Neonatal BCG vaccination reduces the risk of tuberculosis and provides protection higher than 80% against the development of meningeal and miliary tuberculosis in newborns. Tuberculosis meningitis remains a major problem and also an important cause of death in some countries. In countries with high and moderate incidence of tuberculosis, prevention from the most severe complications of tuberculosis can be achieved only with a high coverage of the universal BCG neonatal immunization, being higher than 98% in the cohort of newborns. The decrease in BCG immunization coverage within immunization program during the year 2003 in Bosnia and Herzegovina influenced the increase in tuberculous meningitis. During 2002, when coverage with BCG vaccination in cohort of newborns was 90%, the incidence rate of tuberculous meningitis was 19. 04%oo. With the 68% decrease in BCG immunization coverage in the cohort of newborns in Bosnia and Herzegovina during the year 2003, the incidence of tuberculous meningitis raised to 33 33%oo. It has been proven that the 22% decrease of the neonatal BCG immunization coverage in the cohort of newborns /vaccination program of children/ caused 175 times higher number of the tuberculous meningitis cases. Newborns affected by the tuberculous meningitis were not BCG vaccinated. BCG vaccine provided effective protection against tuberculous meningitis, as well against the death of newborns caused by tuberculosis.

This study investigated mortality rate of lungs carcinoma in professional vineyard sprayers. Clinical investigation was performed in 187 professional vineyard sprayers who had been exposed to the inhalation of the particles of Bordeaux mixture for 24 years on average. Bordeaux Mixture is used for prevention against mildew attacking vineyards. The control group was composed of 187 inhabitants of the same area who did not have any contact with the mentioned substance. A cytological investigation of the sputum specimens obtained from 104 tested inhabitants was performed. The sputum specimens were stained with standard haematoxylin-eosin method and also with special method (rubeanic acid) to prove the incidence of copper granules in macrophages. The findings show a considerable statistical difference in the frequency of occurrence of lungs carcinoma between the group of vineyard sprayers smokers and the control group (X2=4.77,p<0.01). The risk of lungs carcinoma in the vineyard sprayers was three times higher compared to the risk of smokers in the control group, with a statistical probability of 95% in the scope from 1.16

Acute infections in humans and animals caused by Coxiella burnetii (C. burnetii) are becoming an important medical problem for Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H). From a clinical and epidemiological aspect, Q fever represents a complex medical problem, considering that one of the highest incidence rates of Q fever in Europe has been recorded during the last few years in B&H. The first case of this disease in B&H was described in 1950, by Muray et al., and the first epidemic, with 16 infected individuals, was recorded the same year. Confirmed animal infections by C. burnetii in B&H were first reported in 1985 when, of all tested sheep, positive results were found in 12.4%. During 2001, 2.11% of tested sheep and goats were found to have a positive result, which was also confirmed by studies from the following years in particular regions of B&H. These studies suggest that endemic loci of infected animals are established in particular geographic regions in B&H, which is important to emphasize for better understanding of the sources and routes of C. burnetii transmission to the human population. This conclusion is based on the studies from 2000, when 2.17% of positive cattle, 1.85% of positive sheep, and 0.27% of positive goats were registered. During the same period, in B&H, in 6 different regions, 156 individuals with Q fever were registered as were 3 separate epidemics with 115 infected individuals. Official data on the number of detected animal C. burnetii infections during 2002 suggest that 10 positive cattle and 88 positive sheep or goats were registered. During 2003, 24 positive cattle, 29 positive goats, and 167 positive sheep were detected, while in 2004, 71 positive cattle, 4 positive goats, 37 positive sheep, and 72 positive animals from the sheep-goat group were registered. According to official reports from 2001, 19 individuals with Q fever were registered in B&H, while in 2002, the number of infected individuals increased to 250. In five cantons in B&H, 43 infected individuals were registered during 2002, while in Republika Srpska of B&H, 207 infected individuals in the region of Banja Luka were registered. From 1998 to 2003, 373 individuals with Q fever were reported in B&H, whereof 265 individuals (71.04%) were infected during epidemics, and 108 (28.95%) sporadically. Q fever incidence rates in B&H were high during 1998 (5.68%ooo) and very high in 2000, with 115 individuals with an acute clinical form and an incidence rate of 6.95%ooo. The incubation time varied between 9 and 28 days.

The study involved 286 individuals from different regions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, whose sera were tested in the Laboratory for specific diagnosis of human brucellosis in Microbiology Department of Medical Faculty of University in Sarajevo, during the period from 2000. to 2003. Sera were tested using Brucelloslide Test, qualitative agglutination test Rose Bengal. Using the agglutination test, we serologically confirmed a diagnosis of human brucellosis in 59 (20.62%) seropositive individuals, whereof 38 (64.40%) men and 21 (35.60%) women. Individuals with human brucellosis were the most present in the age group of 31-40 (22.03%) and 41-50 (22.03%). One serologically confirmed death case was registered. The most seropositive individuals were from Zenica-Doboj Canton (32.20%), Sarajevo Canton (28.82%), Herzegovina-Neretva Canton (23.73%), Central Bosnia Canton (13.55%) and Una-Sana Canton (1.70%). During our four-year study, it was serologically confirmed that human brucellosis is present in Bosnia and Herzegovina and, through seropositive testing, we revealed the level of general exposition to Brucella spp. on wider area of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Typhus exanthematicus in Bosnia and Herzegovina held in endemic areas from which especially quickly began spread after 1945. That year, in 1945, one hundred epidemics of typhus fever appeared, with the highest incidence rate in Europe of 215.04 per 1,000. Directions of unique program in the world were to eradicate lice of the body, but also establish monitoring of the recidivism, Brill-Zinsser disease. Since 1971, typhus exanthematicus (classical typhus) hasn't appeared in Bosnia and Herzegovina, so epidemic typhus can considered as an eradicated communicable disease.