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L H Newton

Publications and source records attributed to L H Newton.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

Seasonal changes in malnutrition and diarrheal disease among preschool children in El Salvador.

The nutritional status of preschool children in a rural El Salvadoran population was assessed quarterly for 1 year using height, weight and arm circumference measurements in order to define seasonal changes in malnutrition. Seasonal patterns in the incidence of reported malnutrition and diarrheal disease from the local clinic serving the study population and on the national level for EL Salvador were also assessed and were compared with field measurements. Results indicated a similar seasonal increase in both measured malnutrition and in the reported incidence of malnutrition and diarrheal disease occurring at the onset of the rainy season. The results confirm the existence and indicate the magnitude of seasonal changes in malnutrition and diarrheal disease in a preschool population.

Body Height

Surveillance projects for selected diseases.

Disease surveillance systems constitute the foundation of appropriate health plans. Surveillance data collection components at best are dependent on a series of contingencies. In developing countries scattered static health centres may result in biased and practically unusable data. A system is here described for collecting data from a sample of persons chosen for their statistical representation of the entire population. Monthly interviews can provide both prevalence and incidence data at low cost using paramedical personnel. Continuing work in this area could provide developing countries with alternative methods of defining their population-nutrition-communicable disease problems.

Adolescent

A prospective study of the effects of ultralow volume (ULV) aerial application of malathion on epidemic Plasmodium falciparum malaria. IV. Epidemiologic aspects.

In the Miragoane Valley of Haiti a consistent pattern in the incidence of Plasmodium falciparum malaria over a 10-year period made it possible to predict an annual outbreak and perform a prospective study to test the effects of aerial ultralow volume (ULV) malathion on epidemic levels of this disease. At the end of October 1972, after epidemic levels (100 cases/month/10,000 population) had been reached, spray operations were begun. The first spray cycle produced a sharp and immediate drop in populations of the vector Anopheles albimanus, followed 4 weeks later by a decrease in the incidence of malaria throughout the valley. Although the incidence of malaria was similar in sprayed and unsprayed areas prior to the effect of ULV malathion (176.1 and 198.7 cases/month/10,000 population, respectively), it was significantly different during the subsequent 3 months (16.8 cases/month/10,000 population in sprayed areas and 65.4 in unsprayed; p less than 0.001). Travel histories indicated that only 4% of all cases had spent a night away from home during the 4 weeks prior to onset of symptoms; therefore, we concluded that these incidence data represent malaria transmission in the valley. Results of the study indicate that aerial spraying of ULV malathion can interrupt epidemic transmission of P. falciparum malaria by a susceptible vector.

Adolescent