the burden of exposure to blood-borne pathogens (such as hepatitis b and c viruses) is considerable for health care workers. hepatitis virus transmission requires a non-immune host, an infectious source, and skin or mucous membrane injury. these three aspects are the main fields for preventional interventions. we reviewed major recent studies on this topic to identify precautions health care wo...

We document racial trends in chronic conditions among older men between 1910 and 2004. The 1910 black arteriosclerosis rate was six times higher than the white 2004 rate and more than two times higher than the 2004 black rate. We argue that blacks’ greater lifelong burden of infection led to high arteriosclerosis rates in 1910. Infectious disease, especially respiratory infections at older ages...

The world is becoming urban. The UN predicts that the world's urban population will almost double from 3·3 billion in 2007 to 6·3 billion in 2050. Most of this increase will be in developing countries. Exponential urban growth is having a profound effect on global health. Because of international travel and migration, cities are becoming important hubs for the transmission of infectious disease...

BACKGROUND Economic hardships have unleashed epidemics of infectious diseases in many countries in the past. In the era of the current financial crisis in Greece, it is interesting to assess the preliminary evidence concerning outbreaks of infectious diseases. METHODS Description and evaluation of published surveillance data. RESULTS Greece has been suffering a high burden of different larg...

BACKGROUND Diarrhoea is a leading cause of death and illness globally among children younger than 5 years. Mortality and short-term morbidity cause substantial burden of disease but probably underestimate the true effect of diarrhoea on population health. This underestimation is because diarrhoeal diseases can negatively affect early childhood growth, probably through enteric dysfunction and im...

Chronic non-communicable diseases cause substantial morbidity and mortality in both developed and developing countries. Current studies indicate an increasing burden of chronic diseases in the near future, especially in developing countries. Chronic diseases have received much less attention than infectious diseases in Iran’s health care system, which is a major cause for concern. Data on the d...