scholarly journals Seroprevalence of antibodies against varicella zoster virus and rubella virus among newly recruited expatriate healthcare workers: a cross-sectional study

BMJ Open ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. e019339
Author(s):  
Ibrahim Shady

ObjectivesTo assess the state of immunity to varicella zoster virus (VZV) and rubella virus (RV) among newly recruited healthcare workers (HCWs) in Kuwait before they begin work, and to determine whether there are differences in the prevalence of seronegativity according to nationality, gender, age group and occupation group.SettingThis cross-sectional study involved analysis of blood samples from workers newly recruited to the Kuwaiti healthcare system.ParticipantsAll new non- national HCWs recruited during the study period (n=1540).InterventionEnzyme-linked immunoassays for VZV-specific and RV-specific IgG were performed.ResultsAmong HCWs, 81.9% and 93.5% were immune to VZV and RV, respectively. Male seronegativity was higher than that of females for both viruses. Regarding VZV, the majority of seronegative individuals were Indians (23.5%), followed by Somalis (12.5), Filipinos (6.5) and Egyptians (5.4%); the between-group differences were significant for all groups. The age groups 20–30 and 30–40 years were most likely to be seronegative, with prevalences of 18.2% and 18.9%, respectively. VZV seronegativity was most common among nurses (21.1%) and least common among physicians (9.2%), and the difference was significant. In addition, RV seronegativity was most frequent among Somalis (12.5%) and lowest among Indians (5.3%); other nationalities (Egyptian, Filipino and others) ranged between 9.1% and 9.6%. Seronegative individuals were most frequently in the younger age group (<20 years old) (17.5%), followed by the >40 years old group (10.4%). RV seronegativity was highest among nurses (6.9%) and lowest among physicians (5.2%).ConclusionThe prevalence of seronegativity is highest among Indians for VZV and Somalis for RV, and HCWs aged 20–40 years for VZV and <20 years for RV. For both viruses, the seronegativity rate was highest for male HCWs, and for nurses compared with other HCWs, with physicians having the lowest prevalence of both viruses.

Author(s):  
Sathish Dev D. ◽  
Sugantha Valli M. ◽  
Gnana Sezhian M. ◽  
Suganya E.

Background: Adolescents represent about 21.8 percent of India’s population. Various health risks with potentially life-threatening consequences become prominent in this age group. This study was undertaken with the objective to determine the morbidity profile of school going adolescents in Tamil Nadu.Methods: This descriptive, cross sectional study was planned and conducted from January 2016 to August 2017. The study population included 987 adolescent boys and girls aged between 10 to 19 years studying in high and higher secondary Government schools of Thiruvallur district of Tamil Nadu. Semi-structured questionnaire was used as data collection tool.Results: The mean age groups of this school going adolescent are 14.2 yrs. In the present study 583 (59%) of the study participants were affected by one or more morbidity condition. Among them, 395 (67.7%) were in the age group 10-14 years and 188 (32.2%) in the age group 15-19 years. 122 (21%) and 461 (79.1%) of male and female were affected respectively. In the present study, fever (21%) was the commonest reported morbidity followed by acute respiratory infection (15.7%) and acute gastrointestinal disease (13. 4%).Conclusions: This study shows that adolescents are prone to a wide range of morbidity conditions. Apart from respiratory and gastro intestinal diseases, reproductive tract infections and sexual health problems are important morbidities affecting this age group. There is strong need to sensitize health care practitioners at all levels, in both government and private sectors towards health problems in adolescent age groups.


2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 352-356
Author(s):  
Prokash Biswas ◽  
Md Bahanur Rahman ◽  
Sayra Tasnin Sharmy ◽  
Md Ferdousur Rahman Khan ◽  
Md Mizanur Rahman ◽  
...  

