINT UNITED NATIONS PROGRAM ON HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS)
Eds
1996

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This edited volume includes chapters by different authors on cultural issues as they impact on a wide range of health concerns in developing countries. The papers are based on research and experience in many countries, and offer examples of where cultural factors have impacted on project design and outcomes, as well as the theoretical basis for 'endogenous development'. Useful as a general "reader" or background text on this topic as well as a source of examples and illustrations of how to harness culture for health interventions

Elimination of leprosy as a public health problem : progress and prospects

NOORDEEN, S K
1995

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Leprosy is still an important problem in about 80 countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America, some 2.4 million persons being estimated to have the disease in 1994. The WHO-recommended standard multidrug therapy (MDT) was introduced in the 1980s and has been shown to be effective in combating the disease. Experiences based on many thousands of patients treated with MDT over the past decade indicate extremely low relapse rates (cumulative relaps rates around 1 percent). By the end of 1993, some 5.6 million patients had been cured, and the global cumulative MDT coverage of registrered patients had reached 89 percent. The number of registrered cases fell from 5.4 million in 1985 to 1.7 million in 1994. The significant progress made in leprosy control enabled the World Health Assembly in 1991 to set a goal for eliminating leprosy as a public health problem by the year 2000. One important epidemiological factor is that leprosy is very unevenly distributed: 80 percent of the problem is confined to only five countries and 92 percent to just 25 countries. The elimination strategy envisages identifying and treating with MDT a total of about 5 million cases from 1994 to the year 2000. The cost of dealing with these cases has been estimated at US$ 420 million, including US$ 150 million for the drugs.

Global data on blindness

Thylefors, B et al
1995

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Globally, it is estimated that there are 38 million persons who are blind. Moreover, a further 110 million people have low vision and are at great risk of becoming blind. The main causes of blindness and low vision are cataract, trachoma, glaucoma, onchocerciasis, and xerophthalmia; however, insufficient data on blindness from causes such as diabetic retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration preclude specific estimations of their global prevalence. The age- specific prevalences of the major causes of blindness that are related to age indicate that the trend will be for an increase in such blindness over the decades to come, unless energetic efforts are made to tackle these problems. More data collected through standardized methodologies, using internationally accepted (ICD-10) definitions, are needed. Data on the incidence of blindness due to common causes would be useful for calculating future trends more precisely.

The Worldwide magnitude of protein-energy malnutrition : an overview from the WHO Global Database on Child Growth

DE ONIS, M
et al
1993

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Using the WHO Global Database on Child Growth (covers 87% of the total population of under-5-year olds in developing countries), the worldwide distribution of protein-energy malnutrition is described based on nationally representative cross-sectional data gathered between 1980 and 1992 in 79 developing countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Oceania

Epidemiology of epilepsy in developing countries

Senanayake, N
Roman, G C
1993

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Epilepsy is an important health problem in developing countries where the prevalence can be up to 57 per 1000 population. The prevalence is particularly high in Latin America and in several African countries notability Liberia, Nigeria and Tanzania. Parasitic infections particuarly neurocysticercosis, schistosomiasis, taxoplasmosis, malaria, meningitis and enciphalitis are important etiological factors. Other reasons for the high incidence include intracranial infections, perinatal brain damage, head injuries, toxic agents and hereditary factors. Many of these factors are preventable or modifiable and the introduction of appropriate measures to this could lead to a substantial decrease in the incidence of eplilepsy in those countries.

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