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S Brooker

Publications and source records attributed to S Brooker.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed2001

Foods found in the wild around nuclear sites: an evaluation of radiological impact.

Habit surveys were carried out around four licensed nuclear sites to identify people who collect foodstuffs from the wild (so-called 'free foods'). In total, around 800 collectors were readily identified, most of whom collected more than one free food. The data indicated that estimates of higher than average doses could reasonably be based on the three foodstuffs of most importance. Foods were selected for further study on the basis of either the number of collectors or the amount consumed. The radionuclides of interest were identified using published information on the discharges from each site. The resultant average and higher than average doses were estimated using the site-specific habit data. For all sites, doses from the consumption of free foods were low and of no radiological importance. Assessments based solely on data for cultivated foods would not therefore have underestimated radiological impact significantly. However, given the wide utilisation of free foods found in this study, for rigorous assessments it would be prudent to take account of the consumption of foods from the wild.

England↗
PubMed2001

Epidemiology of intestinal helminth infestations among schoolchildren in southern Uganda.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence and intensity of intestinal helminth species among school children in southern Uganda. DESIGN: A cross-sectional survey using a randomly selected sample. SETTING: Eighteen districts of southern Uganda. SUBJECT: Two thousand and four school children aged two to twenty years (93.3%, aged 5-10 years) selected from classes 1 and 2 in 26 randomly selected primary schools. RESULTS: Overall, 55.9% of children were infected with either hookworm, Ascanis lumbricoides or Trichuris trichiura. The prevalence of A. lumbricoides was 17.5% ( range 0-66.7% by school), T. trichiura was 7.3% (0-45.0%) and hookworm 44.5% (15.6-86.0%). The prevalence of A. lumbricoides and T. trichiura was greatest in western districts while hookworm infection was more evenly distributed across the country. CONCLUSION: Mass antihelminthic treatment of school children was warranted in 13 of the 18 districts as more than 50% of the children were infected with an intestinal nematode. It is likely that pre-school children are similarly infected.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

A Grid Complex

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Journal Article↗
PubMed2000

The potential of geographical information systems and remote sensing in the epidemiology and control of human helminth infections.

Geographic information systems (GIS) and remote sensing (RS) technologies are being used increasingly to study the spatial and temporal patterns of infectious diseases. For helminth infections, however, such applications have only recently begun despite the recognition that infection distribution patterns in endemic areas may have profound effects on parasite population dynamics and therefore the design and implementation of successful control programmes. Here, we review the early applications of these technologies to the major human helminths (geohelminths, schistosomes and the major lymphatic filarial worms), which demonstrate the potential of these tools to serve as: (1) an effective data capture, mapping and analysis tool for the development of helminth atlases; (2) an environment for modeling the spatial distribution of infection in relation to RS and environmental variables, hence furthering the understanding of the impact of density-independent factors in underlying observed parasite spatial distributions and their effective prediction; and (3) a focal tool in parasite control programming given their abilities to (i) better define endemic areas, (ii) provide more precise estimates of populations-at-risk, (iii) map their distribution in relation to health facilities and (iv) by facilitating the stratification of areas by infection risk probabilities, to aid in the design of optimal drug or health measure delivery systems. These applications suggest a successful role for GIS/RS applications in investigating the spatial epidemiology of the major human helminths. It is evident that further work addressing a range of critical issues include problems of data quality, the need for a better understanding of the population biological impact of environmental factors on critical stages of the parasite life-cycle, the impacts and consequences of spatial scale on these relationships, and the development and use of appropriate spatially-explicit statistical and modeling techniques in data analysis, is required if the true potential of this tool to helminthology is to be fully realized.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Towards an atlas of human helminth infection in sub-Saharan Africa: the use of geographical information systems (GIS).

The value of a geographical perspective to infectious disease epidemiology and control has long been recognized. However, the labour required to produce maps, and keep them up to date, has inhibited the development of this area, and very little is currently known about the spatial distribution of parasitic infections other than malaria, trypanosomiasis and onchocerciasis. A recent initiative by an international group of collaborators is attempting to redress the absence of detailed spatial information on the major helminth infections of humans. In this article, Simon Brooker and colleagues describe progress made by this initiative in mapping helminth infections in sub-Saharan Africa, highlighting the value as well as the limitations of this empirical mapping approach.

