The border between the Dominican Republic and Haiti is closed due to the fear the Cholera will spread. Hurricane Tomas performed a spectaculor 90 degree turn north and blew across, complicating matters even further.
The situation is Haiti is dire indeed!
For a global perspective on cholera, a potentially fatal infectious disease, one of the best sources is the
GIDEON online database ($). I have included on this blog post the link to the freely accessible
GIDEON blog and a recent posting on the global statistics for this disease.
Disease Facts (GIDEON)
: Agent: BACTERIUM. Vibrio cholerae.
A facultative gram-negative bacillus.
Reservoir: Human
Vector: None
Vehicle: Water Fecal-oral Seafood (oyster, ceviche) Vegetables Fly
Incubation Period: 1d - 5d (range 9h - 6d)
UPDATE [
Caribbean360, November 30, 2010]:
PAHO urges countries to ramp up Cholera readiness.Labels: cholerca, disease outbreak, epidemiology, global health, infectious diseases, statistics
HealthKnowledge is a new online learning resource of value to anyone studying, teaching or working in the
community / public health and social care fields. The resource allows you to access a broad range of learning materials for teaching or personal use, with the aim of expanding public health knowledge.
The resource includes a section on
Finding and Appraising the Evidence which takes you through the process of
how to find the evidence and then
how to assess the validity and reliability of the published research in order to provide effective and efficient healthcare.
Another useful section teaches you
Research Methods , focusing on what is appropriate to the practice of public health; including epidemiology, statistical methods, qualitative research methods, etc.
The
Teaching module cover a variety of different subjects, including undergraduate training and a range of ‘soft skills’ required for an holistic education, such as leadership and management, and working collaboratively.
by the Public Health Action Support Team (PHAST): UK 2010. Labels: biostatistics, community health, epidemiology, learning resource, online tutorials, public health, research methods, statistical methods
The
2009 Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer, 1975-2006 has been released. The
American Cancer Society, the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the
National Cancer Institute (NCI), and the
North American Association of Central Cancer Registries (NAACCR) collaborate annually to provide updated information regarding cancer occurrence and trends in the United States.
Highlights from this years report are:
1) overall cancer rates continue to be higher for men than for women.
2) men experienced the greatest declines in incidence (new cases) and mortality (death) rates.
3) For colorectal cancer [the third most frequently diagnosed cancer in both men and women, and the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States] overall rates are declining but with increasing incidence in men and women under 50 years of age.
Click on the title to access the full report.Labels: cancer, colorectal cancer, epidemiology, incidence, mortality, National Program of Cancer Registries, North American Association of Central Cancer Registries, statistics, surveillance
MedMyst: Medical Mysteries on the Web is a problem-based adventure in which you are on a mission to discover the causes of diseases.
As you follow clues to solve the mystery, you also are given the opportunity to explore ~ chemistry, pharmacology, neuroscience, medicine, public policy, history, and more.
Developed by the
Center for Technology in Teaching and Learning at
Rice University for
"students of all ages". Labels: epidemiology, games, medical mysteries, MedMyst, problem-based learning, Rice University
