scholarly journals A study on mosquito density in rural Kerala before and after floods

Author(s):  
V. T. Krishnadas Menon ◽  
Jerry Rachel ◽  
C. R. Saju ◽  
M. Mohamed Rafi ◽  
Vidhu M. Joshy

Background: Mosquito borne diseases are a major public health problem in Kerala. Mosquito density assessed by larval surveys is easier and quicker to perform. The larval indices are an important practical predictor of outbreaks of mosquito borne disease and are valuable in taking preventive measures. This study is done to calculate standardized larval indices namely house index, container index and Breteau index and to identify the major breeding sources of mosquitoes in the residential environment in a rural of Thrissur, Kerala.Methods: A cross-sectional study selecting 80 houses from 1 wards of Konnikara village under Thrikkur Panchayath under the field practice area of rural training centre, Amala Institute of Medical Sciences Thrissur. Every water holding container indoors and outdoors was counted and searched for larval presence and noted on a pretested format.Results: In this study, 80 houses were surveyed in 2 days initially in June and in September. All the entomological indices were found to be above the critical level in the initial survey in June. House index=36% container index=44%; Breteau index=143% showing high chances for outbreaks of mosquito borne diseases. In September though the indices were very low house index 1.25% container index 2.77% and Breteau index.Conclusions: The area is prone for mosquito borne disease outbreaks like dengue fever and after interventions the vector indices and potential risks came down.

Author(s):  
Shalini Rawat ◽  
Ashwini Yadav ◽  
Kamaxi Bhate

Background: Hypertension is a major public health problem and also major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. The prevalence and severity of hypertension increases with age, and it becomes difficult to control blood pressure with increasing age particularly in women. Thus present study aims to explores the risk factors contributing for hypertension among women.Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out in the field practice area of Rural Health Training Centre of Community Medicine Department for one month duration September to October 2017. All the women reporting to general OPD for routine visit to RHTC were included. Informed consent was obtained. The participants who were already known hypertensives and were already on medication were excluded. Total 200 subjects were included in the study. Percentages, chi-square test and P-value were calculated using Epi Info software.Results: Out of total 200 women maximum were in the age group of 40-60 years (64%) followed by (22.5%)in  60-70 years. 40% of women were found to be  normotensive, 16%  were in stage one 12% were in stage two and 32% were showing elevated blood pressure. Hypertension was found to be significantly associated with modifiable risk factors like BMI, physical activity, waist circumference. 66.66% of women who were obese were found to be hypertensive. 91.91% of women who had family history of hypertension were themselves hypertensive and 97 (48.5%) women who had diabetes out of them 82.47% were both diabetic as well as hypertensive.Conclusions: Screening, detection and treatment of NCDs, are key components of the response to non-communicable diseases.


2020 ◽  
Vol 52 (04) ◽  
pp. 66-69
Author(s):  
Soorya S ◽  

Background: Mosquito borne diseases cause major public health problem in Kerala which causes major outbreak during post monsoon period. Objective: To assess the knowledge attitude and practice on mosquito borne diseases among people in a rural health and training centre in Thrissur. Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out from the month of January to May 2019 in the field practice area of rural health training centre, Amala Institute of Medical Sciences, Thrissur. 300 houses were selected for the study by systematic random sampling and semi structured questionnaire was filled by an adult member of the family. Data was analysed in Microsoft Excel 2010 and SPSS version 21. Result: All the 274 respondents in the study were aware that mosquito borne diseases are a serious problem.90.9% knew dengue as a mosquito borne disease but only 2.6% are aware that mosquito bite in day time, only 3.2% knew that filaria is transmitted by mosquito. Majority believe that mosquito breeds in drains. Most of the respondents use mosquito nets for personal protection against mosquito. Health education serve as the main source of information for majority of participants. Conclusion: The study shows good knowledge, positive attitude and practices on mosquito borne diseases.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariam Mohsen Aly ◽  
Marwa Aly Elchaghaby