The present study was carried out to determine the prevalence of bovine and avian tuberculosis in cattle by using bovine and avian PPDs at Bangladesh Livestock Research Institute (BLRI) Cattle Farm, Savar, Dhaka. Cattle of different breeds, ages and sexes (n=183) were tested using bovine and avian PPDs. In caudal Fold Tuberculin (CFT) test, 16 (8.74%) cases were showed positive reaction among 183 sample. The overall percentages of positive reactors to Comparative cervical tuberculin (CCT) test of bovine and avian tuberculosis were 7.10% and 1.64% respectively. An insignificant variation (P>0.05) on prevalence of bovine tuberculosis on different age group of cattle was observed. Age group >7 years showed a higher prevalence (10.91%) than those of other age groups. In CCT test, 7.55% and 4.17% positive reactors were found in female and male cattle respectively. The association between different breeds of the animal was found significant (P<0.05). The local breed showed higher prevalence (9.77%) than those of Red Chittagong and cross breed. The highest percentage (10.45%) of positive reactors in CCT test was recorded in milking cows than in dry cows (2.32%), heifer (9.52%) and calf (5.77%) were observed. Mixed infection (bovine and avian type of tuberculosis) was recorded 1.64%.Asian J. Med. Biol. Res. September 2017, 3(3): 352-356


2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-5
Author(s):  
I. Arjun Rao ◽  
Adimoolam Chandrasekhar ◽  
Venugopal N. Pulamaghatta ◽  
Subal Das ◽  
Kaushik Bose

The present study investigated blood pressure levels as well as the prevalence of hypertension among adult Parengi Porja tribals of village Munchingput Mandalam, Visakhapatnam district, Andhra Pradesh, India. A cross-sectional study was used to collect data on systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and pulse rate. A total of 137 adults (100 males and 37 females) were measured and classified into three age groups, that is, Gr-I: 23 to 32 years, Gr-II: 33 to 42 years, and Gr-III: ≥ 43 years. Negative significant sex difference in SBP among age group I (t=-2.409; P<0.05) was observed. Positive significant sex difference in DBP among age group I (t=2.545; P<0.05) was also observed. Significant age group difference was noticed for SBP (F=4.332; P<0.01) among males. Based on SBP, the prevalence of prehypertension and stage I hypertension in males was 25.0% and 5.0%, respectively. Similarly, in females the prevalence of prehypertension and stage I hypertension based on SBP was 32.4% and 5.4%, respectively. On the basis of DBP, the prevalence of stage I hypertension in males was 5.0%. Similarly, in females, the prevalence of stage I hypertension based on DBP was 5.4%. Our results suggest that females of this ethnic group were more prone to have prehypertension and stage I hypertension than males.


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 77
Author(s):  
K. K. Rakesh Raju ◽  
V. T. Ajithkumar ◽  
T. P. Ashraf ◽  
A. Riyaz ◽  
N. C. Cherian ◽  
...  

Background: Malnutrition and anaemia form major public health problems among the school age children, particularly in the developing countries.Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted among children between 6 months and 18 years, in randomly selected 25 Anganwadis of Attappadi area. Objective of the study was to estimate the prevalence of anaemia and malnutrition among the children of Attappadi. Children were divided in to tribal and nontribal. Anthropometric measurements, haemoglobin estimation by cyanmethemoglobin method and peripheral smear examination were done.Results: 65.5% tribal and 54.1% non-tribal were anaemic. Among males 65.9% tribal and 56.4% non-tribal were anaemic. Among females 65.1% tribal and 52.6% nontribal were anaemic. In the age group less than 6 years, 9% tribal females, 8.9% nontribal females, 12% tribal males and 5.8% nontribal males were severely stunted. Above 6yrs it was 3.3% tribal females, 2.7% nontribal females, 2.4% tribal males and 7.4% nontribal males. In the age group less than 6 years, 12.5% tribal females, 3.9% nontribal females, 15.9% tribal males and 4.3% nontribal males had severe underweight. Above 6 years it was 8.3% tribal females, 0% non-tribal females, 19% tribal males and 3% non-tribal males.Conclusions: Anaemia and malnutrition are common among children of Attappadi. Tribal children are more affected than non-tribal children. Anaemia is more common among two age groups, less than 5 years and more than 11 years. Among females’ adolescent girls are more affected. Periodic assessment of growth parameters and early detection and treatment of anaemia are needed.


