Public Health

Maternal morbidity describes complications during pregnancy and childbirth that are a leading cause of death, disability, and ill health among women of reproductive age, especially in low and middle-income countries. With the introduction of the new Sustainable Development Goals, the scope of global maternal health targets has been expanded, moving from a focus on preventing maternal mortality to formulating targets and emphasising the importance of maternal health and well-being. This book introduces the new concept of maternal morbidity, suggests how this relates to maternal mortality, summarises what is known about the burden of maternal morbidity globally and what interventions and research are needed to improve maternal health during and after pregnancy, with an emphasis on the context of low and middle-income countries.Less

Vaccines are an integral part of routine preventative health care for persons of all ages and play an integral role in protecting individuals against vaccine-preventable diseases. This handbook provides easy-to-understand, practical information on routinely recommended preventative vaccines for persons of all ages. It is written to be an informative, easily accessible, quick resource that addresses common vaccine issues that may be encountered by busy health-care providers in different specialties and at all different levels of training and practice. The “Did you know that” sections at the beginning of each chapter provide interesting facts on vaccines and vaccine preventable diseases. The FAQ section at the end of each chapter provides answers to commonly encountered situations in clinical practice involving vaccines. Exploring the different sections of this handbook will arm the reader with the tools needed to discuss the importance of vaccines and recommend the appropriate vaccines for their patients in order to optimally protect them against vaccine preventable diseases.Less