Dear reader,

 

This month: Many papers in this issue address the special theme of communicable diseases in the South-East Asia region of the World Health Organization, which comprises Bangladesh, Bhutan, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, India, Indonesia, the Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Timor-Leste.

In the lead editorial, Jai P Narain & R Bhatia provide an overview of the challenges this region faces in dealing with communicable diseases.

In a second editorial, Jacob Kumaresan & Nalini Sathiakumar predict the impact that climate change will have on health in south-eastern Asia.

A third editorial by Nani Nair et al. discusses the challenges of tackling tuberculosis in this region.

In an interview, Prabhat Jha tells why accurately counting the world’s dead is of great importance to public health.

G Balakrish Nair & Jai P Narain discuss the public health classic by De & Chatterje, published in 1953, that culminated in the discovery of the cholera toxin.

Jai P Narain et al. discuss the aim to eliminate the neglected tropical diseases leprosy, lymphatic filariasis, visceral leishmaniasis and yaws.

Indrani Gupta & Pradeep Guin analyse whether funding for communicable diseases is adequate.

Natarajan Arunachalam et al. study the interplay of factors affecting breeding patterns of the dengue mosquito in six Asian cities in India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Philippines, Sri Lanka & Thailand.

Madhu Ghimire et al. describe how community-based programmes can reduce child deaths from diarrhoea and pneumonia in Nepal.

Patralekha Chatterjee reports from India on the trial of a new oral cholera vaccine.

Surendra K Sharma et al. consider how a high attrition rate in an antiretroviral clinic in India could affect outcomes.

Narendra K Arora et al. call for local health workers to advise on developing polio vaccination campaigns in India.

S Kanungo et al. find that notification of cholera cases in India is deficient.

Kathryn Senior reports on a new approach to introduce toilets to communities.

I Nyoman Kandun et al. describe the development of a field epidemiology training programme in Indonesia.

Lee Ji-yoon reports on how health care in the Republic of Korea has improved significantly in the past 30 years.

Douglas Huber et al. discuss how community health workers rapidly increased contraceptive use in rural Afghanistan.

William Eckersley et al. call for more research on the effects of chewing khat on drivers in Ethiopia.

Buyanjargal Yadamsuren et al. discuss reasons for a 47% reduction in maternal mortality in Mongolia over seven years.

 

Volume 88, Number 3, March 2010, 161-240

 

Special theme of communicable diseases in the South-East Asia

 

IN THIS MONTH’S BULLETIN

 

Asia: Eliminating neglected tropical diseases; Asia: Is there enough money?; India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Philippines, Sri Lanka & Thailand: Dengue control in Asian cities; Nepal: Reducing diarrhoea and pneumonia deaths; India: High hopes for cholera vaccine; India: Antiretroviral therapy in an urban clinic; India: Global lessons in polio campaigns; India: Cholera reporting inadequate; Cambodia, India & Singapore: Good sanitation pays; Indonesia: Strengthening surveillance and response; Republic of Korea: high-tech health care; Afghanistan: boost in family planning; Ethiopia: khat chewing and road accidents; Reduction in maternal mortality
Full article text [HTML] | Full article text [pdf 598kb]

 

EDITORIALS

The challenge of communicable diseases in the WHO South-East Asia Region
- Jai P Narain & R Bhatia
doi: 10.2471/BLT.09.065169
Full article text [HTML] | Full article text [pdf 509kb]

 

Climate change and its potential impact on health: a call for integrated action
- Jacob Kumaresan & Nalini Sathiakumar
doi: 10.2471/BLT.10.076034
Full article text [HTML] | Full article text [pdf 502kb]

 

Tuberculosis in the WHO South-East Asia Region
- Nani Nair et al.
doi: 10.2471/BLT.09.073874
Full article text [HTML] | Full article text [pdf 508kb]

 

NEWS

 

High hopes for oral cholera vaccine
Full article text [HTML] | Full article text [pdf 817kb]

 

In the market for proper sanitation
Full article text [HTML] | Full article text [pdf 896kb]

 

Spectre of ageing population worries economists
Full article text [HTML] | Full article text [pdf 811kb]

 

Save lives by counting the dead. interview with Prabhat Jha
Full article text [HTML] | Full article text [pdf 602kb]

 

Recent news from WHO
Full article text [HTML] | Full article text [pdf 577kb]

 

RESEARCH

 

Eco-bio-social determinants of dengue vector breeding: a multicountry study in urban and periurban Asia
- Natarajan Arunachalam et al.
doi: 10.2471/BLT.09.067892
Abstract [HTML] | Full article text [HTML] | Full article text [pdf 965kb]

 

Cholera in India: an analysis of reports, 1997–2006
- S Kanungo et al.
doi: 10.2471/BLT.09.073460
Abstract [HTML] | Full article text [HTML] | Full article text [pdf 920kb]

 

Tracking maternal mortality declines in Mongolia between 1992 and 2007: the importance of collaboration
- Buyanjargal Yadamsuren et al.
doi: 10.2471/BLT.08.061747
Abstract [HTML] | Full article text [HTML] | Full article text [pdf 933kb]

 

POLICY AND PRACTICE

 

Communicable diseases in the South-East Asia Region of the World Health Organization: towards a more effective response
- Indrani Gupta & Pradeep Guin
doi: 10.2471/BLT.09.065540
Abstract [HTML] | Full article text [HTML] | Full article text [pdf 763kb]

 

Elimination of neglected tropical diseases in the South-East Asia Region of the World Health Organization
- Jai P Narain et al.
doi: 10.2471/BLT.09.072322
Abstract [HTML] | Full article text [HTML] | Full article text [pdf 691kb]

 

LESSONS FROM THE FIELD

 

Strengthening Indonesia’s Field Epidemiology Training Programme to address International Health Regulations requirements
- I Nyoman Kandun et al.
doi: 10.2471/BLT.09.065367
Abstract [HTML] | Full article text [HTML] | Full article text [pdf 611kb]

 

Community-based interventions for diarrhoeal diseases and acute respiratory infections in Nepal
- Madhu Ghimire et al.
doi: 10.2471/BLT.09.065649
Abstract [HTML] | Full article text [HTML] | Full article text [pdf 633kb]

 

Outcomes of antiretroviral therapy in a northern Indian urban clinic
- Surendra K Sharma et al.
doi: 10.2471/BLT.09.068759
Abstract [HTML] | Full article text [HTML] | Full article text [pdf 749kb]

 

Achieving success with family planning in rural Afghanistan
- Douglas Huber et al.
doi: 10.2471/BLT.08.059410
Abstract [HTML] | Full article text [HTML] | Full article text [pdf 616kb]

 

PERSPECTIVES

 

Global lessons from India’s poliomyelitis elimination campaign
- Narendra K Arora et al.
doi: 10.2471/BLT.09.072058
Full article text [HTML] | Full article text [pdf 539kb]

 

Khat, driver impairment and road traffic injuries: a view from Ethiopia
- William Eckersley et al.
doi: 10.2471/BLT.09.067512
Full article text [HTML] | Full article text [pdf 536kb]

 

CORRIGENDUM

 

Corrigenda
doi: 10.2471/BLT.10.100310
Full article text [HTML] | Full article text [pdf 530kb]

 

Corrigenda
doi: 10.2471/BLT.10.120310
Full article text [HTML] | Full article text [pdf 527kb]

 

PUBLIC HEALTH CLASSICS

 

From endotoxin to exotoxin: De’s rich legacy to cholera
- G Balakrish Nair & Jai P Narain
doi: 10.2471/BLT.09.072504
Full article text [HTML] | Full article text [pdf 1.09Mb]