scholarly journals An increasing public health problem: Suspected rabies exposures

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (11) ◽  
pp. 1694-1700
Author(s):  
Ahmet Onder Porsuk ◽  
Cigdem Cerit
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Developing Countries ◽  
Health Problem ◽  
Hospital Admissions ◽  
Public Health Problem ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Post Exposure Prophylaxis ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Exposure Prophylaxis ◽  
Special Studies

Introduction: The increasing trend of rabies suspected exposures is a serious public health problem that is challenging the health systems of developing countries both in terms of labor and economics. The purpose of our study is to determine the current state of rabies suspected exposure cases. Methodology: This descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted by retrospectively examining the applications made due to suspected exposures to a state hospital’s emergency service in Turkey. Descriptive and analytical statistics were used in data analysis and p ≤ 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Results: Between 2015 and 2019, 3,378 hospital admissions due to suspected exposures were detected (n = 3,378). The number of admissions, which was 558 in 2015, increased every year and reached 829 in 2019 (p < 0.001). Also admissions after contact with cats have increased over the years and have passed contact with dogs in 2019 (p < 0.001). Post-exposure prophylaxis was applied to all cases, but 0.8% (n = 26) of them were found to be inappropriate according to guidelines. It was observed that 38.3% of overall cases examined were individuals aged 19 and under. It was also observed that 69.1% (n = 2,326) of the suspected exposures were caused by owned animals (p < 0.001). Conclusions: The case rates seen in children indicate the need for special studies for children. Applications for suspected exposures due to contact with cats were found to be a growing problem. Therefore, it was concluded that the patterns of rabies suspected exposure cases in Turkey and similar developing countries should be monitored regularly and measures should be taken according to local needs. Besides, stray animals in cities must be minimized and all animals living in cities owned or stray, must be monitored in terms of vaccination.

Pattern and Outcome of Dog Bite Injuries among Children-a Study in 200 Cases

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-5
Author(s):  
Md Waliur Rahman ◽  
◽  
Md Habibullah Sarkar ◽  
Samir Kumar Talukder ◽  
Md Joynal Abedin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Problem ◽  
Public Health Problem ◽  
Hospital Treatment ◽  
Post Exposure Prophylaxis ◽  
Dog Bite ◽  
Post Exposure ◽  
Dog Bites ◽  
Exposure Prophylaxis ◽  
Bite Injuries

Introduction: Dog bites in humans are a major public health problem. Globally, millions of people are bitten by dogs but most of the fatal cases occur in children. Dog bites in human are a serious public health problem and have been well documented worldwide. As rabies is not a notifiable disease in Bangladesh and most deaths occur in rural areas where surveillance is poor. Objectives: To determine the pattern of dog bite injuries and associated health problems among children. Methods: The study was an observational retrospective study carried out at the Dept. of General Surgery, Chuadanga Sadar Hospital, Chuadanga, Bangladesh. The study reviewed the clinical data of patients managed for dog bite related injuries and rabies over a four and half year period between January 2016 and June 2020. A proforma was designed to extract relevant clinical data from the case records. Information extracted included the age, sex of the victims, site of the bite, time of presentation in the hospital, pre-hospital treatment, hospital treatment including post-exposure prophylaxis and complication. Results: In all, 200 cases of dog bite injuries were managed constituting 0.89% of the total consultations; 5 (2.5%) had rabies. Most of the victims were aged 6-12 years (55.0%) and majority (67.0%) was boys. Eighty two percent of the victims presented within 24hrs of the injury. 92 (46.0%) had WHO grade 3 dog bite injury at presentation and the lower limb was the commonest (56.0%) bite site. Use of herbal preparation was the most common pre-hospital treatment 60%. Although 95.0% received anti-rabies vaccine, only 55.5% of them completed the vaccination schedule. The case fatality rate for dog bite was 5.0%. The 5 that died all presented late, had no post exposure prophylaxis and died within 24 hours of admission. Conclusion: There is need for public enlightenment on dangers associated with dog bites and also for the government to ensure vaccination for cost of post exposure prophylaxis treatment for children free of cost

scholarly journals Prevalence ofSchistosoma mansoniInfection in Four Health Areas of Kisantu Health Zone, Democratic Republic of the Congo

2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-5 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Khonde Kumbu ◽  
K. Mbanzulu Makola ◽  
Lu Bin
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Schistosoma Mansoni ◽  
Health Problem ◽  
Democratic Republic ◽  
Infection Intensity ◽  
Public Health Problem ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Republic Of The Congo ◽  
Health Zone

