What do “Back-to-School" Computers Have in Common with Health Education and Health Protection?

How to increase immunization levels in communities is a recurrent problem associated with missed opportunities. As communities gear-up for Back to School, health educators may encourage people to update their child, adolescent, and adult immunizations. Human herd immunity can protect communities from spread of infection, and an analogy is presented with “herd immunity for personal computers.” Both computer and biological viruses spread faster when a large portion of the population is unprotected. Just as individuals should receive immunization shots to protect self and families; computer systems can be protected against nasty computer code by using current anti-virus programs to limit the spread of viruses, worms, and Trojan horses from one computer to another. How much more would individuals rather receive timely shots that help to preserve health? An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure

Public Education and Lyme Disease Prevention in Monroe County: A Multi-Faceted Program of Personal Protection Strategies, Tick Identification/Risk Assessment, Bi-directional Referrals, and Vector Control

The purpose of this paper is to share findings and results from a six-year Lyme disease (LD) prevention program in Monroe County, PA. LD is hyper-endemic among ticks in Monroe County and much of the Northeast. In May 1996, an initial survey of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area (DWGNRA) established baseline data for tick densities and species, lifecycle occurrence, and infection rates. LD infection rates were extremely high, up to 63% of Ixodes species tested. Monroe County Vector Control (MCVC) has instituted an innovative prevention program. Community members bitten by ticks who seek medical care are referred to MCVC by their physicians. In some instances, community members bring samples directly to MCVC for tick identification and risk assessment, conducted using regression equations for duration of attachment (Falco et al., 1996; des Vignes et al, 2001). Each individual receives counseling, health education and, if necessary, prompt medical referral to prevent complications of LD. MCVC also conducts LD and tick seminars as requested by the community. Data is presented on the occurrence of ticks by life stage and gender, duration of tick attachment to humans, and health education techniques utilized. The low number of LD cases reported, relative to the number of LD positive ticks and tick bites, indicates that MCVC Lyme disease prevention strategies are successful. This model can be replicated in other region

What Seniors Say About West Nile Virus: The Threat is Not Over

Public health surveillance reports indicate that the recent rapid population increase among senior citizens is accompanied by a nationwide spread of West Nile virus (WNV), an emerging disease that poses a threat to the elderly. Information gathered from senior citizens in the County, showed that overall, 81.6% of seniors knew that WNV is spread to humans through the bite of an infected mosquito; but only 63.2% knew that older adults have a higher risk of severe complications from WNV infection. A tailored health education outreach program, based on the health belief model and epidemiologic triad, was implemented to share about WNV infection prevention and control. This included the reduction of mosquito breeding and bites; improved use of personal protective measures for outdoor exposures at dusk and at night; and use of repellants. Because the threat of WNV is not over, it is important to keep seniors and other vulnerable populations involved in issues that affect their health, community, and environmen

A Prospective Study of Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes Among Planned and Unplanned Pregnancies in Natural Family Planning Users

Objectives. To prospectively determine whether unplanned pregnancies are associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes among users of natural family planning (NFP). Methods. Women who became pregnant while using NFP were identified in five centers worldwide: there were 373 unplanned and 367 planned pregnancies. Subjects were followed up at 16 and 32 weeks gestation and after delivery. The risks of spontaneous abortion, low birth weight and preterm birth were estimated after adjustment by logistic regression. Results. The women with unplanned pregnancies were more likely to be at the extremes of age, to report more medical problems before and during the index pregnancy, and to seek antenatal care later in gestation than the women with planned pregnancies. However, women with planned pregnancies reported a higher rate of spontaneous abortion in prior pregnancies (28.8%) than did women with unplanned pregnancies (12.9%, p<0.001). There were no significant differences in the rates of spontaneous abortion, low birth weight or preterm birth in the two groups. Conclusions. No increased risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes was observed among women who experienced an unplanned pregnancy during NFP use. (Am J Public Health. 1996:00:0000-0000).Supported by grant BR-US-004 from the U.S. Agency for International Development and the Institute for International Studies in Natural Family Planning, Georgetown University, and The Johns Hopkins University, Population Center grant #5 P30-HD06268 from the National Institute of Child Health and Development