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The Global Burden of Cancer 2013
Cancer poses a major threat to public health worldwide, and incidence rates have increased in most countries since 1990. The trend is a particular threat to developing nations with health systems that are ill-equipped to deal with complex and expensive cancer treatments. The annual update on the Global Burden of Cancer will provide all stakeholders with timely estimates to guide policy efforts in cancer prevention, screening, treatment, and palliation.
Use of a commercial ELISA for the detection of measles-specific immunoglobulin G (IgG) in dried blood spots collected from children living in low-resource settings
Seroepidemiological monitoring of population immunity to vaccine-preventable diseases is critical to prevent future outbreaks. This study validates a novel technique for measuring measles-specific immunoglobulin G (IgG) in capillary DBS using a commercial ELISA.
National health accounts data from 1996 to 2010: a systematic review
Objective: To collect, compile, and evaluate publicly available national health accounts (NHA) reports produced worldwide between 1996 and 2010.
Are well functioning civil registration and vital statistics systems associated with better health outcomes?
In this Series paper, we examine whether well-functioning civil registration and vital statistics (CRVS) systems are associated with improved population health outcomes.
A Hand Up: Global Progress Toward Universal Education
A Hand Up: Global Progress Toward Universal Education examines unprecedented gains in expanding education for all people over the past 50 years. This report presents data on educational attainment over time and across countries in a comparable, comprehensive way.
Tracking global expenditures on surgery: gaps in knowledge hinder progress
Very little is known about how much is spent on surgical care delivery globally. Anecdotal evidence suggests that per-person expenditure on surgery varies enormously across countries. This cross-country and intervention-specific variation makes estimating global and country-level expenditure on surgery challenging; thus, these expenditure figures have not been produced to date.
Drinking patterns in US counties from 2002 to 2012
We estimated the prevalence of any drinking and binge drinking from 2002 to 2012 and heavy drinking from 2005 to 2012 in every US county.
New strategy to reduce the global burden of stroke
The socioeconomic and health effect of stroke and other non-communicable disorders (NCDs) that share many of the same risk factors with stroke, such as heart attack, dementia, and diabetes mellitus, is huge and increasing. Collectively, NCDs account for 34.5 million deaths (66% of deaths from all causes) and 1,344 million disability-adjusted life years worldwide in 2010.
Demographic and epidemiologic drivers of global cardiovascular mortality
Global deaths from cardiovascular disease are increasing as a result of population growth, the aging of populations, and epidemiologic changes in disease. Disentangling the effects of these three drivers on trends in mortality is important for planning the future of the health care system and benchmarking progress toward the reduction of cardiovascular disease.
Benchmarking health system performance across districts in Zambia: a systematic analysis of levels and trends in key maternal and child health interventions from 1990 to 2010
Achieving universal health coverage and reducing health inequalities are primary goals for an increasing number of health systems worldwide. Timely and accurate measurements of levels and trends in key health indicators at local levels are crucial to assess progress and identify drivers of success and areas that may be lagging behind.
Mortality from cardiovascular diseases in sub-Saharan Africa, 1990–2013: a systematic analysis of data from the Global Burden of Disease study 2013: cardiovascular topic
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) has been the leading cause of death in developed countries for most of the last century. Most CVD deaths, however, occur in low- and middle-income, developing countries (LMICs), and there is great concern that CVD mortality and burden are rapidly increasing in LMICs as a result of population growth, aging, and health transitions. In sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), where all countries are part of the LMICs, the pattern, magnitude, and trends in CVD deaths remain incompletely understood, which limits formulation of data-driven regional and national health policies.
Mapping the zoonotic niche of Marburg virus disease in Africa
Marburg virus disease (MVD) describes a viral haemorrhagic fever responsible for a number of outbreaks across eastern and southern Africa. It is a zoonotic disease, with the Egyptian rousette (Rousettus aegyptiacus) identified as a reservoir host. Infection is suspected to result from contact between this reservoir and human populations, with occasional secondary human-to-human transmission.
Uptake of WHO recommendations for first-line antiretroviral therapy in Kenya, Uganda, and Zambia
Antiretroviral therapy (ART) guidelines were significantly changed by the World Health Organization in 2010. It is largely unknown to what extent these guidelines were adopted into clinical practice.
Self-rated health among Saudi adults: Findings from a national survey, 2013
Self-rated health reflects a person’s integrated perception of health, including its biological, psychological, and social dimensions. It is a predictor of morbidity and mortality. To assess the current status of self-rated health and associated factors in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, we analyzed data from the Saudi Health Interview Survey. We conducted a large national survey of adults aged 15 years or older.
Tracking development assistance for health to fragile states: 2005–2011
Development assistance for health (DAH) has grown substantially, totaling more than $31.3 billion in 2013. However, the degree that countries with high concentrations of armed conflict, ethnic violence, inequality, debt, and corruption have received this health aid and how that assistance might be different from the funding provided to other countries has not been assessed.
Breast cancer screening in Saudi Arabia: Free but almost no takers
Mammography ensures early diagnosis and a better chance for treatment and recovery from breast cancer. We conducted a national survey to investigate knowledge and practices of breast cancer screening among Saudi women aged 50 years or older in order to inform the breast cancer national health programs.
Global burden of untreated caries: a systematic review and metaregression
We aimed to consolidate all epidemiologic data about untreated caries and subsequently generate internally consistent prevalence and incidence estimates for all countries, 20 age groups, and both sexes for 1990 and 2010.
The many projected futures of dengue
Dengue is a vector-borne disease that causes a substantial public health burden within its expanding range. In this review, we compare the main approaches that have been used to model the future global distribution of dengue and propose a set of minimum criteria for future projections that, by analogy, are applicable to other vector-borne diseases.
Salud Mesoamérica 2015 Initiative: design, implementation, and baseline findings
Health has improved markedly in Mesoamerica, the region consisting of southern Mexico and Central America, over the past decade. Despite this progress, there remain substantial inequalities in health outcomes, access, and quality of medical care between and within countries. Poor, indigenous, and rural populations have considerably worse health indicators than national or regional averages. In an effort to address these health inequalities, the Salud Mesoamérica 2015 Initiative (SM2015), a results-based financing initiative, was established.
Fruit and vegetable consumption among adults in Saudi Arabia, 2013
Dietary risks were the leading risk factors for death worldwide in 2010. However, current national estimates on fruit and vegetable consumption in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) are nonexistent. We conducted a large household survey to inform the Saudi Ministry of Health (MOH) on a major modifiable risk factor: daily consumption of fruits and vegetables.
A systematic approach to produce robust, comparable, and timely cost-effectiveness estimates for a set of interventions: proof of concept in two low-income countries
Under the current paradigm, cost-effectiveness studies provide limited value to policymakers in low-resource settings. Studies appear with substantial delays in the academic literature and are often based on large-scale multi-intervention assessments in settings with drastically different infrastructure, resources, and cultures.