An investigation of child mortality in a semi-urban community, Bandim II, in the capital of Guinea Bissau was carried out from April 1987 to March 1990. 153 deaths were recorded among 1426 live-born children who were followed for 2753 child-years. The under-five mortality risk was 215 per 1000 children (95% confidence interval [CI] 176-264), infant mortality 94 per 1000 (95% CI 73-115), and perinatal mortality 52 per 1000 (95% CI 41-63). By prospective registration of morbidity, post-mortem interviews, and examination of available hospital records, a presumptive cause of death was established in 86% of the deaths. Persistent and acute diarrhoea were the most frequent causes of death, accounting for 43 and 31 deaths per 1000 children, respectively. Fever deaths (possibly malaria), neonatal deaths, acute respiratory infections, and measles were other frequent causes. The access to health services was relatively easy: 75% of the children who died had attended for treatment at a hospital or a health centre. It is important to find ways of preventing and managing persistent diarrhoea, the major cause of death, and to improve the control of acute diarrhoea by a targeted approach.

Acute Disease↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Studies of the relationships between herd size, the percentage of pigs culled during the finishing period and the prevalence rate at slaughter of pigs with lesions.

In the range of 456-5,518 pigs delivered to slaughter per farm per year, herd size appeared to have no real influence on either the percentage of pigs culled during the finishing period or the percentage of pigs with lesions at slaughter. Percentage of pigs culled during the finishing period is positively correlated with percentage of pigs with lesions of slaughter P less than 0.01. The frequency of pigs culled during the finishing period could be an indicator for the need of intervention to restore health.

Abattoirs↗