Seroepidemiological Studies of Arboviruses in Africa.

The literature on sero-epidemiological studies of flaviviral infections in the African continent is quite scarce. Much of the viral epidemiology studies have been focussing on diseases such as HIV/AIDS because of their sheer magnitude and impact on the lives of people in the various affected countries. Increasingly disease outbreaks caused by arboviruses such as the recent cases of chikungunya virus, dengue virus and yellow fever virus have prompted renewed interest in studying these viruses. International agencies from the US, several EU nations and China are starting to build collaborations to build capacity in many African countries together with established institutions to conduct these studies. The Tofo Advanced Study Week (TASW) was established to bring the best scientists from the world to the tiny seaside town of Praia do Tofo to rub shoulders with African virologists and discuss cutting-edge science and listen to the work of researchers in the field. In 2015 the 1st TASW focussed on Ebola virus. The collections of abstracts from participants at the 2nd TASW which focused on Dengue and Zika virus as well as presentations on other arboviruses are collated in this chapter.

Lip cancer in Northern Finland: changing incidence and clinical characteristics.

A population-based survey was conducted in 35 municipalities in Northern Finland to assess the incidence of lip cancer as well as the patient and tumour characteristics in cases diagnosed between 1983 and 1997. A total of 96 new patients emerged. The age-standardised incidence (per 100,000 years) of lip cancer in men decreased from 4.8 in 1983-1987 to 1.4 in 1993-1997. The incidences in women were 0.30 to 0.36, respectively. The median age of the patients increased from 66 to 73 years through the years. Overall, 90% of the patients had at least one of the known risk factors, namely rural domicile, outdoor occupation or smoking. The median duration of symptoms also remained the same, as did the median size and location of the tumour at diagnosis. In contrast, spread to regional lymph nodes became rare during the period.

Trends in chronic maxillary sinusitis that require surgical treatment in northern Finland.

To examine trends in the incidence of chronic maxillary sinusitis that require surgical treatment in northern Finland, a retrospective population-based survey from 1974 through 1995 was conducted. Data on surgical cases and on various demographic factors and on variables describing medical care in the area were collected for every third year. The overall crude incidence rate (per 100,000 person-years) of chronic maxillary sinusitis requiring surgical therapy was 44 for children and 76 for adults. The age-standardized incidence rate dropped by 78% in children, and by 66% in adults during the period. The changes found to have taken place in the population and in medical care and which could have promoted the decrease were higher educational level and mean income, smaller families, improved level of hygiene, a higher number of physicians and an expanded use of broader-spectrum antibiotics. In conclusion, the most serious forms of chronic maxillary sinusitis, that require operative treatment, are decreasing in both children and adults in northern Finland.