Current prevalence studies are useful indicators of service needs. People with comorbid psychiatric conditions have high rates of service use. The low rate of comorbidity in Chile merits further study.

Summary: A laboratory technician developed leptospirosis following accidential inoculation, despite prompt administration of parenteral penicillin by an accepted regimen of post-exposure prophylaxis. Another technician was similarly exposed and was given doxycycline; no illness or serological conversion followed. The implications of these cases are discussed and recommendations made for post-exposure chemoprophylaxis with doxycycline.

The accidents at work of 4482 employees in a car engine machining and assembly plant in south east England were studied retrospectively over a 12 month period. The study population was composed of Asian (22%), white (66%), and West Indian employees (12%). The crude accident rates differed among the groups, the means being Asians 1 58, white 1-23, and West Indians 128. There was, however, no consistent ethnic difference after adjustment for other factors such as age, type of job, and duration of service. Accident rates were higher in those employees who were younger, newly employed, and in production jobs. The findings of this research imply that accident prevention programmes should be directed to those factors known to relate to accidents and not to any specific ethnic group.

No abstract

The certified sickness absence of 4482 employees in one plant of a large manufacturing company in South-east England was studied for 12 months. The absences in the principal ethnic groups, Caucasian, Asian, and West Indian were compared. After standardisation for age and job grade in each department the Asians had twice the spells per man and nearly twice the days lost per man compared with the Caucasians. Compared with the Caucasians there was slightly more absence in West Indians. Various factors affect absence, and one reason for these differences may be that the three ethnic groups appreciate painful or unpleasant stimuli to a different degree.