Africa South of the Sahara↗
PubMed2000

Age patterns in stunting and anaemia in African schoolchildren: a cross-sectional study in Tanzania.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the nutritional status of schoolchildren from a rural area of Tanzania, with a particular emphasis on older adolescents to determine the timing of the growth spurt and differences by sex. DESIGN: A cross-sectional survey using a randomly selected sample. SUBJECTS: Six thousand eight hundred and one children aged 7-18 y randomly selected from those enrolled in standards 2-5 in 59 primary schools in Magu District, Tanzania. RESULTS: Overall, 52.5% of children were stunted and 43.0% were underweight, with significantly more boys stunted and underweight than girls. Z-scores of height-for-age for both boys and girls decreased progressively between 7 and 12 y. After 12 y the height-for-age z-scores of girls show a marked upturn, whilst z-scores for boys continue to decrease throughout the school-aged years until 16 y when a slight upturn is observed. Anaemia (Hb<120 g/L) was present in 62.6% of children, with the prevalence decreasing with age. Anaemia improved throughout the school years for boys, but did not for girls. Age, sex and hookworm infection were significant predictors of anaemia. CONCLUSION: Stunting and anaemia are exceptionally common conditions in African schoolchildren. The findings highlight important differences between boys and girls, which are suggestive of compensatory growth at 12 y for girls and at 16 y for boys, although it remains unclear whether boys will catch up in height at older ages. SPONSORSHIP: Funding was provided by the Wellcome Trust. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2000) 54, 36-40

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Epidemiology of single and multiple species of helminth infections among school children in Busia District, Kenya.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the patterns of single and multiple helminth infection in school children from Busia District, Kenya. DESIGN: A cross-sectional school survey using a randomly selected sample, forming part of an evaluation study of an ongoing deworming project. SETTING: Budalangi and Funyula divisions of Busia District, Western Province, Kenya. SUBJECTS: One thousand seven hundred and thirty eight school children aged 8-20 years randomly selected from those enrolled in standards 3-8 in 25 randomly selected primary schools. RESULTS: Overall, 91.7% of children were infected with either hookworm, Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuris trichiura or Schistosoma mansoni. Infection prevalence of each species varied considerably among schools, being most marked for S. mansoni, where prevalence was highest in lakeshore schools. Children were typically infected with two or more species of helminth. Infection intensity of each geohelminth species was higher in school children infected with multiple species than in school children with single species infections, and intensity increased with the number of concurrent infections. CONCLUSION: Helminth infections are exceptionally common among school children in Busia district, thus confirming the good sense of the school-based approach adopted by the control programme. The study also shows that there is an association between concurrent infection and the intensity of infection, which may have consequences for nutritional and educational status.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Can prevalence of infection in school-aged children be used as an index for assessing community prevalence?

Community data on the prevalence of helminth infections is important for guiding health policy, but expensive to collect. As a result most surveys focus on school-aged children, frequently using schools as a sentinel population. Since there already exists a vast amount of data on infection levels in school-aged children, but limited community-based data, we undertook a literature search on age-stratified infection data for intestinal nematode infections and schistosomiasis in Africa, to investigate whether estimates of the prevalence of infection in school-aged children could provide an index for determining community prevalence. The observed data on prevalence of infection in infants, school-aged children and adults were fitted using linear and logistic regression models which take into account variation in sample prevalences. Despite the wide variation in study sites, the observed relationship between community prevalence and school-aged prevalence was remarkably consistent for each parasite species. The prevalence of infection in school-aged children alone was shown to be higher than the predicted prevalence in the community, but the degree of overestimation was dependent on the parasite species and the level of infection. The results suggest that the prevalence of infection in school-aged children could provide a cost-effective predictive tool which can be used at a district/national level to identify target areas for control and to evaluate the numbers at risk of infection.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

The performance of school-based questionnaires of reported blood in urine in diagnosing Schistosoma haematobium infection: patterns by age and sex.

This study investigates the performance of school-based questionnaires of reported blood in urine as an indicator of the prevalence of Schistosoma haematobium infection in schools and the presence of infection in individuals. In most schools (87%), the prevalence of reported blood in urine underestimates the prevalence of S. haematobium infection. Predictive value analysis suggests that a threshold of 30% reported blood in urine would identify most of the high prevalence schools (i.e. those with 50% or more children infected with S. haematobium). Although the prevalence of S. haematobium infection was greater in males than females, girls reported a lower prevalence of blood in urine than boys even at comparable levels of infection. Reported blood in urine in females was more specific (identifying 10% more uninfected girls than the sign in boys), but was far less sensitive (identifying less than 20% of infected girls than boys). The sensitivity of reported blood in urine was also related to age, being significantly lower in girls over 14 years of age. The proportion of infected children who reported blood in urine was also lower in schools where the prevalence of reported blood in urine is less than 30%. The results suggest that the selective treatment of children based on reported blood in urine in low prevalence schools would miss a high proportion of infected children, particularly girls. It remains unclear whether other rapid assessment techniques, such as the use of reagent strips, would offer greater cost-effectiveness.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Spurious ST segment depression by automated ST segment analysis.

