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Biomedical subjects

M F Lechat

Publications and source records attributed to M F Lechat.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1980

An information system for leprosy control (OMSLEP Recording and Reporting System).

This study reports the various steps involved in the design of a simplified information system for leprosy (OMSLEP), developed in cooperation between the Unit of Epidemiology, University of Louvain, Belgium, and WHO. The objective of the system is to permit the evaluation of a) the efficiency of programs within the context of established strategies and norms; b) the effectiveness of leprosy control methods from an epidemiological point of view; c) the efficacy and productivity of certain program components. Prior to designing the system, the relevant epidemiological and operational indices have been reviewed. A survey was also made of the forms used by some 78 leprosy control schemes throughout the world in order to analyze the current information now being collected. The proposed system is described. It includes individual record form to be filled at registration and once yearly in subsequent years of follow-up, a detection form, and an annual statistics form for the tabulation of total patients. The system is presently being tested in some 15 countries.

Data Collection↗
PubMed1979

Disasters and public health.

Studies on the health effects of disasters have shown that epidemiological indices can be of value in planning preventive and relief measures and in evaluating their effectiveness. Mortality rates naturally vary considerably, but in earthquakes, for example, the number of deaths per 100 houses destroyed can give an indication of the adequacy of building techniques. Age-specific mortality rates can help to identify particularly vulnerable groups and perhaps indicate what form of education would be valuable. Except in earthquakes, the number of casualties after a disaster is usually low in relation to the number of deaths, and study of the distribution and types of lesions would help in planning the amounts and types of relief supplies and personnel required. Disasters also affect the general level of morbidity in a district because of either interruption of normal health care services or of spraying or other disease control measures. Mental health and nutrition following disasters are particular problems that require further investigation. Study of all these features of disasters has been handicapped by a lack of data, particularly concerning the health situation immediately after the impact. The provision of surveillance teams in disaster-prone areas would appear to be a field in which international cooperation could yield immense benefits.

Disasters↗
PubMed1978

Smoking patterns during and before pregnancy: weight, length and head circumference of progeny.

This study indicates that tobacco smoking by the mother is associated with a significant reduction of the newborn's size. This effect cannot be explained by either an association of the smoking habit with malformation, premature birth, exaggerated consumption of coffee matrimonial status or paternal smoking, or by a combination of malformation, prematurity and any one of the other factors. The effect is also unrelated to the continuation or discontinuation of smoking during pregnancy. Paternal smoking seems to be associated with a reduced weight in children born to nonsmoking mothers.

Adult↗
PubMed1977

[Attitude toward the risk of epidemics during sudden disasters (author's transl)].

Following sudden disasters, major outbreaks are rare unless malnutrition and starvation are common. No dramatic increase of water borne diseases has been reported and adequately documented in the aftermath of the earthquakes, cyclones or floods of this decade. However, the attitude of the public, the mass media and of the health services is sometimes irrational leading to impressive but ineffective mass immunizations. An epidemiologic system and accurate information on the actual situation are essential in case of major disasters.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed1977

[Priorities in health activities in refugee camps (author's transl)].

In times of natural or man-made disasters, settlements of refugees in temporary camps face the health authorities with new public health problems. The allocation of priorities and resources among Medical Care, Prevention and Sanitation, and Nutrition are usually not based on objective assessment of the situation. The potential role of epidemiological techniques and particularly of the surveillance is illustrated by the case studies of the Bengladesh civil war and the Niger drought. A rational priority order will usually rank nutrition at the top and individual medical care at the bottom.

Bangladesh↗
PubMed1976

The epidemiology of disasters.

Over the last few years there has been an increasing awareness that some kind of disaster management should be possible. The emphasis is now moving from post-disaster improvisation to predisaster preparedness. The League of Red Cross Societies has increasingly encouraged predisaster planning in countries at risk. A new United Nations agency - United Nations Disaster Relief Office (UNDRO)- has been set up with headquarters in Geneva. Coordination and exchange of information between agencies engaged in disaster relief are becoming the rule rather than the exception, and a number of groups have started with the specific objective of making professional expertise available to disaster management. A number of private initiatives have been taken, meetings have been organized, research centers set up, and research projects launched. The study of disasters needs to be approached on a multidisciplinary basis, the more so since the health component is only one part of the broad disaster problem and, perhaps not the major one. Social scientists, psychologists, administrators, economists, geographers, have been or are conducting a number of studies on natural disasters. These studies have provided new insights and have proved most useful in preparing for disasters and increasing the effectiveness and acceptance of relief operations. This is a vital and challenging field, wide open for research. It is now time for epidemiologists and community health scientists to enter the fray and provide much needed information on which a rational, effective and flexible policy for the management of disasters can be based.

Cholera↗