Abstract Background The use of antibiotics in dentistry as prophylaxis and treatment is frequent. Their misuse has led to a major public health problem globally known as antibiotic resistance. This study aimed to assess the pattern of antibiotic prescription and its prophylactic use for systemic conditions. Besides, this study evaluated the awareness and adherence to antibiotic prescription guidelines and antibiotic prophylaxis guidelines along with awareness of antibiotic resistance across pediatric and general dentists. Methods An overall of 378 pediatric and general dentists meeting the required eligibility criteria, fulfilled a pre-designed validated questionnaire. Data were collected, tabulated, and statistically analyzed. Results A significant statistical difference was found among the pediatric and general dentists regarding antibiotics prescription for most of the oral conditions where Amoxicillin with clavulanic acid was the most frequently prescribed antibiotic among the two groups (53% pediatric dentist and 52% general dentist). The majority of pediatric and general dentists, on the other hand, were aware of antibiotic resistance and prescribing recommendations. Conclusions The present study showed a tendency to overprescribe and overuse antibiotics in certain dental conditions among the participants. The vast majority of dentists, especially general dentists do not have adherence to professional guidelines for antibiotics prescription in children despite their awareness of antibiotic resistance and prescription guidelines.


2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 95
Author(s):  
Nikmatur Rohmah ◽  
Fariani Syahrul

Diarrhea is still a public health problem in the world and the mostly occur in children under five years. At the moment the number of diarrhea-caused mortality was 3.8 per 1000 per year by 3.2 episodes per year in children under five years. This research aims to analyze the association between hand-washing habits and toilet use with the incidence of diarrhea in children under five years. This is an observational analytic with cross sectional study. Population of the research was a children's mother took her children to the public health center of Sekardangan Sidoarjo Subdistrict. The number of samples taken as many as 58 mother of children under five years. Data collection was done with interviews to parents of children and the observations of the toilets. Technique of data analysis using chi-square test or Fisher's exact test. On the results of the research there is a significant association the habit of hand washing (p = 0.006) and toilet use(p = 0.014) with the incidenceof diarrhea in children under five years. Conclusions of the research is the habit of hand washing and toilet use had a significant association with the incidenceof diarrhea in children under five years. Advice that can be given to the mother of a children under five years is to wash the hands before and after defecating and before preparing food for children. Keywords: diarrhea, hand washing, toilet use, observational, children under five years


2020 ◽  
pp. 1-3
Author(s):  
Anup Latne ◽  
Prabhakar Jirvankar

Hypertension is a major public health problem all over the world. The incidence of hypertension is increasing year after year and the prevalence of hypertension is increasing day by day due to increased life expectancy and aging population and their sedentary lifestyle. Hypertension is known to cause microvascular changes and increased cardiovascular risk from it. Microalbuminuria possibly reflects a state of increased renal endothelial permeability and is an easily measured marker of rather diffuse endothelial dysfunction, low grade inflammation and vascular disease burden2. Microalbuminuria has been determined as an important prognostic indicator and has been reported to be associated with increased cardiovascular risk and progressive renal damage. Reliable data on the prevalence of microalbuminuria in the general population and its association with cardiovascular risk factors is limited. Till now, there is little data available regarding screening and early treatment of hypertensive patients with microalbuminuria, as in the case of microalbuminuric non diabetic subjects. With these perspective this cross sectional study of microalbuminuria in non-diabetic hypertensive patients was undertaken to study prevalence of microalbuminuria in Non Diabetic hypertensive patients. Objectives: To determine the prevalence of microalbuminuria in non-diabetic hypertensive patients and to correlate the presence of microalbuminuria with the patients of different clinical profiles. Materials and Methods: This was observational, cross sectional study of Patients diagnosed with hypertension either admitted in ward or attending OPD of Medical College and Tertiary Care Centre. Urine microalbumin creatinine ratio was used for estimation of microalbuminuria. Conclusion: It was proved that microalbuminuria prevalence was directly proportional to the duration of hypertension, the stage of hypertension. Prevalence of microalbuminria was low in ACE inhibitor and ARB treated hypertensive patients.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Demelash Wachamo ◽  
Fisseha Bonja

