Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0024530 (malaria)
 44,886 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The literature on health implications and effects of government-sponsored resettlement in Ethiopia is reviewed with the objective of providing an initial evaluation of the health status of settlers and the health hazards of resettlement in western Ethiopia. Emphasis is on the 1984/85 resettlement program, which resulted in the movement of about 600,000 drought victims from northern and central Ethiopia to the western part of the country. Malaria, trypanosomiasis, onchocerciasis, yellow fever, nonfilarial elephantiasis, sand-flea infestation, and psychological stress are identified as immediate and greater health hazards than in the areas of settler origin, based on the geographic distribution and ecology of the major communicable, nutritional, and geochemical diseases in Ethiopia, and on the impact of program deficiencies on settler health. More studies are needed on the epidemiology and ecology of bancroftian filariasis, visceral leishmaniasis, dracunculiasis, eye and skin diseases, tuberculosis, meningitis, intestinal parasitism, diarrhea, and calorie/protein malnutrition before their public health and economic significance in settlements can be evaluated. Schistosomiasis appears to be less common, for the time being, in resettlement areas than in the areas of outmigration. Research needs and constraints in resettlement planning, implementation, and operation are identified, and some recommendations made for disease control programs.
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PMID:Health aspects of resettlement in Ethiopia. 218 82

The author's conclusion in this article is that the problem of population displacement appears to be increasing and that the geographic impact is spreading. There is a need to predict complex emergencies (civilians affected by war or civil strike and population displacement) earlier. Effective intervention methods will require information on the quantity and content of relief commodities and analysis of the impact of relief on the health and nutrition of the affected population. International relief efforts must be more than a symbol of help. The goal should be to prevent excess mortality among the affected populations. The public health challenge is to improve the health status of populations caught in the cycle of war, intimidation, hunger, migration, and death. The direct health consequences of civil strife are identified as death, injury, disability, sexual assault, and psychological stress. The indirect health consequences are identified as mass migration, food shortages, hunger, and the collapse of health services. The numbers of people affected as dependent refugees under the care of UNHCR increased from 5 million in 1980 to almost 23 million in 1994. The total population of refugees and displaced persons is reported to have increased between 1990 and 1994 from 30 million to 48 million. The death rate of newly arrived refugees in Thailand, Somalia, and Sudan is estimated to be 30 times the death rate in the country of origin. Crude death rates (deaths/1000/month) during 1990-93 are reported as ranging from 3.5 to 12 times the rates in Ethiopia, Kenya, Nepal, Malawi, and Zimbabwe. The death rates of children aged under 5 years are estimated to be higher than adult rates. Causes of death are generally preventable. Common causes of death include measles, diarrhea, malaria, cholera and dysentery, and acute respiratory infections. Public health programs must target basic needs for shelter, food, water, and sanitation.
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PMID:Mass population displacement. A global public health challenge. 767 72