Neonatal meningitis at Bustamante Hospital for Children: a retrospective study - abstract

Records of 36 neonates with meningitis were reviewed over a five-year period, between 1982 and 1986. The rate of neonatal meningitis was 18.5/1,000 neonatal admissions with a male predilection. Predisposing factors were identified in 30 per cent of neonates; late onset disease was the predominant type. Group B haemolytic streptococcus was the leading cause, followed by gram-negative bacteria. The long-term morbidity was 28 per cent; complications varied from mild, early onset seizures to permanent disability such as cerebral palsy. Seventy per cent of the complications arose in late onset disease type; gram-negative bacteria (60 per cent) were the predominant cause. The fatality rate was 3/36 (8 per cent) (AU)

Herpes simplex virus infections in immunocompromised Jamaican patients

Data are presented on 13 immunocompromised patients with herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection. Eleven patients had recurrent HSV infection. Eight had genital herpes, 3 had disseminated infection and two had localised extragenital infection. Nine patients had confirmed recurrent HSV-type 2 infection. The benefits of recent antiherpetic therapy in the prevention of recurrent HSV infections in immunocompromised Jamaican patients are discussed (AU)

Fever in children: ideas and illusions - abstract

Fever is a common symptom in children. Yet concepts vary between physicians and parents. We interviewed 120 mothers at three participating locations (University Hospital of the West Indies, Bustamante Hospital for Children and Shortwood Medical Centre) to ascertain their concepts and practices concerning fever in their children. None of the mothers used thermometers to detect fever; the majority (85 percent) were unable to define fever in terms of temperature. Tepid sponging with alcohol and administration of antipyretics were the measures most frequently undertaken to reduce fever. There is a need to educate parents and health-care personnel about fever and its management in children, particularly to discourage the use of topical alcohol (AU)

Genital herpes in Jamaica: a clinical and pathological study (1982-1984)

Five hundred and four patients with suspected genital herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection were investigated in Jamaica between 1982 and 1984. Of these, 100 (19.8 percent) were virologically confirmed. There were 12 patients with primary/first episode, 45 recurrent and 6 "provoked' type of genital herpes simplex virus infections. Genital herpes in women was more severe than in men. Eighty-eight per cent of genital herpes was confirmed by virus isolation. Forty HSV isolates were identified as HSV type 2. There was a sero-response in 75 percent primary, 18 percent recurrent and 17 percent provoked type of genital herpes. Virus isolation is the most sensitive and specific test for the diagnosis of genital herpes simplex virus infection. The measurement of serum anti herpes simplex complement-fixing antibodies was not useful in the diagnosis of suspected patients with genital ulcers and their contacts. The infectiousness of the virus, clinical manifestations, complications such as neonatal herpes infections, psychosocial problems and methods of prevention are issues that clinicians should discuss with patients with genital herpes (AU)

Risk factors for carcinoma of the uterine cervix in Jamaican women

Risk factors of cervical cancer include early age at coitus, multiple sexual partners and antibodies to herpes simplex virus, type 2 (HSV-2). To examine the interrelationships of these risk factors, a comparison was made between 78 histologically confirmed cancer cases (stages O-IV) and 151 control women in Jamaica. The rank of order of the percentages of control women with low socioeconomic status, first coitus before 20 years of age, first pregnancy before 20 years of age and more than two sexual partners were: 77, 97, 65, and 76 respectively. The percentage of women with cancer who had first coitus before 20 years of age (77) and 2 or more partners (55) were lower than that of controls. A third factor associated with cervical cancer is the presence of HSV-2 antibodies. The age-specific prevalence of HSV-2 antibodies varied from 7 percent to 32 percent in women aged 21-69 years. An increase in prevalence of HSV-2 was observed with increasing age. The age-adjusted prevalence was 11 per cent. The age-specific occurrence of HSV-2 antibodies in cancer cases were not statistically significant as compared with matched controls (p> 0.01). The data suggest that infection with HSV-2 is a covariable of venereal factors, and the role of the virus in the genesis of some cases of cervical cancer in Jamaican women may not be excluded (AU)