Abstract Background Opportunistic infections are late complications of HIV infection is the depletion of the immune system. It is a major public health problem and high morbidity AIDS patients die of AIDS-related infections in developing countries like Ethiopia. Identification of opportunistic infections (OIs) is important to develop a specific intervention. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the burden and associated factors of opportunistic infections.Method A facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted on 420 randomly selected HIV/AIDS patients taking anti-retroviral therapy. Data was collected from selected hospitals in Sidama Zone based on population proportion to size. Data was collected by a pre-tested questionnaire and a pre-tested checklist from the medical records of patients. Data entry and analyzed for descriptive and logistic regression models by SPSS v.23. The result declared as statistically significant at p < 0.05.Result The magnitude of opportunistic infections was 39.6%. Major identified OIs was oral candidacies 23.2%, recurrent bacterial pneumonia 21.5%, Herpes zoster 6.3%, and Pulmonary Tuberculosis 6.0%.The magnitude of opportunistic associated with; older age [AOR=2.69, 95% CI: 1.33-5.43], No formal education [AOR=3.12, 95% CI: 1.06-9.25], Low monthly income [AOR=2.27, 95%CI:1.35-3.83], initial CD4 count less than 200 cells/mm3 [AOR=1.91, 95% CI:1.05-3.46), WHO clinical stage II [AOR=2.43, 95% CI:1.34-4.42] and stage III and IV [AOR=4.27, 95% CI: 2.12-8.59], had no extra medicine additional to ART (prophylaxis) had [AOR= 5.91, 95% CI: 3.31-10.56], who interrupt ART medicines [AOR=2.03, 95% CI: 1.09- 3.80] and Khat chewing [AOR=5.48, 95% CI: 2.32-12.96] when compared to their counterparts.Conclusions The overall magnitude of opportunistic infections was high when compared with other studies. Health officials and clinicians need to give attention on the strengthening of the provision if ART with prophylaxis on early-stage and adhrerence, implementation of the TB/HIV collaboration activity, and early initiation of ART to reduce opportunistic infections.


2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 30
Author(s):  
Bharatkumar Balkrishna Pandya ◽  
Upendrakumar Rameshbhai Chaudhari ◽  
Avirat A. Bhatt ◽  
Nilesh Thakor

Background: Nutritional Anemia and visual impairment among school age children are recognized as major public health problem in India. Authors objective was to study prevalence of anemia and visual impairment among school going adolescents of Vadodara and Surat city of Gujarat, India.Methods: This cross sectional study was carried during period from April 2015 to March 2016. Total 8 schools were selected from Vadodara and Surat city by purposive sampling. After taking the permission of principals of schools and informed written consent of the parents of children, 859 children from these schools were examined for anaemia and visual impairment. The data was collected by predesign, pretested proforma and analysed using SPSS version 17 (Trial version).Results: Out of total 859 children 421(49.1%) were female. Mean age of the study children was 8.95±1.52 years. The prevalence of anemia in children in present study was 61.6 % (529 children). The prevalence of anemia in female (274, 65.1%) was higher than males (255, 58.2%). Moderate visual impairment and blindness was 5.9% in girls and 8.2% in boys respectively. Severe visual impairment and blindness was 2.1% in girls and 2.7% in boys respectively and the gender difference was not statistically significant. Though 61(7.1%) children had moderate to severe visual impairment to blindness only 21 (2.4%) children were wearing spectacles.Conclusions: High prevalence of anaemia and visual impairment among these children needs great attention and health education.


Pharmacy ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 103 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oumar Bassoum ◽  
Ndèye Sougou ◽  
Mayassine Diongue ◽  
Mamadou Lèye ◽  
Mouhamad Mbodji ◽  
...  

