This chapter focuses on immunosuppression as a risk factor for the development and transmission of zoonoses or in some cases the recrudescence of chronic subclinical zoonoses as a result of the host becoming immunosuppressed. Notes are given on the role of the immune system in relation to zoonotic...

Section 330 of the Public Health Services Act, which provides funding to community health centres and special programmes to ensure access to health care in the USA, specifically defines the eligible programmes and target population. Under the Act, the definition of migrant and seasonal labour is...

The different aspects of the administration of home parenteral nutrition (HPN) in elderly patients are discussed, including issues on the prognosis and rehabilitation of elderly patients under HPN and the metabolic specificities of parenteral nutrition in this group of patients. A brief discussion...

Medical tourism, where patients travel overseas for operations, has grown rapidly in the past decade, especially for cosmetic surgery. High costs and long waiting lists at home, higher incomes, new technology and skills in destination countries alongside reduced transport costs and internet...

This book aims to assist 'non-expert' public health professionals and the well-qualified lay-person to gain a rapid overview of pandemic influenza. It comprises 16 chapters written by experts with real-life experience of their subjects. It provides a comprehensive overview of pandemic influenza...

This chapter focuses on what is known, what can be deduced and what is still unknown about influenza transmission. It provides answers to the following questions: What are the most important routes of transmission for influenza? What infection control measures can be used to reduce influenza...

This chapter explores some of the possible effects of a future pandemic on societal functioning. It provides answers to the following questions: Should pandemic planning focus on healthcare provision alone? How might non-health businesses be affected by the pandemic? Can we learn from other events? ...

The ethical issues raised by an influenza pandemic range from wide questions of global justice to medical treatment of individuals. This chapter outlines issues from a health perspective and some of the approaches that countries and international organizations, such as the WHO, have taken to...

Nowhere is the impact of poor nutrition, the consequent compromise of immune function and in turn the increase in risk of infection and the morbidity and mortality associated with it, more important than in the health of infants and children. This chapter discusses the associations between...

The promotion of maternal health and mortality reduction is of worldwide importance, and constitutes a vital part of the UN Millennium Development Goals. The highest maternal mortality rates are in developing countries, where global and regional initiatives are needed to improve the systems and...