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Epidemiologic Problems and Prospects
Author(s) -
SMITH P. G.
Publication year - 1989
Publication title -
annals of the new york academy of sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.712
H-Index - 248
eISSN - 1749-6632
pISSN - 0077-8923
DOI - 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1989.tb27372.x
Subject(s) - psychological intervention , neglected tropical diseases , software deployment , risk analysis (engineering) , intervention (counseling) , disease , tropical disease , control (management) , disease control , intensive care medicine , management science , medicine , computer science , environmental planning , environmental health , geography , pathology , engineering , artificial intelligence , psychiatry , operating system
Rapid advances in the biomedical sciences are producing new means of intervention against many of the major tropical diseases. The discovery of new drugs, vaccines and diagnostic tests, however, is only the first, though important, step down an often long and difficult road to their effective deployment in disease control programs. The blossoming of interest in tropical diseases among those in the laboratory sciences has not been paralleled by the required expansion in the number of scientists undertaking field research in the areas where such diseases are endemic. In consequence, it may be difficult to ensure the proper evaluation of new interventions in realistic disease control situations. There is also a danger that some tools developed for research purposes may be uncritically introduced into control programs without adequate consideration of their true utility. Developing field research capacity in the tropical disease endemic areas is an urgent priority if the new tools and interventions are to be employed optimally. Some methods for achieving this are discussed and possible epidemiologic approaches to the evaluation of interventions against tropical diseases are outlined.