Perioperative myocardial ischemia has been shown to be predictive of adverse cardiac outcome [1]. One method of detecting intraoperative myocardial ischemia is automated ST segment monitoring [2]. The rationale behind automated ST monitoring is that the clinician will be promptly alerted to ischemic changes in the ECG. This may lead to earlier intervention and, perhaps, improved outcome [3]. We describe a case in which automated ST segment monitoring falsely signaled the presence of intraoperative ST segment depression. This event emphasizes the importance of confirming the validity of ST segment changes before instituting therapy.

Aged↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Snake bites in Kenya: a preliminary survey of four areas.

Primary data were collected on the incidence, severity and species responsible for snake bites in 4 areas of Kenya: (i) Kakamega and western Kenya, (ii) Lake Baringo and Laikipia, (iii) Kilifi and Malindi, and (iv) northern Kenya. The overall average frequency of snake bite was 13.8 per 100,000 population per year (range 1.9-67.9). The minimum rate of snake bite mortality was 0.45/100,000/year. Thirty-four of the 50 units visited reported no knowledge of death from snake bite in the last 5 years. Possible reasons for the low estimates are discussed. Traditional treatments were common, especially the use of herbal remedies and incisions at the wound site.

Antivenins↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The epidemiology of hookworm infection and its contribution to anaemia among pre-school children on the Kenyan coast.

Intestinal nematode infections are recognized as a major public health problem, and helminth control is currently being directed towards school-aged children who are known to harbour the heaviest infections and are most likely to suffer from associated morbidity. However, few data are available for the epidemiology of intestinal nematodes in pre-school children in Africa, and the contribution of hookworm infection to the aetiology and severity of anaemia among pre-school children remains poorly understood. This paper investigates the epidemiology of parasitic infections in 460 pre-school children who were part of a larger case-control study of severe malaria in Kilifi on the Kenyan coast. Almost one-third (28.7%) were infected with hookworm, 20.2% with Ascaris lumbricoides and 15.0% with Trichuris trichiura. Infection prevalence of each species rose with age, and the prevalence of heavy infection with hookworm and mean intensity of hookworm were markedly age-dependent. One-third (34.3%) of children had malaria. Overall, 76.3% of children were anaemic (haemoglobin < 110 g/L), with the prevalence decreasing with age. Anaemia was significantly worst in children with heavy hookworm infection (> 200 eggs per gram). This relationship held for all ages, both sexes, and was independent of socioeconomic factors. The application of attributable morbidity methods confirmed the contribution of hookworm infection to anaemia.

Anemia↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Patterns of concurrent hookworm infection and schistosomiasis in schoolchildren in Tanzania.

A cross-sectional study of 6897 schoolchildren in 59 out of the 155 primary schools in Magu District on the shores of Lake Victoria, Tanzania, was undertaken in 1997 to determine the prevalence of single- and multiple-species helminth infection. Schistosoma haematobium, hookworm (primarily Necator americanus) and S. mansoni were the most common helminth species infecting schoolchildren in the district. The prevalences of Ascaris lumbricoides and Trichuris trichiura were negligible (< 1%). Anaemia and stunting were highly prevalent and widespread. Hookworm and S. mansoni occurred more frequently in multiple infections with other helminths than as single-species infections, but triple-species infection was rare. Analysis of the frequency distribution of infection amongst schools showed that prevalences of S. haematobium and hookworm tended to be normally distributed, with medians 75% and 45%, respectively, while the distribution of S. mansoni was markedly skewed such that only 17% schools had a prevalence greater than 20%. An inverse association between S. mansoni and S. haematobium was observed. Geographical information system (GIS) analysis indicated that S. mansoni infection was highly prevalent only along the shore of Lake Victoria, whilst S. haematobium was homogeneously prevalent everywhere except the lakeshore. This pattern appears to reflect the distribution of schistosome species-specific snail intermediate hosts. The results imply that joint treatment for hookworm infection and schistosomiasis would be beneficial throughout the district.

Age Distribution↗