Cent Eur J Public Health 2009, 17(4)

Fall of the Iron Curtain: Male Life Expectancy in Slovakia, in the Czech Republic and in Europe

Emil Ginter, Vladimir Simko, Ladislava Wsólová

Cent Eur J Public Health 2009, 17(4):171-174 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a3531  

Year 1989, the fall of communism, represents a dramatic watershed. Changes and reforms reflected also upon the quality of health care and the health of populations living on eastern side of the divide. Until then, Eastern Europe had free socialized medicine, albeit troubled by lack of up-to-date medications and absence of modern diagnostic equipment. Noting the admirable progress in health in some regions of the former Soviet empire during its transformation provides invaluable sociological lesson. Furthermore, focusing on health trends in two Central European countries, the Czech republic (CZ) and Slovakia (SK), brings about another quality to such...

Determinants of Health among Homeless Population in the Czech Republic - An Empirical Study

Ludwig O. Dittrich, Petr Hava

Cent Eur J Public Health 2009, 17(4):175-178 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a3534  

It is generally recognized, that the delivery of healthcare to homeless population presents a number of specific challenges. In this paper, we try to assess the impact of the homeless people experience with the institutional framework including the access to health services on the health status of the homeless population in the Czech Republic. Multivariate regression is used to evaluate the impact of various dimensions of life experience and other social and economic characteristics of homeless people on their health status. Preliminary results indicate that the experience homeless people have with the institutional framework and their access to health...

Direct Detection of Borrelia burgdorferi Spirochetes in Patients with Early Disseminated Lyme Borreliosis

Katarína Schwarzová, Zina Košťanová, Katarína Holečková, Eva Špitalská, Vojtech Boldiš

Cent Eur J Public Health 2009, 17(4):179-182 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.b0015  

The detection of spirochetes in 15 patients with clinically documented early disseminated LB has been analysed when using cultivation method of the plasma or the cerebrospinal fluid, electron microscopy, commercial Western blot and detecting the DNA of the pathogen in vitro cultures by PCR-RFLP. Spirochetes were isolated in eight blood and one cerebrospinal fluid culture samples. In seven cases (47%), previous serodiagnostic laboratory tests were negative. Borrelial DNA was detected by PCR in 67% patients (9 blood samples and 1 CSF sample). Using MseI restriction fragments of PCR products of the amplified rrf-rrl region, we identified Borrelia garinii...

Ethical Evaluation of Compulsory Measles Immunisation as a Benchmark for Good Health Management in the European Union

Peter Schröder-Bäck, Helmut Brand, Ixhel Escamilla, John K. Davies, Caroline Hall, Kieran Hickey, Eleni Jelastopulu, Reli Mechtler, Jaroslav Volf

Cent Eur J Public Health 2009, 17(4):183-186 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a3564  

The results of the study Benchmarking Regional Health Management II suggest that compulsory measles immunisation is a good practice in public health management. Yet, the potential achievement of the desired health outcome alone is not a sufficient reason to make the immunisation obligatory. Rather, compulsory measles immunisation is a morally challenging measure. In this article, compulsory measles immunisation is critically evaluated from a public health ethics point of view. For this evaluation, a set of ethical criteria is proposed: respect for autonomy, health maximisation, efficiency, proportionality and social justice. The authors suggest it...

Using the Reference Framework for Good Measles Management in Practice - A Case Study from North Rhine-Westphalia

Matthias Schröter, Peter Schröder-Bäck, Helmut Brand

Cent Eur J Public Health 2009, 17(4):187-190 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a3565  

In 2005, WHO Europe reconfirmed the objective of eradicating measles and fixed a strategy plan for the years 2005 up to 2010. While a downward trend of measles infections in Germany between 2001 and 2004 could be observed, as many as 780 cases of measles were reported in 2005 and in 2006 even 2.281 cases. These high figures in 2006 were almost exclusively caused by an outbreak in the German region of North Rhine-Westphalia. This case study describes how a reference framework for good health management of measles prevention was applied for this region. As a result, various recommendations for action could be given, among them the recommendation to implement...

The Outbreak of Avian Chlamydiosis in Pet Shop in the City of Prague

Ivan Holko, Tatiana Holková

Cent Eur J Public Health 2009, 17(4):190 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.b0013  

Select Barriers to Harm-reduction Services for IDUs in Eastern Europe

Nadja Kehler Curth, Liv Nanna Hansson, Frederikke Storm, Jeffrey V. Lazarus

Cent Eur J Public Health 2009, 17(4):191-197 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a3562  

Background: In eastern Europe, the high prevalence rates of HIV and the hepatitis C virus (HCV) are concentrated among injecting drug users (IDUs). Harm reduction programmes such as needle and syringe programmes and opioid substitution therapy (OST) have been shown to be effective in preventing these infections. However, structural barriers can limit their effectiveness by hindering access.Methods: Through use of a semi-structured online survey sent to 65 professionals in the region, this study explores the prevalences of age restrictions, user fees or a lack of confidentiality for these programmes as well as HIV/HCV testing programmes.Results:...