Background. Schistosomiasis is a public health problem in Democratic Republic of the Congo but estimates of its prevalence vary widely. The aim of this study was to determine prevalence ofSchistosoma mansoniinfection and associated risk factors among children in 4 health areas of Kisantu health zone.Methods. A cross-sectional study was carried out in 4 health areas of Kisantu health zone. 388 children randomly selected were screened forS. mansoniusing Kato Katz technique and the sociodemographic data was collected. Data were entered and encoded using software EpiData version 3.1. Analysis was performed using SPSS version 21 software.Results. The prevalence ofS. mansoniwas 26.5% (103); almost two-thirds (63) (61.2%) had light infection intensity. A significant association was found betweenS. mansoniinfection and age (p=0.005), educational level (p=0.001), and practices of swimming/bathing (p<0.001) and using water from river/lake/stream for domestic use (p<0.001). Kipasa health area had high prevalence of schistosomiasis (64.6%) (64/99; 95% CI 54.4–74.0) compared to other health areas.Conclusion.Schistosoma mansoniinfection still remains a public health problem in these areas. There is a need to promote health education and promote behavioral changes in children towards schistosomiasis.

scholarly journals Knowledge, attitude, and practices on disposal methods of expired and unused medicines among students in public academic institutions in Lusaka, Zambia

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 774
Author(s):  
Martin Kampamba ◽  
Trevor Cheela ◽  
Christabel Nang’andu Hikaambo ◽  
Steward Mudenda ◽  
Kennedy Saini ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Problem ◽  
Public Health Problem ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Academic Institutions ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Take Back ◽  
Study Participants ◽  
Expired Medicines

Background: Unsafe disposal of unused and expired household medicines is a public health problem and mostly occur because of a lack of knowledge towards suitable medicine disposal methods. Thus, we aimed to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practices on the disposal methods of unused and expired medicines among students in public academic institutions in Lusaka, Zambia.Methods: This was a cross-sectional study in which 385 students from three higher learning academic institutions were interviewed face to face using a structured questionnaire from 10th May to 24th June 2019. The cleaned data was then transferred to statistical package for social science (SPSS) version 25.0 for analysis.Results: The mean age of the participants was 23 (SD±2.9). Out of the 385 participants, 215 (55.8%) did not know much about medical waste and 345 (89.6%) of them did not have any previous information regarding proper and safe disposal of unused and expired medicine. However, 351 (91.4%) of the participants appropriately responded that unsafe disposal of unused and expired medicine poses a threat to human health and can harm the environment. Throwing unused and expired medicine in household garbage/bin was the most frequently used disposal practice followed by flushing them in toilet/sink as responded by 231 (60.0%) and 128 (33.3%) of participants respectively. Only 17 (4.42%) reported returning unused and expired medicines to the nearest pharmacy.  Conclusions: The majority of the study participants used unsafe methods to dispose of unused and expired medicine. However, most of the participants acknowledged that unsafe disposal of unused and expired medicines is a public health problem and proposed the need to introduce drug take-back programs in the communities.  

scholarly journals Anemia among HIV Infected Children on Highly Active Anti Retroviral Therapy in Wolaita Zone, South Ethiopia: a facility based cross sectional study

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mesay Lema Geleta ◽  
Fithamlak Bisetegn Solomon ◽  
Efrata Girma Tufa ◽  
Fekadu Elias Sadamo ◽  
Samson Kastro
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Problem ◽  
Intestinal Parasites ◽  
Public Health Problem ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Outcome Variable ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
South Ethiopia ◽  
Highly Active

Abstract Background Anemia is a global public health problem and most of the HIV positive people become anemic at some point in the course of the disease. We lack adequate evidence on the magnitude of anemia among children on highly active anti retroviral therapy in Ethiopia and particularly in South Ethiopia. Thus, this study aimed at determining the proportion and associated factors of anemia among children on highly active anti retroviral therapy in Wolaita zone, South Ethiopia.Method a facility based cross-sectional study has been conducted from November to December 2018 on 256 children 6 months to 14 years of age who were on Anti retroviral therapy. Data were collected through an interview with caregivers and review of medical records. CD4+ cell count was analyzed using FACS caliber and Hemoglobin level was measured with Hem cue 301 analyzer. Stool sample was examined for presence of intestinal parasites by direct wet mount technique. Data analyzed with Stata version 14.0 were conveyed in mean and standard deviation of the mean, median and inter-quartile range. Multivariate analysis was carried out to identify independent predictors of the outcome variable. Adjusted Odds Ratio with 95% confidence interval was reported.Results The magnitude of anemia was found to be 38.8%. Taking Co-trimoxazole antibiotic prophylaxis (AOR=.45; 95% CI: .21, .95), caregivers’ not receiving nutritional counseling (AOR=09; 95% CI: .01, .98) and presence of intestinal parasites (AOR=3.10; 95% CI: 1.39, 6.88) were associated with anemia.Conclusion The magnitude of anemia obtained in this study is a moderate public health problem. Health education programs in Anti Retroviral Therapy clinics should be targeted at appropriate dietary practice, and appropriate hand washing and other hygienic practices to prevent intestinal parasitic infections. Co-trimoxazole prophylaxis should give given to all eligible children based on the recommendation.

