Cowpox infection transmitted from a domestic cat.

A 21-year-old immunocompetent woman developed a cowpox infec-tion,while working as a veterinarian's assistant in a rural area. She had never received vaccinia immunization and came in contact with a fatally-infected house cat. Under symptomatic treatment, the infection remained localized to one cheek and cleared over 3 weeks with substantial dermal-subcutaneous tissue destruction.

[Meningococcal carriers in high school students and possible risk factors].

From August 2004 to January 2005 a cluster of 7 cases of serogroup B meningococcal disease occurred in the state of Saxony-Anhalt in the town of Sangerhausen and the surrounding area. This led to an investigation of meningococcal carriage in 816 high school students (grades 9 to 13). The students were also asked to fill out a questionnaire regarding possible risk factors for carriage.

[Responsibilities of the German public health service with regard to environmental medicine].

In 1999, the Special Committee for Environmental Medicine affiliated to the Federal Association of Doctors in the German public health service, prepared a consensus paper on the latter's request entitled "Environmental medicine in the public health service -- a social role and its consequences: propositions with regard to the situation, aims, strategies, and opportunities for action". The propositions provide guidelines to public health departments for implementing the "Environment and Health" action programme launched by the Federal Ministry of Environmental Protection and the Federal Ministry of Health. Joint action by health and environmental authorities on the municipal, state and federal levels is considered essential.

[Complementary to notification required by the national Protection against Infection Act. State-specific mandatory infectious disease notification in Saxony-Anhalt].

In May 1991 a decree supplementing the federal Epidemic Law concerning the mandatory notification of communicable diseases was implemented by the Ministry of Health in Saxony-Anhalt. This was updated and newly implemented in 1997. With implementation of the national Protection against Infection Act in 2001 further amendment of the state regulation (published in April 2005) be came necessary.

[Garbage incineration plants -- planning, organisation and operation from health point of view].

The Waste Disposal Regulation which became effective March 1, 2001 stipulates that from June 1, 2005 biodegradable residential household and commercial waste may only be deposited on landfills after thermal or mechanical-biological pre-treatment. The Regulation aims at preventing generation of landfill gases that are detrimental to health and climate, and discharge of pollutants from landfills into the groundwater. Waste calculations for the year 2005 predict a volume of 28 million tons.

[Experiences and difficulties in implementing immunization registries in Saxony-Anhalt].

In the German Federal State of Saxony-Anhalt, the Health Department must be notified of vaccines administered to children <7 years of age including their names. The goal of this mandatory notification is to improve and stabilize the age-appropriate vaccination coverage. However, difficulties have been encountered in implementing mandatory notification.

[Health impact assessment of building and investment projects].

For regional planning and approval procedures for building projects of a certain order of magnitude and power rating according to the German Federal Act on the Prevention of Emissions with Integrated Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), the German public health departments, acting as public authorities, increasingly perform health impact assessments (HIA). The amended Act on Environmental Impact Assessment, the Decree on industrial plants which require approval (4th Federal Decree on Emission Prevention) and the Health Service Acts of the Federal States of Germany form the legal basis for the assessment of health issues with regard to approval procedures for building and investment projects. In the framework of the "Action Programme for the Environment and Health", the present article aims at making this process binding and to ensure responsibility and general involvement of the Public Health departments in all German Federal States.

[Studying school beginners in western and eastern Germany: allergy trends and sensitisations 1991-2000].

Aim: Aim of the study is to examine the hypotheses of a steeper increase in allergies and allergic sensitisations in East than in West German children between 1991 and 2000.

Method: Between 1991 and 2000 we yearly repeated cross-sectional studies (SAWO: Study on school beginners) and asked 36,645 parents about diagnoses and symptoms of allergies in their six-year old children (response: 79 %). The study was done in Leipzig, Halle, Merseburg, Magdeburg, small towns in the Altmark region, Duisburg, Essen, Köln and Borken during spring.

[Public health departments acting as a public authority and partner in developing a sound environment and healthy living conditions].

The general draft "Health for All" for the European region of the World Health Organization (WHO) describes 21 objectives for a new global health policy in the 21(st) century. This policy aims at promoting and protecting public health from the cradle to the grave. The public health services, responsible for the control and co-ordination of the entire system, have their own scope of procedures.

[Exposure status of East and West German households with house dust mites and fungi].

