Over time, changes in lifestyles, surroundings, and presence of parasites in the developed and developing world has resulted in new strains of various communicable diseases such as AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, etc. Even though the global average of diseases may be quite low, the concentration in certain countries is much higher. In developed countries, information technology has proved to be an indispensable tool to spread awareness regarding these communicable diseases; however, most developing countries lack the infrastructure needed to use these same resources to educate people about the prevention, symptoms, and treatment available. This chapter makes the following contributions: first, it outlines some of the critical challenges regarding the spread of communicable diseases. It then identifies and summarizes the various information systems strategies used in developed and developing countries. The conclusion ties these together and offers suggestions to further curb the spread of communicable diseases in developing countries.

Over time, changes in lifestyles, surroundings, and presence of parasites in the developed and developing world has resulted in new strains of various communicable diseases such as AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, etc. Even though the global average of diseases may be quite low, the concentration in certain countries is much higher. In developed countries, information technology has proved to be an indispensable tool to spread awareness regarding these communicable diseases; however, most developing countries lack the infrastructure needed to use these same resources to educate people about the prevention, symptoms, and treatment available. This chapter makes the following contributions: first, it outlines some of the critical challenges regarding the spread of communicable diseases. It then identifies and summarizes the various information systems strategies used in developed and developing countries. The conclusion ties these together and offers suggestions to further curb the spread of communicable diseases in developing countries.

Importance of LBWLBW is one of the most serious challenges in maternal and child health. The public health importance is attributed to a number of factors such as, its high incidence, its association with mental retardation and a high risk of perinatal and infant mortality and morbidity; ABSTRACT Background: Low birth weight (LBW) is one of the commonest cause for infant and childhood morbidity and mortality. The majority of low birth weight in developing countries is due to intrauterine growth retardation, while most low birth weight in industrialized countries is due to preterm birth. LBW is the single most important factor determining the survival chances of the child. The objectives of the study were to assess the proportion of low birth weight among babies delivered by mothers at a tertiary care hospital and to analyse the relationship between low birth weight and certain socio-demographic factors. Methods: A cross-sectional study conducted in a tertiary care centre for a period of six months. Results: The prevalence of LBW was 23.5%. The proportion of mothers having low birth weight was maximum in women aged less than 18 years (35%) and more than 30 years (26.5%). Muslim women had a higher proportion of LBW (28.8%). LBW was more in women belonging to joint family (30.0%), low per capita income group and illiterates. Conclusions: The prevalence of LBW still continues to be high, almost one fourth of the babies are LBW. Different socio-demographic characteristics of the population are still the important factors determining the occurrence of LBW.