The microcephaly epidemic, which started in Brazil in 2015, was declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern by WHO in 2016. Preliminary results of a case-control study investigating the association between microcephaly and Zika virus infection during pregnancy are reported. A case-control study was carried out in eight public hospitals in Recife, Brazil. Cases were neonates with microcephaly. Two controls (neonates without microcephaly), matched by expected date of delivery and area of residence, were selected for each case.
The Lancet Infectious Diseases, Vol. 16, No. 12, pp. 1356–1363, Dec 2016
Researchers hypothesize that impoverished parents in developing countries may forego provision of healthcare for disabled children, instead allocating scarce resources to nondisabled children or other household needs. We compared the immunization rates of 32 children with complex special heathcare needs with those of 95 nondisabled siblings in coastal Ecuador. Almost 100% (31 of 32) of the disabled children studied were immunized at a rate comparable with their nondisabled siblings. We propose that this finding is attributable to an effective national immunization program and to positive local sociocultural attitudes toward disability. These findings underscore the need for more research on disability across cultures.
This study analyses whether national courts in low- and middle-income countries can enforce access to essential medicines, as part of the fulfillment to the right of health
A selection of papers published between 2000 and 2001 in the journal 'Reproductive Health Matters', compiled for distribution at the International AIDS Conference in 2002, in Barcelona. Topics are around preventing HIV transmission