Biomedical subjects

Alex Leventhal

Publications and source records attributed to Alex Leventhal.

41 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

PubMed2002

Preparation for an outbreak of smallpox in Israel.

Because of its high case-fatality rate, its very high transmission potential, and the worldwide shortage of effective vaccine, smallpox tops international lists of over a dozen possible bioterror and biologic warfare agents. In a scenario involving aerosol variola virus release, tens to hundreds of first-generation cases would ensue, as would hundreds to thousands of subsequent cases resulting from person-to-person transmission. A smallpox outbreak in Israel must not be regarded as a doomsday event: the methods of smallpox outbreak control are known and will be implemented. The rapidity with which organized outbreak control measures are competently executed will determine how many generations of cases occur before the outbreak is brought under control. Planning, vaccine stockpiling, laboratory expansion, professional training and public education, all carried out well in advance of an epidemic, will minimize the number of casualties. The reinstitution of routine smallpox vaccination in Israel, as in other countries, must be given serious consideration, since it has the potential for eliminating the threat of smallpox as a bioterror agent.

Bioterrorism↗

PubMed2002

Surveillance of neural tube defects in Israel.

BACKGROUND: Open neural tube defects are among the most common malformations of the fetus. Secondary prevention by early diagnosis during pregnancy and abortion of affected fetuses result in a marked reduction of NTD incidence at birth. The dramatic effect of folic acid for primary prevention of these defects led to recommendations for folic acid supplementation in women of reproductive age. OBJECTIVE: To describe the epidemiologic features of NTD in Israel in 1999-2000. METHODS: A national registry of NTD was begun in 1999. During the years 1999-2000, a non-syndromic NTD was diagnosed in at least 394 pregnancies (166 anencephaly, 166 spina bifida, 43 encephalocele, and 19 with other types of NTD). The religious-ethnic affiliation was known in 392 cases (209 Jews and 183 non-Jews). RESULTS: Despite a marked decline in the rate of NTD at birth in the last few decades, the total rates during pregnancy did not change significantly, demonstrating that the changes were secondary to termination of affected pregnancies. At birth, NTD were almost four times more frequent among non-Jews (3.6 per 10,000 live births for anencephaly and 5.9 for spina bifida) than among Jews (anencephaly 1/10,000 live births, spina bifida 1.4/10,000 live births). The complete data of the registry showed an approximately twofold difference in the overall rates during pregnancy between Jews (anencephaly 5.3, spina bifida 4.6, total 11/10,000 live births) and non-Jews (anencephaly 8.8, spina bifida 10.3, total 22.3/10,000 live births). The registry demonstrated that the significant differences in NTD incidence observed at birth between Jews and non-Jews are secondary to a combined effect of a higher frequency of the malformations among non-Jews and a lower proportion of termination of affected pregnancies among non-Jews. CONCLUSIONS: The data presented here will serve as a basis for evaluating the impact of the Ministry of Health recommendations for folic acid supplementation on the incidence of NTD.

Abortion, Therapeutic↗

PubMed2002

[Health Geographic Information System (HGIS)--a tool for health planning and epidemiology].

The development of the Health Geographic Information System (HGIS) concept, associated to the wide availability of adapted software applications, has offered an invaluable tool to Public Health Professionals. However its use is still too often limited to the graphic presentation of data or to structural planning, neglecting its main advantages. The HGIS has proven to be a potent tool for risk assessment, decision making, intervention evaluation and health planning. In spite of all the obstacles, the transformation of geographic information systems (GIS) into an epidemiological tool adapted to the health system (HGIS) can now be done in a relatively short span of time, with a minimal investment in terms of budget and manpower. The use of an outsourcing policy enables to limit the operational running costs in health organizations such as the Health Ministry, Hospitals or Sick Funds.

Epidemiologic Methods↗

PubMed2002

Communicable disease control: an introductory course for MPH students.

Persons preparing for careers in public health practice need a solid academic grounding in the principles of communicable disease control before arriving on the job. We have developed an introductory course in infectious disease control for the Master of Public Health program in Jerusalem, which includes instruction in the following broad areas: How do micro-organisms spread and cause disease? How do we investigate and control an outbreak? What are the basics of primary prevention by immunization and what can mass immunization accomplish? What is the importance of routine ongoing communicable disease surveillance? What are the essentials of Travel Medicine? How can public health officials provide useful information to a concerned citizenry by intelligent cooperation with the media? How can immunization programs and other programs for infectious disease control be kept current with the help of expert advisory committees? What are the best resources available to the public health practitioner in the area of infectious disease control? Armed with the essentials, the practitioner will have the tools to approach communicable disease problems in an orderly and rational way even in an atmosphere of public and professional ignorance and apprehension.

Communicable Disease Control↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Towards an integrated adolescent health policy in Israel.

The principle health issues of Israeli adolescents are largely related to health risk behaviors, and are therefore preventable. Deciding which public health interventions are of highest priority ought to be determined according to the relative importance of these issues among Israeli youth. Violence in the schools and dieting to lose weight are highly prevalent in this population, with unintentional accidents, smoking and other substance abuse, and reproductive health being other important issues. Special health planning considerations that take into account Israel's unique population mix are necessary. Israel does not yet have a comprehensive, integrated health policy for youth. Nevertheless, legislation has been enacted that provides universal national health insurance, as well as preventive school health services to all school children from the 1st to 9th grade under the Ministry of Health's responsibility, setting the foundations for such a comprehensive youth health policy. In addition, policy makers and health care providers have recently recognized the need for a pro-active approach regarding health service development for adolescents. In this article, we give an overview of current Israeli health policies that impact upon the adolescent population, and propose seven priority areas that should be addressed in order to advance the health of youth in this country.

Adolescent↗