Background: Bacterial resistance is a major public health problem worldwide. One solution to this scourge is to sensitize the general public on rational use of antibiotics. Our goal was to assess people’s knowledge and opinions about antibiotic use and bacterial resistance in an urban setting. Method: We performed a cross-sectional study. A convenience sampling was done. A questionnaire was administered to 400 persons during face-to-face interviews. Results: Most respondents thought that antibiotics are effective against colds/flu (69.8%), cough (72.3%) and sore throat (64.4%). At the same time, 42.8% stated that antibiotic therapy can be stopped as soon as the symptoms disappear. Only 8.8% and 41.8% of people knew that handwashing and vaccination prevented bacterial resistance. Globally, 7% of people had a good knowledge. Socio-demographic variables were not associated with the level of knowledge. The main sources of information were entourage and pharmacy staff. Regarding the opinions, 78.3% of surveyed participants the people thought that that people overuse antibiotics. Additionally, 28% said that they have no role to play against bacterial resistance. Conclusion: People living in an urban setting had a low knowledge about antibiotic use and bacterial resistance. There is a need to implement awareness campaigns. Further studies on population practices toward antibiotic use are necessary.


2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Kassaye Tekie Desta ◽  
T. E. Masango ◽  
Zerish Zethu Nkosi

Background. Tuberculosis (TB) is a major public health problem in Liberia. Little is known about the TB laboratory performance of Liberia and the challenges after the 14 years of civil war which ended in 2003. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the TB laboratory performance of Liberia. Methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted from 2014 to 2015. The study was conducted using quantitative data of TB case findings, sputum microscopy proficiency testing, and on-site assessment of sputum microscopy laboratories in Liberia. 80 laboratories participated in the proficiency testing. Besides, four years’ (2012–2015) TB case finding data obtained from the National Leprosy and Tuberculosis Control Programme (NLTCP) were used to complement the study. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics. Results. From the 80 TB sputum microscopy testing laboratories participating in proficiency testing, only 20 (25%) scored acceptable performance. 46 (58%) TB microscopy laboratories reported quantification errors for the proficiency panel slide 6 which was 3+. The national TB smear-positive cases notified were 4342 in 2012 but decreased to 3820 and 2448 in 2013 and 2014, respectively. The TB smear case detection rate showed an increase from 68% in 2010 to 78% in 2011 and a decrease to 60%, 57%, and 42% in 2012, 2013, and 2014, respectively. Conclusion. Between 2010 and 2013, the NLTCP succeeded in increasing the number of TB sputum microscopy laboratories. At most of the TB microscopy sites, the TB laboratory quality system was not implemented. The NLTCP of Liberia should develop strategies to overcome its challenges in TB laboratory testing.


2003 ◽  
Vol 93 (2) ◽  
pp. 427-434 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Paz Loayza Hidalgo ◽  
Camila Morelatto de Souza ◽  
Camila Bressan Zanette ◽  
Paula Vianna Nunes

Sleepiness is a major public health problem associated with motor vehicle crashes, occupational accidents, decreased productivity, and interpersonal problems. It can be influenced by many factors, including the individual's circadian rhythm. The objective of this study is to assess the correlation between the morningness/eveningness dimension and daytime sleepiness in medical school students. This is a cross-sectional study; 310 subjects (123 women and 187 men, M age 20.5 ± 1.9 yr.) completed a questionnaire on use of drugs, diagnostic diseases, sleeping habits, the Morningness/Eveningness Questionnaire and the Epworth Sleepiness Scale. The only variable related to daytime sleepiness was the morningness/eveningness dimension ( r = –.18, p = .002). Questions with higher coefficients of discrimination between the morning and the evening chronotype were “Lying down to rest in the afternoon when circumstances permit” (.61), “Sitting and reading” (.53), and “As a passenger in a car for an hour without a break” (.53). The implications of the findings are discussed.


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