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Biomedical subjects

S C McCombie

Publications and source records attributed to S C McCombie.

8 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1989

The politics of immunization in public health.

The role of socio-political and psychological factors in the decision to immunize is explored using data collected in a county health department in the United States. Decisions regarding the administration of post-exposure immunizations for hepatitis A and rabies are described, and a tendency toward unnecessary use noted. At times these interventions function more to reduce the anxiety of a patient or clinician than they do to prevent an infection. These findings may have implications for analyses of clinical decision making that involve other types of interventions.

Decision Making, Organizational↗
PubMed1988

The epidemiology of S. sonnei and S. flexneri in Pima County, Arizona: an exploratory study.

Investigation of 189 cases of shigellosis reported to the Pima County, Arizona Health Department in 1986 revealed that 23 per cent of cases could be attributed to travel to Mexico, and 10 per cent to day care attendees and their household contacts. No source of infection or high-risk activity could be demonstrated for 43 per cent of the cases. Households in which S. flexneri occurred were more likely to be characterized by crowded living situations and to have no known source of infection.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

Folk flu and viral syndrome: an epidemiological perspective.

Public health officials and medical social scientists both recognize the importance of the relationship between culture and infectious disease. However, the divergence that exists between the medical model and the epidemiological model has not been well studied. During the course of enteric disease surveillance in the southwest United States, the categories 'flu' and 'viral syndrome' were identified. The relationship between 'flu', a popular illness category, and 'viral syndrome', part of the medical model, is discussed. From the standpoint of an epidemiologist, both of these concepts act as obstacles to disease investigation and control.

Attitude to Health↗
PubMed1986

The cultural impact of the 'AIDS' test: the American experience.

In March 1985 an ELISA test for serum antibodies to human T-cell leukemia/lymphotropic virus type III (HTLV-III) was licensed for use in screening commercial blood products. Controversy over the appropriate use and interpretation of this test continues, and some public health officials in the United States have advocated different counselling strategies for high and low risk individuals with the same test results. The response to AIDS illustrates that contagion has a social definition, even in the context of Western scientific medicine.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1986

Tonsillectomy as a co-factor in the development of AIDS.

Hypotheses regarding the factors that predispose individuals to developing AIDS after exposure to HTLV-III/LAV are beginning to emerge. It is suggested here that surgical removal of tonsils in childhood may increase the risk of developing opportunistic infections after infection with this newly discovered retrovirus.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1984

Measles: extinction or evolution?

The human body is the biological environment to which measles virus must adapt. In this paper the immunity conferred by vaccination is viewed as a selective force on the evolution of this virus. The possible consequences of this type of selection pressure include an increased Ro, antigenic variation, and immune depression.

Antigens, Viral↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Risk for measles related to immunization status in two Tucson high schools.

An outbreak of measles occurred in Tucson, AZ, in 1985; 112 of the 225 cases were among students at two large high schools. A review of the immunization records of all students at both schools was undertaken in order to assess the risk of a person contracting measles in relation to that person's immunization status. Two factors, the lack of an immunization record and immunization prior to 12 months of age, showed a positive association with contracting measles. The association was statistically significant at one high school but not the other. At the first high school, students who were immunized at 12 to 14 months of age had a greater risk of infection than those immunized at 15 months or older. However, age at immunization of 12 to 14 months was not associated with a significantly higher risk when persons with multiple doses of vaccine were excluded from the analysis. Students of both schools showed a lower attack rate for those who had received multiple doses of vaccine, but the difference was not statistically significant.

Adolescent↗