Rift Valley fever (RVF) is an acute arthropod-borne viral zoonotic disease primarily occurring in Africa. Since RVF-like disease was reported in Tanzania in 1930, outbreaks of the disease have been reported mainly from the eastern ecosystem of the Great Rift Valley. This cross-sectional study was carried out to describe the variation in RVF virus (RVFV) seropositivity in domestic ruminants betw...

OBJECTIVE With the aim of conducting a future cluster randomised trial to assess intervention impact on child vaccination coverage, we designed a pilot study to assess feasibility and aid in refining methods for the larger study. TRIAL DESIGN Cluster-randomised design with a 1:1 allocation ratio. METHODS Clusters were 12 villages in rural Uttar Pradesh. All women residing in a selected vill...

Aim The aim of the study is to evaluate the behavior of Lebanese pediatricians regarding children's oral health. Materials and methods A cross sectional study including 100 Lebanese pediatricians was performed. They answered 11 questions. Three variables were taken into consideration: The number of years in practice, the place and the type of practice. Results The answers were tabulated acc...

BACKGROUND By 2009, two decades of war and widespread displacement left the majority of the population of Northern Uganda impoverished. METHODS This study used a cluster-randomized design to test the hypothesis that a poverty alleviation program would improve economic security and reduce symptoms of depression in a sample of mostly young women. Roughly 120 villages in Northern Uganda were inv...

DEDICATION To my parents and family for their endless love and support. v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Special thanks to Kathleen Lugosch and Stephen Schreiber for their academic advices and kind help. Urban Villages are a specific phenomenon raised in modern China due to the high-speed economic development and urbanization in recent three decades. And there are social, economic, cultural and architectural ...

In this study, the prevalence and intensity of Schistosoma haematobium infection was determined among school-age children living in the Middle and Lower Awash Valley, Afar Regional State of Ethiopia. Between February and May 2014, urine samples were collected from 885 school-age children (5-16 years of age) from the Middle (n = 632; 4 villages) and Lower (n = 253; 3 villages) Awash Valley. All ...

BACKGROUND Neglected tropical diseases are co-endemic in many areas of the world, including sub Saharan Africa. Currently lymphatic filariasis (albendazole/ivermectin) and trachoma (azithromycin) are treated separately. Consequently, financial and logistical benefit can be gained from integration of preventive chemotherapy programs in such areas. METHODOLOGY/FINDINGS 4 villages in two co-ende...