Emergency care and referral among isolated island populations in the Bahamas.

Background: Isolated island populations face unique health challenges. In the Bahamas, the islands of Mayaguana, Inagua, Crooked Island, Acklins, and Long Cay-referred to as the MICAL Constituency-are among the most isolated.

Objectives: Our objective was to better understand regional emergency care needs and capabilities, and determine how emergency care can be optimized among island populations.

Strategies to eradicate rubella in the English-speaking Caribbean.

Objective: This report presents the strategies used to eradicate rubella in the Caribbean region and the challenges faced by that effort.

Methods: Using the surveillance system for measles cases that was instituted in all countries in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), 12 countries confirmed cases of rubella between 1992 and 1996. Rubella infections occurred in epidemic proportions in 6 countries during that period.

Behavior and development patterns in children born to heroin-addicted and methadone-addicted mothers.

This paper reviews the literature regarding the development of children up to age 6 years who were born to mothers addicted to heroin or methadone. These children are compared with children born to nonaddicted mothers to determine whether there were any differences between the two groups related to maternal drug addiction. This paper discusses the obstetrical and medical complications associated with maternal drug addiction and their effects on the prognosis of the infant at delivery.

Developmental outcome of children born from extrauterine pregnancies.

From 1947 to 1984, 45 advanced ectopic pregnancies were delivered at Freedmen's Hospital and its successor, Howard University Hospital. Four patients of extrauterine pregnancies were contacted to determine their developmental outcome. At the time of the study, their ages ranged from infancy to adulthood.

Fetal alcohol syndrome and myasthenia gravis.

Alcohol is increasingly being described in the literature as a teratogenic agent producing dysmorphism and multisystem problems. The child described herein demonstrates the occurrence of myasthenia gravis and mitral incompetence with fetal alcohol syndrome. The association of myasthenia gravis in this case is unique, and could be suggestive of an immunological component to this syndrome.