scholarly journals The prevalence of retinopathy in diabetes mellitus and associated risk factors: a community-based cross sectional study in peri urban area

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (6) ◽  
pp. 2226
Author(s):  
Sanjeev K. Gupta ◽  
Anshuman Sharma ◽  
Sanjay Agarwal ◽  
Sanjay Gupta ◽  
Shalini Sarouthia
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Diabetes Mellitus ◽  
Diabetic Retinopathy ◽  
Visual Impairment ◽  
Health Problem ◽  
Low Vision ◽  
Public Health Problem ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional

Background: Visual impairment i.e. diabetic retinopathy is the one of most common manifestation of diabetes mellitus. Globally it is becoming an increasing public health problem especially in the developing countries because of increase in number of diabetic patients.Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted in the vicinity of Urban Heath and Training Centre (UHTC), Peoples University, Bhopal over a period of 6 months through screening in camps held, which included a total of 840 participants (aged ≥25 years) by following simple random procedure and in those who had newly diagnosed or long standing diabetes were referred to ophthalmologist for further evaluation. Retinopathy was determined by ophthalmoscopy and fundus photography. Anthropometric measurements (BMI), glycosylated haemoglobin were also evaluated among the confirmed diabetic patients in the study.Results: An increased prevalence of diabetes (5.95%) and retinopathy (28%) (95% CI 11.2-32.0) was found. In all age groups prevalence of bilateral blindness, bilateral low vision, unilateral blindness and unilateral low vision were respectively 2%, 28%, 0%, 70%. Independent risk indicators for the occurrence of diabetes such as age, BMI, HbA1c, were found significant for the occurrence of retinopathy in the study population.Conclusions: Visual impairment due to diabetic retinopathy remains an important public health problem in people with diabetes so timely interventions are required to resolve this major issue.

scholarly journals Magnitude of iodine deficiency disorder and associated factors in Dawro zone, southwest Ethiopia; the hidden hunger: a cross-sectional study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Agize Asfaw ◽  
Tefera Belachew
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Iodine Deficiency ◽  
Health Problem ◽  
Associated Factors ◽  
Public Health Problem ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Iodine Deficiency Disorder ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Southwest Ethiopia

Abstract Background: Iodine deficiency disorder (IDD) is continued to be a major public health problem in Ethiopia. The problem is worse but the data is scarce in some pocket areas of the country. This study was aimed to assess the magnitude of IDD and associated factors in southwest Ethiopia by using different biochemical and clinical indicators. Methods: Both community and school based cross- sectional study was conducted on school age children (6-12 years) from March 1 to 24, 2017. Simple random and systematic sampling techniques were applied to select districts and eligible children respectively. Household data was collected from children’s primary care takers by using structured questionnaire. A trained surgeon examined all children (n=652) for goiter. Urine sample was collected from 20% of children (n=130). Results: A total of 652 school children were participated in the study. Total goiter rate and median urinary iodine concentration (UIC) was 54.8 % and 96.12μg/l respectively. In multivariable logistic regression analyses student’s age was significantly (P<0 05) associated with both goiter and median UIC. However; sex of students and family income were significantly (P<0.001) associated with goiter and cassava consumption was significantly (P<0.001) associated with UIC. Conclusion: As indicated by the median UIC, there was mild iodine deficiency in this study community. However; chronic iodine deficiency was still a severe public health problem (high goiter prevalence). In addition, there was low concentration of iodine in the salt and increased cassava cultivation and consumption indicating the potential risk in the area. Therefore, it is necessary to intensify IDD elimination activities along with teaching communities on techniques of cassava processing for household consumption. Trial registration: PACTR201809544276357. Retrospectively registered on 14, Sept 2018.

scholarly journals La investigación participativa en niños como herramienta en la promoción de la salud para la prevención de la Enfermedad de Chagas en Yucatán, México

2017 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Angel Gabriel Polanco-Rodríguez ◽  
Hugo A. Ruiz-Piña ◽  
Fernando I. Puerto-Manzano
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Developing Countries ◽  
Chagas Disease ◽  
Participatory Research ◽  
Basic Education ◽  
Public Health Problem ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Attitudes And Practices ◽  
New Knowledge