Author(s):  
Vaibhav Munjal ◽  
Puneet Singh Talwar ◽  
Jagjit Singh ◽  
Mandeep Kumar ◽  
Ramandeep Gambhir

Background: Dental caries is a multifactorial disease with diet being one of the contributing factors. The influence of vegetarianism on the development of caries has scarcely been investigated in the past. Therefore, this study was done to evaluate the association of dental caries with frequency of sugar exposures and vegetarian / mixed diet.Methods: The present cross-sectional study was conducted among 2500 school children of 12 and 15 years age groups selected on the basis of simple random sampling from different schools of the city. Dental caries was recorded using Decayed, Missing and Filled teeth index (WHO modification, 1997) and correlated with the different dietary variables. Subjects were also segregated on the basis of diet: vegetarian and mixed. Statistical analysis was done using Student t-test and Pearson’s Correlation Coefficient.Results: The prevalence of dental caries in the 12 and 15 year age group of subjects consuming mixed diet was 83.36% and 86.47% respectively. It was lower in case of subjects on vegetarian diet. The correlation between DMFS and TSE, FSE and AMSE was found to be statistically significant (p<0.05) in the 12 year age-group. In the 15 year age-group the correlation of DMFS with TSE and LSE was also found to be statistically significant (p<0.05).Conclusions: There was no statistically significant difference in dental caries status among subjects in both the groups (vegetarian and mixed). However, there was significant association between sugar exposures and dental caries among subjects of both the age-groups.


2012 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 93-96 ◽  
Author(s):  
MA Jalil ◽  
MT Islam

A cross-sectional study was carried out on 96 commercial layer farms of six upazilas of Khulna district to know the seroprevalence of Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) infection during the period from August 2009 to July 2010. A total of 1268 sera samples were collected from randomly selected layer birds of different age groups and tested by serum plate agglutination (SPA) test by using commercial MG antigen (Nobilis® MG, Intervet International) to detect the presence of antibodies against MG. The overall prevalence of MG infection was recorded as 67.4%. Age-wise analysis revealed that there was significant relationship (p<0.001) between MG infection and age of birds. The highest prevalence of MG infection was 71.2% in 21-56 weeks age group followed by 66.8% in 8-20 weeks age group. There was significant (p<0.001) variation in the seroprevalence in terms of areas of study (upazilas). Significant (p<0.001) effect of seasons in the seroprevalence of MG infection in layer birds was observed in the present study. The prevalence of MG infection was the highest (75.6%) in winter season followed by summer (66.3%) and rainy (60.8%) seasons. The seroprevalence of MG infection was higher in most of the large flocks and lower in small flocks with some exceptions. It is evident from the present study that above 50% layer birds are infected with MG organism. Therefore, it may be suggested that the layer farms should be routinely checked to monitor MG infection and the reactor birds should be culled since MG organism has the potential to transmit vertically.DOI = http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjvm.v8i2.9620Bangl. J. Vet. Med. (2010). 8 (2) : 93-96 


2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 1360 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kamlesh Dhruv ◽  
Sunita Meshram ◽  
Sujan Narayan Agrawal

Background: The most common cause of acute abdomen in surgical is appendicitis. Among the surgeries of abdomen performed all over the world, appendectomy is the most common operation performed. Many studies have shown variations of age, gender in acute appendicitis as well as the seasonal variations in the occurrence of acute appendicitis, although the cause is not found yet. Objective was to study the surgical profile of patients undergoing appendectomy.Methods: A total of 302 patients who have undergone appendectomy were included in the present study which was hospital based cross sectional study. The study was carried out for two years at Osmania General Hospital, Hyderabad, India. Permission from Institutional Ethics Committee permission was obtained. From each and every patient included in the study, initially Informed individual consent was taken.Results: The incidence of appendicitis is much more in females i.e. 60% compared to only 40% in males. Appendicitis was most common in younger age groups of below 30 years of age. As the age increased the incidence of appendicitis decreased. From 83.2% at 30 or less than 30 of age it drastically dropped down to 15.9% in the age group of 30-49 years and in the age group of 50 and above, the incidence of appendicitis came down to less than one percentage. Only three cases were recorded above the age of 50 years.Conclusions: Present study revealed more rates in females. The disease was more common in younger age groups. The most common presenting symptom was abdominal pain. Presence of abdominal mass was absent in the present study.


