Spatial risk for gender-specific adult mortality in an area of southern China.

Background: Although economic reforms have brought significant benefits, including improved health care to many Chinese people, accessibility to improved care has not been distributed evenly throughout Chinese society. Also, the effects of the uneven distribution of improved healthcare are not clearly understood. Evidence suggests that mortality is an indicator for evaluating accessibility to improved health care services.

Geographic analysis of vaccine uptake in a cluster-randomized controlled trial in Hue, Vietnam.

This paper identifies spatial patterns and predictors of vaccine uptake in a cluster-randomized controlled trial in Hue, Vietnam. Data for this study result from the integration of demographic surveillance, vaccine record, and geographic data of the study area. A multi-level cross-classified (non-hierarchical) model was used for analyzing the non-nested nature of individual's ecological data.

Trial participation and vaccine desirability for Vi polysaccharide typhoid fever vaccine in Hue City, Viet Nam.

Objectives: To identify demand for Vi typhoid fever vaccine for school-age children; obstacles and enabling factors for vaccine delivery; and socio-behavioural factors associated with trial participation and possible predictors of future vaccine acceptance, in Hue City, Viet Nam.

Methods: Pre- and post-trial surveys of randomly selected households with children aged 6-17 years. Simple multinomial logistic analyses for ratios of relative risks (RRR) and significance on trial participation by demographics and variables related to typhoid fever, vaccination, and pre-trial experiences with information and consents.

Lessons and implications from a mass immunization campaign in squatter settlements of Karachi, Pakistan: an experience from a cluster-randomized double-blinded vaccine trial [NCT00125047].

Objective: To determine the safety and logistic feasibility of a mass immunization strategy outside the local immunization program in the pediatric population of urban squatter settlements in Karachi, Pakistan.

Methods: A cluster-randomized double blind preventive trial was launched in August 2003 in 60 geographic clusters covering 21,059 children ages 2 to 16 years. After consent was obtained from parents or guardians, eligible children were immunized parenterally at vaccination posts in each cluster with Vi polysaccharide or hepatitis A vaccine.

Enhanced disease surveillance through private health care sector cooperation in Karachi, Pakistan: experience from a vaccine trial.

Introduction: In research projects such as vaccine trials, accurate and complete surveillance of all outcomes of interest is critical. In less developed countries where the private sector is the major health-care provider, the private sector must be included in surveillance systems in order to capture all disease of interest. This, however, poses enormous challenges in practice.

[Application of cluster randomization method on typhoid Vi vaccine trails].

Objective: To describe the design and application of cluster randomized controlled method on typhoid Vi vaccine trial, and to assess the effect of implementation.

Methods: Simple size calculation of cluster-randomized trial was used to determine the sample size of the two groups and a vaccination campaign was conducted. The study group was given typhoid Vi vaccine and the control group was given meningococcal A vaccine.

Use of satellite imagery in constructing a household GIS database for health studies in Karachi, Pakistan.

BACKGROUND: Household-level geographic information systems (GIS) database are usually constructed using the geographic positioning system (GPS). In some research settings, GPS receivers may fail to capture accurate readings due to structural barriers such as tall buildings. We faced this problem when constructing a household GIS database for research sites in Karachi, Pakistan because the sites are comprised of congested groups of multi-storied building and narrow lanes.