Introducción: La Investigación Participativa (IP) es una herramienta que puede abordarse para el análisis de procesos socioculturales, medioambientales, y de salud pública. La participación de niños en edad escolar en la apropiación del conocimiento para la prevención de la Enfermedad de Chagas (EC) puede romper su ciclo de transmisión. La EC es un problema de salud pública que afecta principalmente a comunidades rurales endémicas de países en desarrollo. Objetivo: Desarrollar una estrategia para la adquisición y transferencia de nuevos conocimientos en niños, debido en la falta de información acerca del ciclo de transmisión de la Enfermedad de Chagas. Material y Métodos: Estudio observacional de corte transversal, realizado con un grupo de 48 niños de una comunidad en pobreza extrema en Yucatán, México. Mediante herramientas de IP y con el apoyo de padres de familia, autoridades ejidales y escolares, se impartieron talleres educativos a niños en la escuela de educación básica para conocer el ciclo de transmisión, y prevenir la EC debido a la abundancia del vector en el área de estudio. Se implementó un programa denominado “Pequeños Investigadores”, para iniciar procesos de apropiación y socialización del conocimiento en la comunidad. Resultados: El nuevo conocimiento adquirido por el grupo de niños fue aprovechado y diseminado a sus familias, compañeros de escuela, y círculos sociales, fomentando la prevención de la enfermedad. Fueron recolectados 182 triatomas a nivel domiciliar y peri domiciliar. Conclusiones: Los nuevos conocimientos, actitudes y prácticas adquiridos por los niños bajo esquemas de participación, resulta benéfico para la prevención de la EC. Se recomienda al sector oficial la participación en la promoción de la salud en niños bajo el esquema del presente estudio en países en desarrollo. Keywords: Enfermedad de Chagas, niños, promoción de la salud, investigación participativa ABSTRACT INTRODUCTION: Participatory Research (PR) is a tool that can be approached for the analysis of sociocultural, environmental, and public health processes. The participation of school-age childrens in the appropriation of knowledge for the prevention of Chagas' Disease (CD) can break the cycle of transmission. CD is a public health problem that mainly affects rural endemic communities of developing countries. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out with a group of 48 childrens from a community in extreme poverty in Yucatan, Mexico. Through PR tools and with the support of parents, ejidal and school authorities, educational workshops were given to children of the basic education to know the cycle of transmission, and to prevent CD due to the abundance of the vector in the study area. A program called "Small Investigators" was implemented to initiate processes of appropriation and socialization of knowledge in the community. RESULTS: The new knowledge acquired by the group of children was used and disseminated to their families, partners, and social circles, promoting the prevention of the disease. 182 triatomas were collected at home and peri domicile. CONCLUSIONS: The new knowledge, attitudes and practices acquired by children under participation schemes is beneficial for the prevention of the Chagas Disease. The official sector is recommended to design the promotion health programs in children under the scheme of the present study in developing countries. Keywords: Chagas Disease, childs, promotion health, participatory research

scholarly journals Magnitude of iodine deficiency disorder and associated factors in Dawro zone, southwest Ethiopia; the hidden hunger: a cross-sectional study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Agize Asfaw ◽  
Tefera Belachew
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Iodine Deficiency ◽  
Health Problem ◽  
Associated Factors ◽  
Public Health Problem ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Iodine Deficiency Disorder ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Southwest Ethiopia

Abstract Background: Iodine deficiency disorder (IDD) is continued to be a major public health problem in Ethiopia. The problem is worse but the data is scarce in some pocket areas of the country. This study was aimed to assess the magnitude of IDD and associated factors in southwest Ethiopia by using different biochemical and clinical indicators. Methods: Both community and school based cross- sectional study was conducted on school age children (6-12 years) from March 1 to 24, 2017. Simple random and systematic sampling techniques were applied to select districts and eligible children respectively. Household data was collected from children’s primary care takers by using structured questionnaire. A trained surgeon examined all children (n=652) for goiter. Urine sample was collected from 20% of children (n=130). Results: A total of 652 school children were participated in the study. Total goiter rate and median urinary iodine concentration (UIC) was 54.8 % and 96.12μg/l respectively. In multivariable logistic regression analyses student’s age was significantly (P<0 05) associated with both goiter and median UIC. However; sex of students and family income were significantly (P<0.001) associated with goiter and cassava consumption was significantly (P<0.001) associated with UIC. Conclusion: As indicated by the median UIC, there was mild iodine deficiency in this study community. However; chronic iodine deficiency was still a severe public health problem (high goiter prevalence). In addition, there was low concentration of iodine in the salt and increased cassava cultivation and consumption indicating the potential risk in the area. Therefore, it is necessary to intensify IDD elimination activities along with teaching communities on techniques of cassava processing for household consumption. Trial registration: PACTR201809544276357. Retrospectively registered on 14, Sept 2018.

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