Wastes from paper and pulp mills; a problem of the northern European countries, with special reference to Finland.
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The disposal of wastes from paper and pulp mills-a problem of particular importance in the northern European countries of Norway, Sweden and Denmark, where wood-processing is one of the main industries-is discussed. The various types of waste produced are described, and their pollution potential is assessed, in terms of population equivalents, with special reference to the present position in Finland. The methods available for the treatment of these wastes are briefly outlined. (+info)
Some personal views on the control of schistosomiasis mansoni.
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Our views are based, among other, on a recent study of a district of Uniao dos Palmares (Alagoas). Although being a very compact community (32 city blocks holding two thousand families), transmission is very uneven, the geometric mean egg counts in the various blocks ranging between extremes of 96 and 1920. (Results do not correlate with the availability of domestic water supply). We thus are led to conclude that: (a) transmission is primarily peridomestic, resulting from pollution of open ditches and other collections of water; (b) control of transmission can be done on a selective basis, requiring quite modest investments. Given the inefficacy of population-based chemotherapy, when used alone, the author insists that this alternative cannot any longer be overlooked. He also regrets the emphasis placed upon vaccine development; allegations that this would, at any rate, prevent severe morbidity can be dismissed, since-whatever the cause-morbidity due to schistosomiasis has been rapidly declining in Northeast Brazil. (+info)
Sanitation in self-service automatic washers.
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The potential for microbial transfer in self-service laundry washing machines was investigated by obtaining swab samples from the interior surfaces of commercial machines and wash water samples before and after disinfectant treatment. Three disinfectants (chlorine, a quaternary ammonium product, and a phenolic disinfectant) were used. Four self-service laundry facilities were sampled, with 10 replications of the procedure for each treatment at each location. Although washers were set on a warmwater setting, the wash water temperatures ranged from 24 to 51 degrees C. The quaternary ammonium product seemed most effective, averaging a 97% microbial kill; chlorine was the second most effective, with a 58% kill, and the phenolic disinfectant was least effective, with only a 25% kill. The efficacies of the chlorine and phenolic disinfectants were reduced at low water temperatures commonly experienced in self-service laundries. Interfamily cross-contamination in self-service facilities is a potential public health problem, which is aggravated by environmental conditions, such as water temperature and the practices of the previous users of the equipment. Procedural changes in laundering are recommended, including the use of a disinfectant to maintain adequate levels of sanitation. (+info)
ACUTE DIARRHOEAL DISEASE IN LESS DEVELOPED COUNTRIES. 2. PATTERNS OF EPIDEMIOLOGICAL BEHAVIOUR IN RURAL GUATEMALAN VILLAGES.
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A number of primary epidemiological characteristics are recognized as common to members of a syndrome designated "acute undifferentiated diarrhoeal disease". This syndrome includes both specific and non-specific diarrhoeal disorders. Within the existing knowledge and with the facilities available in less developed countries, an epidemiological basis for control, directed against the syndrome as a whole, is presented as the practical approach to community management. Clinical and microbiological distinctions do not extend to the main bulk of the problem. Individual epidemiological patterns exist according to age and varying social and ecological conditions. Field study by periodic home visits over four years has defined these patterns in highland rural villages in Guatemala. The chief problem was weanling diarrhoea. (+info)
Medical care for interned enemy aliens: a role for the US Public Health Service in World War II.
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During World War II, the US Public Health Service (USPHS) administered health care to 19 000 enemy aliens and Axis merchant seamen interned by the Justice Department through its branch, the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS). The Geneva Prisoners of War Convention of 1929, which the United States applied to civilian internees, provided guidelines for belligerent nations regarding humanitarian treatment of prisoners of war, including for their health. The INS forged an agreement with the USPHS to meet these guidelines for the German, Italian, and Japanese internees and, in some cases, their families. Chronic shortages and crowded camps continuously challenged USPHS administrators. Nevertheless, the USPHS offered universal access to care and provided treatment often exceeding care received by many American citizens. (+info)
Determinants of geographic variation in Helicobacter pylori infection among children on the US-Mexico border.