2018 ◽  
pp. 1692-1697 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yazdan Hamzavi ◽  
Naser Nazari ◽  
Nahid Khademi ◽  
Keivan Hassani ◽  
Arezoo Bozorgomid

Aim: The prevalence of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is growing in Iran, and new sources of the disease have been found in the country. The purpose of this study was to describe the epidemiology of CL in Qasr-e Shirin County, Kermanshah Province, West of Iran. Qasr-e Shirin is located near the Iran-Iraq border, and several million pilgrims pass through this area to Iraq every year. Materials and Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out for active case detection from April 1, 2014, to March 31, 2015. All individuals with suspicious lesions were identified through house-to-house visits in the aforementioned area. A questionnaire was filled out for everyone with clinical suspicion of CL. A diagnosis was made based on parasitological examination of the lesion exudate. The annual incidence and prevalence of CL were estimated. Results: In total, 5277 individuals were randomly screened for the presence of active lesions or scars suspected of CL. The overall prevalence of CL in the County was 4.8% (60 cases had active lesions and 194 cases had scars). All age groups were affected, but the highest incidence of CL was seen in the age group 20-29 years (1.9%). The incidence and prevalence were higher in women than men (5.5% vs. 4%). Most cases (45.6%) had a single lesion or scar and 44 (17.4%) patients had five or more lesions or scars. Conclusion: The incidence of CL in Qasr-e Shirin County is high. There is a need for further studies on reservoirs and vectors of leishmaniasis in this area. The results of such studies help to perform more efficient and timely spraying against phlebotomine sandfly or detect and decrease the animal reservoir population.


2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (8) ◽  
pp. 1908-1909
Author(s):  
Zubair Hassan Awaisi ◽  
Muhammad Azeem ◽  
Faisal BDS ◽  
Hafiza Asma Jawaid ◽  
Muhammad Haseeb ◽  
...  

Aim: To determine the frequency of crowding in patients reporting at Nishtar Institute of Dentistry, Multan. Methods: A total of 200 patients (126 females, 74 males) having malocclusion in permanent dentition were included in this cross-sectional study. Patients in the age group 7years and above were included in the study. Statistical analysis was done by using SPSS version20.0. Cross tabulations were performed for gender and age groups and chi square test was used to determine association. Results: The frequency of crowding was found to be 29%. The percentage of crowding in males was 12% and females 17 %. While the frequency of crowding was 31% in males and 28% in females. It was found that there was a decrease in crowding with increasing age in both genders. Conclusion: Crowding was more frequent in females than males. Keywords: Malocclusion, Alignment, Orthodontics


2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (6) ◽  
pp. 1379-1383
Author(s):  
M. F. Khalid ◽  
M. Alam ◽  
F. Rehman ◽  
R. Sarfaraz

Aim: To study stigmatization of healthcare workers due to COVID-19 pandemic Methodology: Using a cross-sectional study, a total of 134 healthcare workers were approached at Mayo Hospital, Lahore. An interview based, pre-tested, semi-constructed questionnaire consisting of both open and close ended questions were used for data collection. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 26. Results: Out of 134 healthcare workers, 40.3% were male and 59.7% were female. Distribution among doctors and nurses was 60.4% and 39.6% respectively. 51.5% of healthcare workers felt stigmatized due to working in the COVID-19 pandemic. 69.4% of healthcare workers knew of other people who faced similar stigmatization due to their exposure to COVID-19. Almost each age group and specialty faced such stigmatization. Conclusion: This study helped in understanding the stigma healthcare workers had to face during COVID-19 Pandemic which lead to significant distress and suffering for the healthcare workers. Keywords: COVID-19, pandemic, stigmatization, healthcare workers


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