Influenza Vaccine Coverage in Aged-related Risk Groups in Poland, 2004-2007

Aneta Nitsch-Osuch, Kazimierz Wardyn

Cent Eur J Public Health 2009, 17(4):198-202 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a3536  

Routine vaccination of certain groups of persons, including children and the elderly might provide additional protection to persons at risk for influenza complications and reduce the overall influenza burden.The aim of the paper was to estimate the influenza vaccine coverage in persons aged 0-4 years and >65 years in Poland in 2004-2007. Official data collected by National Institute of Hygiene, National Institute of Public Health and Central Statistical Office were analyzed. Among vaccinations performed in all persons, the percentage of vaccinations performed in children aged 0-4 years varied from 1.6% to 2.0%. The estimated vaccination coverage...

A Bronchiectatic Patient's Risk of Pneumonia and Prognosis

Olli Säynäjäkangas, Timo Keistinen

Cent Eur J Public Health 2009, 17(4):203-206 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.b0014  

The objective of this study was to define the morbidity and mortality of bronchiectatic patients.All records from the years 1993-2004 of patients with asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and bronchiectasis as the primary diagnosis were extracted from the Finnish Hospital Discharge Register. The data of these patients' deaths until the end of the year 2004 were acquired from Statistics Finland. These materials were analyzed in order to find each bronchiectatic patient of this period an asthma or COPD control subject who was of the same age and sex and had also been hospitalized in the same year. Their numbers of pneumonia and prognoses...

Natural and Man-made Health Hazards in Rural Slovakia

Gabriel Gulis, Jana Kollarová, Zuzana Dietzová, Jana Labancová, Martina Behanová, Martina Ondrušová

Cent Eur J Public Health 2009, 17(4):207-214 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a3551  

Context: There is little information on health situation of the people of rural Slovak Republic. The rural environment is often a mixture of natural and man-made hazards, which under some conditions, might turn to be a health risk to humans.Purpose: The aim of this study was to compare two regions of the Slovak Republic, two different hazards (natural and man-made), two different methods of health outcome measurement (routine statistics and individual diary based data).Methods: Ecological study design with focus on cancer incidence analysis was employed in case of natural hazard analysis. Standardized incidence ratios (SIR) were calculated...

The Influence of Individual and Regional Factors on Association between Leisure Time Physical Activity and Psychological Complaints among Adolescents in Europe

Gintare Petronyte, Apolinaras Zaborskis

Cent Eur J Public Health 2009, 17(4):215-219 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a3546  

The aim of this study was to examine the association between leisure time physical activity and psychological complaints among adolescents and to determine to what extent this association is mediated by individual and regional factors. Data from the 2005/06 Health Behaviour in School-aged children (HBSC) survey, composed of 106,319 respondents aged 11, 13 and 15 from 20 European countries was analysed. Multilevel modeling showed that individual factors (gender, age and family socioeconomic status) were significant mediators of the association between leisure time physical activity and psychological complaints. The mediating effect of individual factors...

Exposure to Carbon Monoxide from Second-hand Tobacco Smoke in Polish Pubs

Maciej Łukasz Goniewicz, Jan Czogała, Leon Kośmider, Bartosz Koszowski, Wioleta Zielińska-Danch, Andrzej Sobczak

Cent Eur J Public Health 2009, 17(4):220-222 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a3540  

Carbon monoxide (CO) is one of the more toxic agents present in the gas phase of second-hand tobacco smoke. There is sufficient evidence suggesting that passive smokers are involuntarily poisoned by low CO concentrations. At lower doses, CO affects the central nervous system leading to deterioration in visual perception, manual dexterity, learning, driving performance, and attention level. The effects of chronic inhalation of CO at doses corresponding to tobacco smoking on the cardiovascular system are not well investigated but might involve myocardial hypertrophy and arrhythmias. In people with pre-existing disease, CO pollution alone may result in...

Hypertension and Common Complications - Analysis of the Ambulatory Treatment Cost

Anna D. Ivanova, Guenka I. Petrova

Cent Eur J Public Health 2009, 17(4):223-230 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a3538  

Aim: Retrospective analysis of the prescribing practice and cost of ambulatory treatment of hypertension and its common complications - heart failure, sequelae of cerebrovascular disease, and angina pectoris.Methods: Analysis of 3,240 reimbursable ambulatory prescriptions for hypertension, heart failure, sequelae of cerebrovascular disease and angina pectoris according to the complexity of the therapy and frequency of the prescribed medicines. Modeling and calculation of the expected monthly cost for outpatient therapy by using the "decision tree model". Sensitivity analysis is performed within the ±30% interval. Results: 65% of the prescription...

More than four million HIV-positive people now receiving life-saving treatment.

Cent Eur J Public Health 2009, 17(4):178, 182

Road accidents, suicide and maternal conditions among leading causes of death in young people.

Cent Eur J Public Health 2009, 17(4):219, 230

Food standards Commission targets dangerous bacteria, chemicals.

Cent Eur J Public Health 2009, 17(4):231-232

Millions of premature deaths can be prevented by tackling global health risks.

Cent Eur J Public Health 2009, 17(4):232