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Biomedical subjects

F M White

Publications and source records attributed to F M White.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1992

Surveillance in evacuation camps after the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo, Philippines.

To obtain accurate, timely data on the health status of persons in evacuation camps after the eruption of the Mt. Pinatubo volcano, the Philippine Department of Health (DOH) conducted a survey of the health needs of the evacuees and established disease surveillance in each camp. Surveys of the camps revealed that sources of potable water, sanitary means of waste disposal, and shelters were inadequate. Disease surveillance showed that measles, acute respiratory infections, and diarrhea were the most important problems. Surveillance detected outbreaks of measles and an outbreak of vomiting and diarrhea in the camps. Deaths, primarily caused by measles (31%), diarrhea (29%), and respiratory infections (22%), totaled 349 in the first 12 weeks. Death rates peaked in the seventh week, when a death rate of 26/10,000 occurred among the Aetas, a tribe evacuated from the slopes of the volcano. The surveys guided the DOH in allocating supplies and medicine, while disease surveillance enabled disaster managers to monitor the effectiveness of health programs, identify high-risk groups, and respond appropriately to the situation.

Diarrhea↗
PubMed1992

Epidemiological indicators and the epidemiology of measles in the English-speaking Caribbean and Suriname.

The main purpose of this article is to discuss the definitions and limitations of the indicators used to study the epidemiology of measles in the English-speaking Caribbean and Suriname. In addition, the epidemiology of measles over the past ten years is briefly reviewed, with a focus on recent epidemics. The predicted epidemiological picture of measles over the next few years is also discussed and, finally, the difference between elimination and eradication of measles is explained.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

The epidemiology of mumps in southern Alberta 1980-1982.

The full spectrum of mumps in Southern Alberta was studied over the years 1980-1982. In the community, a random sample of 3,497 children was tested for prevalence of immunity to mumps. The 1,816 who were not immune were retested after one year. The incidence of new immunity was 16.5%. Most seroconverters had no illness suggestive of mumps. History of previous mumps or immunization were found to be unreliable predictors of serologic immune status. In the family study, information was obtained on 342 cases diagnosed as mumps by family physician recorders. The overall complication rate was 10.8% and the secondary attack rate within families was 11.7%. Hospital records of all 25 patients admitted in Calgary with mumps during the same period were analyzed. Estimated costs of unopposed mumps over 20 years compared with the estimated costs of vaccination showed that a vaccination program could give a benefit-cost ratio between 6.4 and 247. These studies show that mumps is a mild disease with relatively few serious complications or sequelae. Even so, there would be definite medical and economic benefit with immunization. A low-cost addition of mumps vaccine to the immunization program would be justified.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

Chemicals, birth defects and stillbirths in New Brunswick: associations with agricultural activity.

We describe a series of investigations that were conducted in support of the Task Force on Chemicals in the Environment and Human Reproductive Problems in New Brunswick. Geographic and temporal analyses and case-control studies, with the use of vital statistics, hospital records, the Canadian Congenital Anomalies Surveillance System and chemical databases, revealed no association between pesticides used in forestry and reproductive problems. Evidence of an association between the potential exposure to agricultural chemicals and three major anomalies combined as well as spina bifida without hydrocephalus was found. More plausible was an association between stillbirths and such exposure during the second trimester of pregnancy. This finding, along with the cyclic patterns of stillbirth in the agricultural Saint John River basin and the somewhat higher stillbirth rates in New Brunswick than in adjacent provinces or in Canada as a whole, suggests that further attention should focus on possible associations between agricultural activity and stillbirths.

Abnormalities, Drug-Induced↗
PubMed1986

Associations of body mass index and waist:hip ratio with hypertension.

Canada Fitness Survey data for people aged 20 to 69 years were analysed by means of linear discriminant analysis to determine the effect of age, weight relative to height (body mass index) and weight distribution (waist:hip ratio) on hypertension (defined as diastolic blood pressure of 90 mm Hg or more) for both sexes separately. All three variables had independent effects on hypertension, but partial correlation coefficients indicated that the contribution of waist:hip ratio was secondary to that of body mass index. The association of measurements of body fat (five skinfold measurements) with hypertension was also examined; overall these measurements gave no advantage over the more simply measured body mass index. The results confirm the importance of assessing the predominant location of body fat and the body mass index when examining excess weight in relation to disease.

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed1986

Rate of slaughter may increase risk of human brucellosis in a meat-packing plant.

Researchers conducted an epidemiologic investigation of an outbreak of brucellosis at a meat-packing plant, where work was interrupted by a strike. The investigation revealed that the risk of infection with brucellosis may coincide with the rate at which reactor cattle are slaughtered, a factor often overlooked in other reports which investigated outbreaks of brucellosis. The slaughter of 20 to 25 reactor cattle per day was the estimate of the critical number of reactor cattle when the risk of infection is most likely to occur. Of the 193 workers studied, 17 (8.8%) were seropositive, but only eight (4.1%) were presumptive cases. Young, newly employed workers who did not wear glasses were at greatest risk of infection.

Abattoirs↗
PubMed1984

Prevalence of Ascaris lumbricoides infection in a small Nova Scotian community.

A survey of Ascaris lumbricoides prevalence was conducted during 1976 and 1977 in a rural community of Nova Scotia. Of 431 individuals tested, 121 (28.1%) were infected. All those infected were under 20 years of age. There was no difference in the rate of infection between households with pigsties and those without. A significantly higher prevalence rate was found in homes where feces were disposed of in the yard and water was obtained from a dug well. In a concurrent random survey taken in the Halifax metropolitan area, none of the 276 individuals tested was infected.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1981

Nosocomial infection control: scope and implications for health care--a historical view.

Knowing where we have come from helps to decide where we should be going. Many principles and practices of modern infection control were developed in the nineteenth and early twentieth century. The story is one of halting, yet relentless, progress. The history of these discoveries and their application to infection control, then and now, is described, such as principles of hygiene, antiseptic surgery, antimicrobial therapy, and improved hospital design. Many of the issues today are not new, nor are some of the fundamental solutions. An acceptance of this historical continuum may temper expectations and make us more accepting of change.

Antisepsis↗