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Rates of Helicobacter pylori infection are traditionally higher in developing countries than in developed countries, but the specific reasons for these differences are not fully clear. While chronic diseases resulting from H. pylori are generally of adult onset, chronic infection usually begins in childhood. In this cross-sectional study (1998-2000), the authors compared prevalences of H. pylori infection among children under age 6 years on both sides of the Rio Grande. Participants included 264 children of women from low-income families who were receiving services at health clinics in Juarez, Mexico, or El Paso, Texas, from April 1998 through October 2000. Data were collected through personal interviews and serologic testing for H. pylori antibodies. The crude odds ratio for H. pylori prevalence among Mexican children as compared with US children was 3.94 (95% confidence interval: 1.72, 9.06). After adjustment for covariates, the odds ratio decreased to 1.70 (95% confidence interval: 0.64, 4.52). The adjustments that produced the greatest reduction in the odds ratio for location were those for household crowding and maternal education. This study identified specific factors that may explain geographic variation in H. pylori prevalence among children. (+info)
Risk factors for infection with Giardia duodenalis in pre-school children in the city of Salvador, Brazil.
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A cross-sectional study of 694 children aged 2 to 45 months selected from 30 clusters throughout the city of Salvador, Bahia (pop. 2.3 million) was carried out as part of a longitudinal study of diarrhoea in order to identify risk factors for infection with Giardia duodenalis. Variables studied included three social and demographic factors (such as mother's education and marital status), five relating to the peri-domestic environment (rubbish disposal, open sewers, paving of the street), seven relating to the home itself (house construction, susceptibility to flooding, water supply and sanitation) as well as a score for hygiene behaviour based on structured observation. After multivariate analysis using a hierarchical model, only four significant risk factors were found: (a) number of children in the household under five years (b) rubbish not collected from the house (c) presence of visible sewage nearby, and (d) absence of a toilet. All four were significant at the 1% level. (+info)
Acute diarrhea during army field exercise in southern China.
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AIM: During emergency period, infectious diseases can be a major threat to military forces. During field training in southern China, diarrhea is the main cause of nonbattle injury. To evaluate the causes of and risk factors for diarrhea in emergency period, we collected clinical and epidemiological data from the People's Liberation Army (PLA) during field training in southern China. METHODS: From September 25 to October 2 1997, 2636 military personnel were investigated. Fecal sample cultures for lapactic pathogens were obtained from 103 military personnel with diarrhea. In addition, a questionnaire was administered to 103 cases and 206 controls to evaluate the association between illness and potential risk factors. At the same time, another questionnaire of 1:4 case-case control was administered to 22 severe cases (each severe case paired 4 mild cases). RESULTS: The training troop's diarrhea incidence rate was significantly higher than that of garrison. The diarrhea incidence rate of officers was significantly lower than that of soldiers. A lapactic pathogen was identified in 63.1% (65/103) of the troops with diarrhea. Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (35.0%) and plesiomona shigelloides (16.5%) were the most common bacterial pathogens. All bacterial isolates were sensitive to norfloxacin and ceftazidine. However, almost all of them were resistant to sulfamethoxazole, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, oxytetracycline, doxycycline, furazolidone, ampicillin and cloromycetin to a different degree. Risk factors associated with diarrhea included drinking raw water, eating outside, contacting diarrhea patients, lacking sanitation, depression, lacking sleep, which were established by multiple-factor logistic regression analysis. In addition, the unit incidence rate was associated with the density of flies and the average daily boiled water available by regression and discriminate analysis. CONCLUSION: A series of risk factors are associated with the incidence rate of diarrhea. Our results may provide a useful basis for prevention and cure of diarrhea in emergency period of PLA. (+info)