Lessons learned from implementation of a demonstration program to reduce the burden of anemia and hookworm in women in Yen Bai Province, Viet Nam.

Background: Iron deficiency, anemia and hookworm disease are important public health problems for women of reproductive age living in developing countries and affect the health of newborns and infants. Iron supplementation and deworming treatment are effective in addressing these problems in both pregnant and non-pregnant women. Daily iron supplementation and deworming after the first trimester is recommended for pregnant women although these programs usually do not operate efficiently or effectively.

Management of chronic strongyloidiasis in immigrants and refugees: is serologic testing useful?

We assessed the usefulness of serologic testing in monitoring strongyloidiasis in immigrants after treatment with two doses of ivermectin. An observational study was conducted in a group of Cambodian immigrants residing in Melbourne who were treated for strongyloidiasis and followed-up in a general practice setting. Two doses of ivermectin (200 microg/kg) were administered orally.

Pathways to malaria persistence in remote central Vietnam: a mixed-method study of health care and the community.

Background: There is increasing interest in underlying socio-cultural, economic, environmental and health-system influences on the persistence of malaria. Vietnam is a Mekong regional 'success story' after dramatic declines in malaria incidence following introduction of a national control program providing free bed-nets, diagnosis and treatment. Malaria has largely retreated to pockets near international borders in central Vietnam, where it remains a burden particularly among impoverished ethnic minorities.

Prevalence of polymorphisms in DHFR, DHPS, PFMDR1 and PFCRT genes of Plasmodium falciparum isolates in Quang Tri Province, Vietnam.

In 2002 an antimalarial drug resistance survey was carried out in a seasonally endemic area of Vietnam. Sulfadoxine/pyrimethamine (S/P) was the standard treatment recommended for uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria in that area at the time. Early or late treatment failure as defined by WHO was observed in 14.

Anemia, iron deficiency, meat consumption, and hookworm infection in women of reproductive age in northwest Vietnam.

Iron deficiency anemia poses an important public health problem for women of reproductive age living in developing countries. We assessed the prevalence of iron deficiency and anemia and associated risk factors in a community-based sample of women living in a rural province of northwest Vietnam. A cross-sectional survey, comprised of written questionnaires and laboratory analysis of hemoglobin (Hb), ferritin, transferrin receptor, and stool hookworm egg count, was undertaken, and the soluble transferrin receptor/log ferritin index was calculated.

Undiagnosed and potentially lethal parasite infections among immigrants and refugees in Australia.

Intestinal parasite infections are a major cause of ill health in many resource-poor countries. This study compares the types and rates of these infections and their risk factors in recently arrived and long-term immigrants in Australia. Cross-sectional surveys of 127 East African and 234 Cambodian immigrants and refugees were undertaken in 2000 and 2002, respectively, to assess the burden of intestinal parasites and collect demographic information.

KAP surveys and malaria control in Vietnam: findings and cautions about community research.

The malaria disease burden is increasing in many countries despite the existence of effective preventative strategies and antimalarial drugs. An understanding of community perspectives and practices is one of the essential components of a successful malaria control program. This paper reports on a KAP (Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices) survey among the Raglai ethnic minority population in Ninh Thuan Province, Vietnam, which in 2003 had one of the country's highest confirmed rates of malaria.

Knowledge about hepatitis and previous exposure to hepatitis viruses in immigrants and refugees from the Mekong Region.

Objective: Infection with hepatitis B (HBV) and hepatitis C (HCV) viruses is relatively common throughout South-East Asia and chronic infection can lead to severe consequences. This study assesses knowledge about HBV and HCV and estimates the seroprevalence of markers for these viruses in immigrants from Laos and Cambodia.

Methods: Ninety-five Laotian (aged 18-82 years) and 234 Cambodian (15-92 years) immigrants participated in separate community-based surveys conducted during 1998 and 2002, respectively.

High-throughput generation of P. falciparum functional molecules by recombinational cloning.

Large-scale functional genomics studies for malaria vaccine and drug development will depend on the generation of molecular tools to study protein expression. We examined the feasibility of a high-throughput cloning approach using the Gateway system to create a large set of expression clones encoding Plasmodium falciparum single-exon genes. Master clones and their ORFs were transferred en masse to multiple expression vectors.