BACKGROUND The objective of this study is to report the costs of Chagas disease in Colombia, in terms of vector disease control programmes and the costs of providing care to chronic Chagas disease patients with cardiomyopathy. METHODS Data were collected from Colombia in 2004. A retrospective review of costs for vector control programmes carried out in rural areas included 3,084 houses survey...

BACKGROUND In the 1830s in England, there was a great cultural interest in the collection and publishing of all kinds of statistics. The Council of the Statistical Society of London (founded in 1834) commissioned one of its Fellows, Dr William Farr, to investigate and prepare a report on the mortality of patients in the county asylums, with the mortality in a large number of proprietary houses ...

The effectiveness of three operational strategies for the control of Triatoma dimidiata was compared by a field trial in the Department of Madriz, Nicaragua. One strategy involved full pretrial evaluation, followed by spraying of all houses irrespective of whether or not they had been found to be infested. The second strategy minimised the pretrial evaluation by considering the locality infeste...

The fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM–5), psychiatry’s guidebook for mental health professionals, insurance companies, and pharmaceutical houses, makes a retrogressive return to earlier times in its core assumptions, a change that most commentators on the manual consider to render it far less productive and clinically useful than its prior versions,...

Day lighting is one of the important qualitative factors in housing, which is also effective on health and well-being of occupants. Extensive glass surfaces and Transparency in building facades provides good daylight quantity for interior spaces. However, this lighting system is not appropriate for climates faced with higher sunlight radiation (Such as hot-humid areas), due to overheating and d...

Few data are available from Eastern Mediterranean countries about levels of domestic allergens and endotoxins. Dust samples were collected from mattresses and floors of 457 homes in the Syrian city of Aleppo and analysed for antigens and endotoxins. The most important predictors for detectable levels of house-dust mite allergen Der p 1 were Arabic-style houses (OR 3.21) and newer houses (OR 1.5...

This Postpartum Hemorrhage: Prevention and Management toolkit was developed by the USAID-funded Maternal and Child Health Integrated Program (MCHIP) as a resource of current evidence, materials and experiences from around the world. It reflects contributions from many donors, agencies, associations, academic institutions and organizations which have identified postpartum hemorrhage as a priorit...

Radon is a naturally occurring tasteless, odourless gas. It is found everywhere, usually at negligible concentrations. It can enter buildings from porous soil and rock and usually dissipates harmlessly into the atmosphere (1). However, in enclosed spaces, such as houses, it can accumulate and pose health hazards, specifically an increased risk of lung cancer (2,3). On average radon contributes ...

Data on home accidents for a 3-year period (2000-2002) were collected from health houses, health centres and hospitals involved in a home accident prevention programme in Shiraz, Islamic Republic of Iran. A total of 15 402 accidents were registered, with a mortality rate of 1.3%. Accidents were more common in women than in men (52.1% versus 47.9%) and urban than rural areas (66.3% versus 33.7%)...

Maxillofacial trauma is typically caused by blunt trauma due to interpersonal violence, moving vehicle accidents (MVA), falls, or sporting activities . Because these activities transcend cultural and geographic borders, maxillofacial trauma remains a global health issue. Technological advances have resulted in faster methods of transportation and with these developments maxillofacial trauma has...