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African Health Sciences, Vol. 5, No. 2, June, 2005, pp. 92 Editorial James K Tumwine Editor in chief Code Number: hs05018 In the first three articles of this issue we bring you important research findings on university students. The first article by Bongomin Pido and Majid Kagimu1 assessed the prevalence of hepatitis B (HBV) infection among medical students at Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda. One in ten had evidence of current infection with hepatitis B while two thirds had evidence of past infection. Clinical students were more likely to be exposed to HBV than preclinical students. The authors call for sensitization and support of medical students regarding prevention of HBV. Bimenya and colleagues2 also from Makerere University report on blood pressure profiles of undergraduate students. Eleven percent had hypertension while 54% were pre-hypertensive - cause for concern! The final article on university students reports on perception of peers' behaviour regarding sexual health decision making among female undergraduates in Anambra state, Nigeria3. Over 80% were sexually active but only 59% reported condom use. Almost half were under pressure from friends to engage in pre-marital sex but two thirds indicated they would receive support from friends if they decided to abstain from sex. In a related article from Zimbabwe, Siziya and colleagues4 report on the factors associated with choice of a health care facility for treatment of sexually transmitted diseases. These included accessibility, affordability and confidentiality. One priority area for African Health Sciences is publishing research on neglected areas of health research such as use of herbal medicine. In line with our policy of promoting indigenous knowledge, we bring you Asfaw Debellas's5 article on the possible mechanism of the antifertility action of Rumex steudeii a local plant in Ethiopia. Their observations suggest that the plant inhibits implantation. Nmorsi et al6 report on the CD4/CD8 status and cormorbibidity of urinary tract infections and schistosomiasis among rural Nigerians, while Adams and colleagues7 report on paradoxical helminthiasis and giardiasis in Cape Town, South Africa. There is a very high prevalence of soil transmitted helminths. Indiscriminate defecation, sewage sludge and effluent are possible sources of infections. We publish two papers by Emilio Ovuga and colleagues8 on a tool for detection of depression and suicide risk in a developing country such as Uganda. The 36-item RISLE appears to be an advance on the 100-item version with internal consistence and validity. The RISLE is capable of screening for both depressive mood and suicidal ideation. In his paper on interpretation of tuberculin skin test results in the diagnosis of tuberculosis in children, Kiwanuka11 showed that a cut off induration use of 5 mm is appropriate. Wakhisi et al10 report that cancer of the oesophagus is the commonest malignancy in men in the rift valley in Kenya and call for studies to identify genetic and other risk factors for this cancer. In the final article, Moses Galukande12 reports that pain of non-specific aetiology is the commonest diagnostic category of back pain in patients in Mulago Hospital in Uganda. We are exploring the possibility of introducing a system for web-based submission, review and editing of the articles. Watch this space! Take some time and enjoy this copy of African Health Sciences. It has an enticing menu! REFERENCES
Copyright 2005 - Makerere Medical School, Uganda |
