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The article discusses the determinants of fertility and the importance of fertility reduction policies in developing countries such as Vietnam. The effect of socioeconomic development in declining fertility in the long run is mentioned. It is inferred that education and employment especially to women helps decline fertility.

The present study estimates the fertility-inhibiting effects of the four important proximate determinants, namely marriage, contraception, induced abortion and post-partum infecundability in Viet Nam. It is based on using data obtained from the 1997 and 2002 round of the Viet Nam Demographic and Health Survey (VNDHS). The Bongaarts model is used to determine the contribution of the proximate determinants in fertility change. The analysis shows that the major factors responsible for fertility change are the proportion of married women, level of contraceptive use and induced abortion in rural Viet Nam. In urban areas, induced abortion, post-partum infecundability and the proportion of married women have been ound to be major determinants in fertility change during the above period, whereas contraceptive use has had a marginal effect on it. The estimated total fertility rate (TFR) is probably smaller than the actual one and the difference between the two has narrowed over the period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) is estimated to cause 30–50,000 cases of encephalitis every year. The disease occurs mainly in rural Asia and is transmitted to humans from birds and pigs by mosquitoes of the genus Culex. JE is diagnosed with antibody testing of the serum and CSF, but this is not available in many hospitals. Neuroimaging abnormalities, particularly thalamic hypodensity on computed tomography (CT) and hyperintensity on T2 weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have been described in case studies, but their usefulness for diagnosing JE is not known. We have therefore evaluated the usefulness of neuroimaging (CT and MRI) for the diagnosis of JE. The findings of thalamic lesions were compared with the final serological diagnosis in a cohort of 75 patients (children and adults) with suspected CNS infections in Southern Vietnam, a JEV endemic area. Thalamic lesions on CT and/or MRI combined had sensitivity 23% (95% confidence interval 12.9–33.1%), specificity 100%, positive predictive value 100% and negative predictive value 42.1% (95% confidence interval 30.2–53.8%) for a diagnosis of JE in this cohort. Over time, the thalamic lesions resolved in some patients. One patient showed disappearance of lesions on CT followed by reappearance of the lesions some time later, known as the fogging effect. In this setting, the presence of thalamic abnormalities suggested the diagnosis of JE, but their absence did not exclude it.