Contents: December 2003

Front cover (large)

Contents page (PDF)

Editorials

Deaths from malaria in Africa
The rest of the world watches, but does almost nothing says Gavin Yamey and Amir Attaran

Why HIV prevention programmes fail
Catherine Campbell explains the reasons behind this, which may also apply to other programmes

Practising just medicine in an unjust world
Initiatives to improve academic medicine in developing countries must come from within argues Zulfiqar Bhutta

News

Ratio of girls to boys in India continues to decline

Teetotallers are affected by other students' drinking

Sports expert defends "chocolate for equipment"

Animated doctor to introduce medicine to children

WHO launches initiative to encourage eating fruit and vegetables

In brief

Sitcoms are a good source of sex education

Trial shows no clear benefit from cannabis for patients with MS

Education

Picture Quiz: A crushed lung

Introduction to imaging: The head and neck
In the third part of our series, John Frank discusses the techniques used to image head and neck disorders

Managing sickle cell disease
Advances are being made in the management of sickle cell disease for all age groups. Susan Claster and Elliott P Vichinsky discuss the progress in improving symptoms, problems unique to particular age groups, and the types of drugs and treatments currently under investigation

Children's right to sight
Blindness in children has many causes. Half of them are avoidable, and suitable cost effective interventions are available. Haroon Awan and Claire Gilbert explain the current global situation

Are you interested in experiencing health care in a rural Kenyan village? Do you have a desire to make a difference?

How to treat: Faecal incontinence
Many treatment options now exist for this embarrassing condition, as Michael Kamm explains

Educational extras

Careers

Getting that job: The final offensive
In the final part of our series, Anita Houghton takes you through your strategy for getting the job you want

Tips on... leading a team

Dealing with amorous advances from patients
Ever tempted to cross the line, or have you crossed it unintentionally? Anahita Kirkpatrick from the Medical Defence Union starts off our series on medicolegal matters, by focusing on patients' relationships with doctors or medical students

Writing a profile
Prolific profile writer and adviser on the studentBMJ, Clare Hughes gives some advice on how to do justice to the person you are profiling and get published

Profile Always hopeful
Naa Ashiley Vanderpuye trained in Holland but returned to work in her home country of Ghana. Mareeni Raymond finds out how she juggles life as the only full time doctor at a busy HIV/AIDS clinic in Accra as well as looking after her young baby

The advice zone
Got a career or university related problem that needs answering? Can't find the right person to point you in the right direction? Log on to the Advice Zone at www.bmjcareers.com/advicezone to post a question or to see if one of our experts has already solved your problem

Papers

Paper plus: Non-standard gradesin the NHS
This month, Jocalyn Clark looks at an analysis and a cross sectional questionnaire survey about advertisements for non-standard UK doctors' jobs. The research aims to help identify to what extent employers are exploiting doctors

Life

Planning your elective: Malawi

400 inpatients, 256 beds, and one doctor
Malawi, in southern Africa, is ranked among the poorest countries in the world, and many of its hospitals have only basic facilities. Rebecca Hodgkinson shares her elective experience, which she spent in a district general hospital to the south of Lake Malawi

Treating diarrhoea in emergency settings
Diarrhoea will have claimed 92 million lives by 2025. Sally Hargreaves from the medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières takes a look at the treatment of diarrhoea in emergency settings

Uganda village project

Bilharzia: war against the worm
The parasitic disease bilharzia is endemic in more than 70 tropical countries. Bishoy Morris takes a look at the battle against this waterborne flatworm

Kala-azar and elephantiasis
Under-represented in the Indian press, elephantiasis and kala-azar take their toll on poor communities. Sanjit Bagchi reports on these endemic parasitic infections

River blindness
Chibuzo Odigwe explains the history and current treatment strategies for a disease that has been a large scale problem in Africa since recorded history began

Romanian gypsies
With high rates of tuberculosis and malnutrition, the Gypsy people of Romania have specific health problems. After working in Romania, John-Paul Smith considers the health difficulties facing this marginalised population

Letters