[Prevalence and severity of asthma, allergic rhinoconjunctivitis and atopic eczema in "Grand Tunis" schoolchildren. ISAAC]

The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence and severity of asthma, allergic rhinoconjunctivitis and atopic eczema in 13 - 14 year old children living in "Grand Tunis", Using the international study of asthma and allergies in childhood [ISAAC] questionnaire, 3350 schoolchildren aged 13-14 years, from the Grand Tunis [Ariana, Ben Arous, Manouba, Tunis] were studied. Our results showed that in the past year 13.2% of children had wheezed, 1.4% had more than 12 attacks and 4.3% had experienced a speech limiting attack. 29.7% had symptoms of allergic rhinoconjunctivitis and 8.3% atopic eczema. The classic preponderance of asthma in boys has not been retrieved in our study. The highest level of wheeze was found in an agricultural area. According the published data, asthma prevalence in Tunisian schoolchildren is intermediate and allergic diseases are perhaps a common childhood diseases in Tunisia

Mortalite attribuable au tabac en Tunisie 1997

In Tunisia, in spite of the high prevalence of the cigarette smoking among males, there consequences in term of mortality were not until evaluated. These last can be estimated from tobacco consumption data, mortality statistics and estimates of risks observed among populations of smokers in cohort studies. Numbers of deaths by causes have been estimated from WHO for 1998 year. Smoking prevalence have been estimated from a national survey conducted in 1996 by 1'Institut National de Sante Publique and the National League against the Tuberculosis and the Respiratory Illness. Mortality attributable to tobacco in Tunisia has been estimated 6430 deaths. The effect of smoking are a lot more important at the man [5580 deaths], contributing to 22% of male deaths, that at the woman [850 deaths] contributing at 4% of the female deaths. The present mortality to tobacco is similar to certain developed countries as France or Canada. The consumption of cigarettes even though it recorded a light decrease during these last years, remain even elevated notably at the young. Then it is waited to see an increase of tobacco related deaths during the future decades. It is urgent to conduct an efficient politics against this tobacco epidemic by helping the smoker to stop smoking and preventing teenagers to begin to smoke

[Cost effectiveness of cervical cancer screening strategies in Tunisia]

Cervical cancer is a public health problem in developing countries and is the first cancer among women in several of these countries. Screening using the Pap test is the principle control strategy for this cancer. The aim of this study is to identify the highest cost-effectiveness strategy of Pap test screening, according to age group [20 - 64 years, 35 - 64 years and 40 - 64 years] and the frequency of this test [every 3 years or every 5 years]. Number of cases avoid by screening and mean cost to prevent one case were used to compare these screening strategies. The principles results showed that the number of cervical cancer cases avoid increase with the coverage level of the screening and age group size, and decrease with the frequency of the Pap tests. The screening strategy interesting age group "40 - 64 years" every 5 years observed the highest cost-effectiveness ratio [19MD]; however cost is 23MD for age grovy 35 - 64 years. These results lead to choice a frequency of Pap tests every 5 years. However, for determination of age group, other factors, as psycho-social ones, should be taken into account besides economic criterias