Uganda AIDS prevention: A,B,C and politics.

Uganda is one of the few countries in the world that has experienced a significant reduction in Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) prevalence over the past decade. In contrast to many of its neighbors, Uganda has had an explicit national policy that includes: Abstinence, Be faithful, and Condoms. This strategy, known as "A,B,C," has garnered wide attention in the United States as the efficacy of abstinence-based sex education is debated. This commentary is based on published and unpublished data together with personal observations derived from a Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS)-led delegation to Uganda in December 2002. The empirical bases for both an abstinence-only and a combined (A,B,C) strategy is reviewed; and the political consequences of the debate for both Africa and the United States are explored.     

Taiwan, R.O.C.: Perspectives in School Health

Continuous economic development and evolving social systems have created unique challenges for school health personnel in Taiwan. Due in part to economic growth and an improving health care system, average life expectancy has increased markedly for males and females since 1950. Traditional leading causes of death such as pneumonia, tuberculosis, and gastroenteritis have been replaced by accidents, neoplasms, and cardiovascular diseases. Schoolchildren suffer from various disorders that include hepatitis B, dental caries, and health problems related to scholastic pressure such as myopia, anxiety, and depression. However, new problems such as violence, substance use, and teen-age pregnancy may develop in the future. In response to the challenge, an extensive school health program has emerged that emphasizes school health instruction, school health services, and a healthful school environment. Increased attention has focused on teacher preparation in health education, and a cooperative approach to school health promotion emphasizes school, community, and interagency cooperation. Prompted by the establishment in 1980 of the Graduate Institute of Health Education, National Taiwan Normal University, school-based research initiatives have increased dramatically. Eighteen recommendations for further improvement are offered.     

Vincent,C. & Furnham,A.: 1997, Complementary Medicine. A Research Perspective

Medicine, Health Care and Philosophy -     

Reagan, Clinton, tobacco, and children: an interview with C. Everett Koop

At eighty-seven years of age, former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop has an extraordinary perspective on health and medicine in America. He reflects on child health from his thirty-five years as a pediatric surgeon; AIDS from his position as Surgeon General at the outset of the epidemic; Presidents Reagan and Clinton, with whom he worked extensively; and smoking from his long battle first in government and then later as public antagonist to what he sees as the duplicitous and deceptive "killer" industry: tobacco.