BACKGROUND We describe trends in childhood mortality in Kenya, paying attention to the urban-rural and intra-urban differentials. METHODS We use data from the Kenya Demographic and Health Surveys (KDHS) collected between 1993 and 2008 and the Nairobi Urban Health and Demographic Surveillance System (NUHDSS) collected in two Nairobi slums between 2003 and 2010, to estimate infant mortality rat...

Unprecedented growth of urban population presents a major challenge for sustainable economic growth. The State of Punjab which was known for its agricultural performance and dynamic rural economy upto 1990s is now emerging as a service economy dominated by urban sector. The State of Punjab has emerged as the sixth major urbanised State in India. According to the 2011 census 37.49 per cent of th...

The impetus This research project started at the World Bank in 2000. Urban practitioners working on the Africa region were concerned that almost all African cities were struggling with the slum problemöslums were everywhere and growing rapidly. It was clear that something needed to be done, but the `what' was far from obvious. A key issue was that the Bank's own experience with investing in slu...

Neonatal tetanus is still an important public health problem in both urban and rural Bangladesh, with an estimated 41,000 cases occurring annually. This article analyses the coverage of tetanus toxoid (TT) immunizations among women of reproductive age in Zone 3 of Dhaka City in 1995. Although 85% of women with a child under 1 year of age had received two TT immunizations, only 11% of women of r...

In the past, immunization programmes have focused primarily on rural areas. However, with the recognition of the increasing numbers of urban poor, it is timely to review urban immunization activities. This update addresses two questions: Is there any need to be concerned about urban immunization and, if so, is more of the same kind of rural EPI activity needed or are there specific urban issues...

INTRODUCTION Cancer, cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory disease, and type 2 diabetes, are responsible for over 50% of worldwide mortality. Chronic diseases have broad negative impacts in developing countries. Contributing to the development of chronic diseases are sedentary lifestyles, poor nutrition and eating habits, and air pollution, among other risk factors. These are also greatly...