The results of a retrospective study of epidemiological surveys was conducted by National Iodine Deficiency Disorder Control Program and periodic surveys were conducted by the Centre of Preventive Health of An Giang in 1998, 2000 and 2003, showed that the coverage rate of households consumed salt with an iodine concentration of more than 20ppm was 29%, 52.9% and 76.5%, respectively. The median urinary iodine concentration was 1.8mlg/dl, 4.4mg/dl and 5.7mg/dl, respectively. The prevalence of goiter in children age 8-10 years was 20.5%, 12.8% and 6.1%, respectively. In 2003, there were still 71.5% of households situated in the iodine deficiency area in An Giang province. The main reasons make people have not used iodised salt are habit of using normal salt; iodised salt is not available and affordable. Although knowledge about the benefit of iodised salt for preventing endemic goiter is 89.4%, knowledge of using iodised salt for preventing creatinism is low (40%).
Iodine ; Iodine/deficiency ; Epidemiology

In 2003, medical examinations of all 19,884 people living in to the Cat Dai and Lach Tray communes in Hai Phong detected 198 handicapped people (1.0% of the general population). There were 45% of males and 55% of females. The handicapped rates were 0.8% in children and 1.2% in adults. The rate of handicapped people difficult in moving was highest (33.3%), then people with strange behaviors (23.2%), and people having difficulty in studying (15.7%). The rates of people had difficulty in hearing and speaking, seeing, and others were small. Up to 91% of handicapped people needed rehabilitation but 100% of the handicapped people were not provided with rehabilitation through interviews, over 50% of people in the community did not identify the handicapped, and were not ready to accept them as equal members.
Disabled Persons ; Awareness

The efficace of nutritional activities was assessed. The knowledge and practices of nutrition of mothers and the status of nutrition of infant under 24 months old age in Ngoc Chau commune were evaluated on December 2000, in comparing with control (Ngoc Ly commune). A decrease of the prevalence of light weigh, stunted and thin children was noted in 2000, comparing with the year 1999. Breast feeding within 30 after birth in Ngoc Chau (a intervened commune) accouting for 85%, dramatically higher than the control (66.5%). The rate of infants with supplemented diet intime of age is higher so and the rate of mother who supply infant with solutions other than mother milk before first breast feeding is lower drammatically than the control. Incase of diarshoea of infant, 100% of mothers in Ngọc Châu conduct normal diet regime for children
Pregnant Women ; Knowledge ; Nutritional Status ; child

Objective and methods: 83 patients infected with P.vivax malaria were divided randomly into two groups. 51 patients were treated with CV8 and 32 patients were treated with Chlo + Pri. Results: The mean time for disolving fever was 20.1 hours for CV8 group and 21.0 hours for Chlo + Pri group, the difference has no statistic significance with P>0.05. The mean parasite clearance time was 30.3 hours and 31.0 hours for CV8 and Chlo + Pri groups. respectively, the difference has no statistic significance with P>0.05. The relapse parasite rate was 3.9 % in CV8 group, highter than that in Chlo + Pri group (3.1%) of , the difference has no statistic significance with P>0.05. Conclusion: CV8 can be used for P. vivax malaria patients in the hyper-epidemic remote areas.
Malaria ; Primaquine ; Malaria ; Falciparum

This is a cross-sectional analysis baseline survey in 8 communes belonging to international project Viet Nam-Finance of "Quang Tri Rural Development Programme". Objectives: To assess actual situation and factors affecting the household food and nutrition security in order to recommend feasible intervention measures, which include agricultural production for improving population's dietary intakes. Methods: Subjects were selected from households, mothers and childrren. Combined quantitative-qualitative methods was applied for households. Results: Food insecurity was still experienced by the households; poor infrastructure system, health environment services, personal hygiene and care, especially in Dak Rong. LBW rates and child malnutrition prevalences of 3 forms were high. CED rate of mothers with children under five was not so high, but significantly related to the child underweight. Conclusion: LBW rates and pediatric malnutrition prevalences of 3 forms were very high in Dak Rong and the poor households found more likely to be the consequence of high CED rate of mothers, household food insecurity, poor health-environment services, personal hygiene and care (underlying fators), poor infrastructure system and education level, especially in Dak Rong (basic ones).
Nutritional Status ; Child ; Mothers