The interrelation between biological pollution of indoor spaces and health disorders, allergic symptoms and health issues in general is well known. Besides animal epithelia, the exposure to house dust mites and mould fungi is considered a serious risk factor. In the scope of a comparative study involving school beginners in East and West Germany (launched in 1991), dust was vacuumed from a total of 218 mattresses of children's beds and checked for their content of house dust mites and mould fungi.

[Environmental medicine in public health service--a social responsibility and its consequences].

The special committee for "Environmental Medicine" established by the Federal Association of Doctors in the German Public Health Service presents its paper entitled "Environmental Medicine in the Public Health Service--A Social Responsibility and its Consequences: Propositions with regard to the situation, aims, strategies, and opportunities for action". The paper includes core ideas and responsibilities in the public health service. It aims at providing a number of guidelines for implementing "Environment and Health" ("Umwelt und Gesundheit"), an action programme by the Federal Ministry of Environmental Protection and the Ministry of Health, as well as "Health 21" ("Gesundheit 21"), the framework concept "Health for all" for the WHO's European Region.

[Chemical accident in Schönbeck--an assessment of the risk to health and environment].

Travelling from Belgium to the BUNA works in Schkopau, ten of eighteen tank wagons filled with vinyl chloride (VC) derailed on the Magdeburg-Halle railway line just outside Schönebeck station. One wagon exploded and four others went up in flames. Buildings and trees in gardens located in the immediate vicinity of the track caught fire and burned.

[From Chernobyl to Morsleben--a public health observation].

On April 26, 1986, a serious reactor accident occurred at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. A total radioactivity of 2 x 10(18) becquerel, i.e.

[Breast milk studies in the Bitterfeld district].

Human milk samples were tested for pesticide residues (particularly chlorinated hydrocarbons) in 1996 in continuation of the environmental medical tests conducted in 1990 and 1993 in Bitterfeld county. Although the overall human milk contamination due to chlorinated hydrocarbons was reduced, there were still higher concentrations of DDT and beta-HCH detected compared to the concentrations found in what was formerly West Germany. The objective of this follow-up testing of 106 human milk samples was to observe overall trends as well as the specific effects of sanitary and environmental protection measures after three years.

Sanitation programmes for living spaces and health risks involved.

The former GDR had adopted a housing programme focusing on developing new residential high-rise building areas with district heating at the outskirts of the cities. Deterioration of residential buildings in the city centres was a result of this policy. Since 1990, energy saving measures have been implemented, including installation of new windows, provision of heat insulation and conversion of the old heating systems to non-polluting energy carriers.

Man-made mineral fibre boards in buildings--health risks caused by quality deficiencies.

The Institute of Hygiene was requested to determine causes and scope of health complaints made by the employees of Haldensleben district administration after sound absorbing mineral fibre boards had been installed as suspended ceilings. The boards were coated with a lean water-carried paint; however, the edges, which were partially frayed, were not coated. The air inside the rooms was measured on all four storeys of the building, followed by scanning electron microscopy in compliance with VDI Code 3492.

Asbestos-related diseases and asbestos types used in the former GDR.

In the period from 1960 to 1990 about 1.4 million tonnes of asbestos were imported by the former German Democratic Republic (GDR) and mainly processed into asbestos-cement products for the building industry. The production was concentrated in the former counties of Magdeburg and Dresden.

Use of asbestos, health risks and induced occupational diseases in the former East Germany.

In the period from 1960 to 1990 about 1.4 million tons of asbestos were imported and mainly processed into asbestos-cement products for the building industry. The production was concentrated in the former countries of Magdeburg and Dresden.

[Air pollution in East Germany--state and requirements].

The GDR is the country with the highest degree of air pollution in Europe. The oil crisis and the subsequent substitution of oil, coal and gas by lignite has led to an enormous increase of SO2-emissions. The highest air pollution concentrations are found in the industrial centres of Halle and Leipzig.

[Bacterial resistance as a bioindicator of environmental pollution].

The paper deals with the parallel examination of the resistance of intestinal bacteria and staphylococci to mercury and with testing for the presence of mercury in the basic constituents of the living environment. The results confirm that it is possible to use tests of bacterial resistance as a bioindicator of the contamination of the living environment with mercury.

[Risk assessment of the industrial application of genetically engineered microorganisms].

Factors affecting the persistence, dissemination of GEM's and their gene transfer to indigenous microorganisms are important in assessing potential risks posed by environmental release of GEM's. Risk assessment should essentially contain case studies of the extent and ways of release, GEM stability and gene transfer under laboratory and in situ-conditions. Some aspects of a risk assessment study for the industrial production of alpha-Amylase from a genetically engineered Bacillus subtilis strain are discussed.