Study of KAP on HIV infection/AIDS among medical doctors in Yangon

HIV infection/AIDS related knowledge, attitudes and precautionary practices were studied among medical doctors in various health institutions, which included general hospitals, specialist hospitals, township health centers and GP clinics in Yangon, between June and August of 1991. The main objective of the study is to provide necessary information that may promote the appropriate use of health education services for the prevention of HIV infection/AIDS in health workers, particularly those at high risk. A total of 425 questionnaires were delivered and 378 (99.9 percent) returned. The survey results indicated that (99 percent) of the respondents had ever heard of AIDS and only (74 percent) knew the difference between AIDS and HIV infection. Knowledge concerning aetiology, transmission, diagnosis, control and prevention of the disease were revealed to provide the necessary information for effective management. Positive and negative attitudes towards HIV infected person were assessed and practices towards prevention of HIV infection/AIDS in health care settings were discussed in detail.

Evalution of the BCG Vaccination Programme. Part I: Late Consecutive Operational Assessment

The need for a BCG Vaccination Programme evaluation is explained and the methods generally applied in such evaluation namely:- Concurrent, Early Consecutive and Late Consecutive Assessments are described. The paper covers the Late Consecutive Operational Assessment of the BCG Programme which took the form of a smallpox and BCG scar survey carried out on statistically representative rural and urban populations. An integrated and multi-purpose approach towards Smallpox and BCG Vaccination Programmes and an emphasis on the vaccination of children aged 0-9 years have been advocated with a view to achieving better coverage and greater epidemiological impact.

Utilization survey of the Hlegu Hospital

The major findings of a hospital utilization survey of the Hlegu Hospital carried out in April 1969 are as follows: During the year 1968, 44,081 services were rendered by the hospital out-patient department to 16,551 persons. This was on the average of 2.7 services per person to 16.9 per cent of the township population. From those who applied for the service 9.5 per cent were found to require hospital treatment and were admitted into the hospital. The highest admission rate was among those who needed maternity and gynaecological services (75.8 per cent). There were on the average 150 services daily given in the out-patient department of the hospital. Morbidity analysis showed that the "Diseases of the Respiratory System" were at the top of the list of the group of most common conditions treated in the hospital at Hlegu (17.6 per cent of all diseases). "Infective and Parasitic Diseases" were the second most common group (17.4 per cent of all diseases) followed by" Accidents, Poisonings and Violence" (14.3 per cent), "Complications of Pregnancy, Childbirth and the Puerperium" (12.8 per cent) and " Symptoms and Ill-defined Conditions" (9.3 per cent). The analysis of the kind of treatment showed that the highest number of patients were hospitalized for medical treatment (62.2 per cent) and far less for surgical (17.2 per cent) or aternity/gynaecological treatment (13.4 per cent). The analysis of the discharge status showed that 34.2 per cent of all hospitalized people were discharged as cured, 46.0 per cent as relieved and 10.8 per cent as unaltered. Only 3.0 per cent of all hospitalized patients during 1968 died in the hospital, and 5.7 per cent were referred to larger hospitals in the division. The avcrage length of stay was found to be 9.3 days. It was the longest for medical treatment, 10.8 days, for surgical it was 9.3 days and the shortest for maternity and gynaecological treatment, 5.3 days. The highest number of patients stayed in the hospital from 1-10 days (71.2 per cent), and very low number (3.5 per cent), longer than 30 days. The occupancy average of the Hlegu Hospital beds was 104. The authors have concluded, on the basis of their analysis, that it would have been necessary to have a minimum of 54 beds if the release of the pressure on the hospital beds during 1968 was desirable. More than half of the patients, 62.1 per cent had their residence within the distance of five miles from the hospital and only 1.5 per cent at more than 15 miles.

Smoking habits of school children in Rangoon

A survey of smoking habits of schoolchildren in Rangoon was carried out on a random sampleof 4,503 schoolchildren in 5 High School. All the children were of the age between10 and 20. The survey by question naire method was aimed at finding out the prevalenceof smoking habits of schoolchildren, sex differences, age at which smoking starts and when it becomes regular. Also some social factors as well as psychological ones that might have an influence on acquiring smokingt habit were investigated. Out of total number of interviewed schoolchildren, 44 6 percent were found to have had an experience in smoking and 16.6 percent were found to smoke regularly. Girls smoke 4.6 times less than boys, but they start regular smoking earlier than boys (13:16). Number of smokers in the family is highly associated with the number of children who smoke. Among social factors influencing smoking habit it was found that the influence of friends plays an important role in acquiring smoking habits among boys, while the family custom to ask their children to light the cheroot for parents has an influence on acquiring smoking habits among girls.

Mortality indexes in Burma

Beyond the point of giving total deaths in a certain population, the crude death rate becomes unreliable and in fact misleading in comparing vital events between different populations or communities or in ascertaining trends in a single community over a period of years. Hence, to get a reliable index for inter-area or intracommunity comparisons, the crude death rates must be standardized. this work deals with the method of standardizing the crude death rates and constructing an index for comparative purposes.

Abridged national life table, Burma 1960-62

One method of measuring the mortality condition is constructing life tables that express the level of mortality in a particular area during a given year or period of years. The period 1960-62 which is free from any significant outbreak of epidemic diseases was chosen and the mid-year estimated population of the reporting towns covered by the vital registration system was taken and anabridged national life table constructed. The expectation of life at birth for a male was found to be 45.2 and for a female, 47.0.