In 2004, this study was carried out at 5 commune health stations at Van Son, Ngoc Hai, Ngoc Xuyen, Van Huong wards and Bang La commune. The results revealed that only the health station of Bang La commune met the national standard for commune health with 90.5 points. Most communes had not achieved standard III (on disease diagnosis and medical treatment and rehabilitation activities), standard IV (on facilities and medical equipment) and standard VI (on traditional medicine). Factors causing drawbacks at these commune health stations include shortage of human resource, material facilities and equipments.
Public Facilities ; Health ; Epidemiology ; Health Facilities

The study was carried out to assess the effectiveness of iron fortified fish sauce on body iron storage in non-pregnant women at reproductive age 16-49 in Minh Tan and Kim Thai communes, Vu Ban, Nam Dinh. The study was randomly and doubly blinded and lasted in 18 months. Women from 21 villages of these two communes were selected and randomly divided into 2 groups. The control group consisted of 189 subjects receiving type I (15 degree of nitrogen) fish sauce. The intervention (supplementation) group consisted of 198 subjects receiving iron fortified fish sauce. The results showed that daily consumption of iron fortified fish sauce has significantly improved the body iron storage in these women. After 6 months of the intervention, the body iron storage was significantly increased in the intervention group in comparison with the control group (P<0.0001). The improvement was maximum at 12th month and sustained until 18th month.
Iron ; Fishes

The study was to assess the epidemiological characteristics of HIV/AIDS in Nam Dinh 1992-2003. HIV/AIDS endemic has been recorded since 1992. During 1999 - 2004, it has developed very fast. There were 1,276 accumulated HIV cases, 164 AIDS, and 107 deaths of AIDS. 100% of districts and towns or 77% of communes had people infected with HIV. The prevalence of HIV infection is 64/100,000 residents in Nam Dinh town, reached up to 62.3 % of total number of the whole province. The prevalence in injecting drug users is 27.% (2003), in pregnant women and recruits is 0.38% and 0.97%, respectively. The prevalence of HIV infection is increasing both in the vunerable groups and in communities.
HIV ; Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome ; Epidemiology

A study on the effects of Morinda citrifolia (MC) extract on the isolated blood vessels and water-electrolyte excretion by Lipschitz method. Results: MC in both concentrations of 1.25% and 2.5% had a vascular dilating effect of the rabbit ears without change vasoconstriction effect of adrenalin with concentration of 1/10 000. By oral administration, MC in doses of 0.3g, 0.6g and 0.9g/kg body weight increased the elimination of Na(+), K(+), Cl(-), but did not influence the elimination of Ca++ and urine amount at the rest time
Morinda ; Blood Vessels

Randomized epidemiology study was conducted in 4,882 people about real situation of smoking tobacco at 12 districts of Hai Phong in 2002. Result: smoking rate was still high (39.6%), mainly at 21 to 60 of ages (79.9%), among of them men were 96%, women were 4%. Smoking rate in rural areas was higher urban areas (p<0.05). The occupation had high smoking rate were: driver (83.3%), solider (73.4%), police (60%), worker (45.6%), farmer (39.4%). The occupations with low smoking rate were: health (28.2%), education (22.7%), student (16.7%), civil service (15.7%), and pupil (7.3%). Three sources of information which talked about damages of smoking are: television (92.7%), radio (61.2%), and photograph (49.3%). Smoking reasons: around smokers (53.3%), civility (40,0%), working condition (29.6%), and habit (48.2%). The rate of given up smoking in Hai Phong in 2002 was 26.5%
Smoking ; Tobacco