The leakage of tricresyl phosphate-containing engine lubricants into aircraft cabin air, either from worn or defective engine seals or under normal operating conditions, is a serious concern for both the health and safety of the cabin occupants, since the oil contains one to five percent tricresyl phosphate (TCP) esters, known neurotoxins. The exposure of pilots is a particular concern since th...

New WHO guidelines for measles outbreak response in measles mortality reduction settings now include reactive vaccination for outbreaks. Here we used surveillance data and vaccine coverage surveys following two mass vaccine campaigns in the Democratic Republic of Congo, to show the impact of reactive vaccination on reducing cases during outbreaks. The number of measles cases reported was collec...

BACKGROUND Since 1995, measles vaccination at nine and 18 months has been routine in South Africa; however, coverage seldom reached >95%. We describe the epidemiology of laboratory-confirmed measles case-patients and assess the impact of the nationwide mass vaccination campaign during the 2009 to 2011 measles outbreak in South Africa. METHODS Serum specimens collected from patients with suspe...

A 44-year old man presented with increased shortness of breath. A chest X-ray revealed a widening of the mediastinum (Fig. 1a). Magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated a right paratracheal tumour (Fig. 1b, c). Rotational arteriography showed that the right thyrocervical artery was supplying the mass (Fig. 1d). He underwent a right cervical incision and thoracotomy resection of the mass. Histolo...

Solitary Fibrous Tumors (SFTs) are rare primary pleural neoplasms which have recently been reported in extra-thoracic sites. In this report, solitary fibrous tumor arising in an intra-thoracic goiter with no evidence of cervical mass in a 74-year-old obese man who was found to have a large superior mediastinal mass with tracheal deviation on Chest X-Ray is presented.

A 65-year-old man, heavy smoker, was admitted because of severe exertional dyspnea and vague chest pain for 2 weeks. A chest X-ray was taken and revealed a large mass in the left lung field (Figure 1). Cytological examination of the percutaneous needle aspiration of a lymph node in the anterior mediastinum revealed malignant epithelial cell nests which was strongly suggestive of squamous cell c...

INTRODUCTION The outbreak of cholera in Zimbabwe intensified interest in the control and prevention of cholera. While there is agreement that safe water, sanitation, and personal hygiene are ideal for the long term control of cholera, there is controversy about the role of newer approaches such as oral cholera vaccines (OCVs). In October 2009 the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts advised the ...

The identification of adverse events following immunization (AEFI) and their prompt investigation are important to allow a timely and scientifically based response to the users of immunization services. This article presents an analysis of notified AEFI cases between 1999 and 2005 and their temporal association with 2001 yellow fever vaccination campaign, AEFI notification attributed to yellow ...

BACKGROUND Although measles mortality has declined dramatically in Sub-Saharan Africa, measles remains a major public health problem in countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Here, we describe the large measles epidemic that occurred in the Democratic Republic of Congo between 2010 and 2013 using data from the national surveillance system as well as vaccine coverage surveys to p...

During December 12-29, 1998, seven patients ages 2-18 years were diagnosed with serogroup C meningococcal disease in two neighboring Florida towns with 33,000 residents. We evaluated a mass vaccination campaign implemented to control the outbreak. We maintained vaccination logs and recorded the resources used in the campaign that targeted 2- to 22-year-old residents of the two towns. A total of...