[Prevalence of obesity in children: study in the primary public Parisian schools]. / Prévalence de l'obésité chez l'enfant: étude dans les écoles primaires publiques parisiennes.

Obesity is an important risk factor in public health. In Paris, few statistical data are available in this area. The purpose of the present study is to evaluate the prevalence of overweight and obesity in 10 years-old children attending Paris elementary schools (cours moyen deuxième année--CM2--last level of the elementary school). 148 classes were randomly selected, gathering 3,621 schoolchildren 10 years 6 months old. 66 doctors in charge of health at school participated in the study, doing the measurements of weight, size and collecting also the weight and size at birth and at the "grande section-GS-level" (last level of the infant school, 5 years-old children) from the individual health file of the schoolchildren. The statistical analysis was based on the study of distributions of the observed Quetelet index (Q0) at the different ages, compared to French reference curves. A logistic regression analysis was performed to determine whether birth weight and GS weight predict obesity in CM2. In GS and in CM2, observed Quetelet indices are over expected values: in CM2, 22.8% of boys and 25.6% of girls exceed the reference value Q90; the prevalence of obesity (Q0 > or = Q97) is 13.4% in boys and 13.5% in girls. Among the variables "term", "weight at birth", weight in GS level and "gender", the weight in GS level is the only predictive factor of obesity in CM2 level. The situation in Paris appears to be serious. Preventive actions are needed at early stages to try to stop and, if possible, to reverse the present increase of overweight. In this context, school doctors have to play a prominent role.

[Recrudescence of imported malaria (author's transl)]. / Recrudescence du paludisme d'importation.

In the light of two recent cases of severe central nervous system malaria due to neglect in chemoprophylaxis, the authors report the very marked recrudescence in imported malaria and draw attention to the frequency of cases due to P. falciparum, the agent of malignant tertian fever and of malignant episodes. The necessity of early diagnosis in such cases is mentioned, together with the treatment of simple malaria and, in particular, of malignant varieties. In order to be effective, chemoprophylaxis must be begun immediately following arrival in an endemic area, continued regularly throughout the stay there and continued for 2 months after leaving. The blood of former malaria suffers, in order to avoid the risks of transfusion malaria, should be used only after seroimmunological studies have demonstrated the absence of anti-malaria antibodies.