Civilian-military malaria outbreak response in Thailand: an example of multi-stakeholder engagement for malaria elimination

Background In April 2017, the Thai Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) was alerted to a potential malaria outbreak among civilians and military personnel in Sisaket Province, a highly forested area bordering Cambodia. The objective of this study was to present findings from the joint civilian-military outbreak response. Methods A mixed-methods approach was used to assess risk factors among cases reported during the 2017 Sisaket malaria outbreak. Routine malaria surveillance data from January 2013 to March 2018 obtained from public and military medical reporting systems and key informant interviews (KIIs) (n = 72) were used to develop hypotheses about potential factors contributing to the outbreak. Joint civilian-military response activities included entomological surveys, mass screen and treat (MSAT) and vector control campaigns, and scale-up of the “1–3–7” reactive case detection approach among civilians alongside a pilot “1–3–7” study conducted by the Royal Thai Army (RTA). Results Between May–July 2017, the monthly number of MoPH-reported cases surpassed the epidemic threshold. Outbreak cases detected through the MoPH mainly consisted of Thai males (87%), working as rubber tappers (62%) or military/border police (15%), and Plasmodium vivax infections (73%). Compared to cases from the previous year (May–July 2016), outbreak cases were more likely to be rubber tappers (OR = 14.89 [95% CI: 5.79–38.29]; p < 0.001) and infected with P. vivax (OR=2.32 [1.27–4.22]; p = 0.006). Themes from KIIs were congruent with findings from routine surveillance data. Though limited risk factor information was available from military cases, findings from RTA’s “1–3–7” study indicated transmission was likely occurring outside military bases. Data from entomological surveys and MSAT campaigns support this hypothesis, as vectors were mostly exophagic and parasite prevalence from MSAT campaigns was very low (range: 0-0.7% by PCR/microscopy). Conclusions In 2017, an outbreak of mainly P. vivax occurred in Sisaket Province, affecting mainly military and rubber tappers. Vector control use was limited to the home/military barracks, indicating that additional interventions were needed during high-risk forest travel periods. Importantly, this outbreak catalyzed joint civilian-military collaborations and integration of the RTA into the national malaria elimination strategy (NMES). The Sisaket outbreak response serves as an example of how civilian and military public health systems can collaborate to advance national malaria elimination goals in Southeast Asia and beyond.

Adrian Cowell e a Amazônia Brasileira

This article aims to examine two phases of the English director Adrian Cowell (1934-2011), who documented the Brazilian Amazon for 50 years. The first phase that we intend to examine is when he arrives in the country and meets the Villas Bôas brothers, filming the attempt by the sertanista brothers to attract isolated Indians into the interior of the Xingu National Park, in order to save them from civilization. The second phase we want to analyze is when he returns to the country, in 1980, after a season abroad, and films for a decade what would become his most famous series: The Decade of Destruction. Adrian Cowell followed the entire process of development and destruction of the Amazon, conflicts of interest, the impact of major projects, advances in agriculture and livestock, colonization projects, road construction and hydroelectric dams and their consequences in daily life of the people who live in the region: indigenous populations, rubber tappers, farmers, loggers, gold miners and others. The study of his films is extremely important to encourage debate and awareness about socio-environmental issues, aiming at the preservation of the largest forest in the world.

PREVALENCE AND RISK FACTORS OF OCULAR DISEASES AND INJURIES AMONG RUBBER TAPPERS IN A RURAL AREA IN KANYA KUMARI

Rubber tapping is a major occupation in Kanya Kumari district and it significantly adds to the economy of the country. There are nearly 126 rubber-based industries recognized by the District Industries Centre (DIC), providing employment to 1874 people'' .This study aims at analyzing the prevalence and risk factors associated with ocular injuries and diseases among rubber tappers in a rural area in Kanya Kumari. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: 1. To assess the prevalence of ocular diseases and injuries in rubber tappers related to their occupation 2. To evaluate the risk factors associated with ocular diseases and injuries among rubber tappers METHODS: Rubber tappers attending the Ophthalmology Out-Patient department in Sree Mookambika Institute of Medical Sciences between 1.10.2020 to 30.11.2020 were evaluated for ocular injuries and diseases.A detailed history was obtained and ocular complaints were analyzed. After a thorough systemic and ocular examination, data was collected. The collected data were analyzed. RESULTS: The study was conducted for a time period of 2 months. Data was collected from all the rubber tappers attending the ophthalmology OPD in Sree Mookambika Institute of Medical Sciences. A total of 48 patients were evaluated. Among which 17 had foreign body exposure, 4 had corneal abrasion, 1 had fungal corneal ulcer, 16 had cataracts, 7 had refractive error,3 had pterygium. CONCLUSION: Occupation -related injuries are common amidst rubber tappers. The population dependent on this occupation is way too high to be left unattended or their health conditions ignored. The results obtained in this study throws light on the importance of awareness that needs to be advocated among employers and employees involved in rubber plantation and tapping. The use of protective eye goggles and other safety precautions must be propagated among the workers. The rubber tappers must be alerted about the consequences of ignoring safety precautions, specifically how it may lead to severe morbidity, sometimes even loss of vision.They must also be advised to undergo ophthalmic examination whenever necessary and on regular basis,as poor vision due to aging or even physiological refractive errors itself may lead to injuries due to compromised eyesight. After conducting this study,we came to the conclusion that the consciousness of the morbidity that may occur due to poor safety measures at work among the rubber tappers is nearly a flat line. Hence creating awareness and educating them regarding this becomes indispensable.

Rural Social Movements in Brazil in the Second Half of the 20th Century: From the Peasant Leagues to the Landless Workers’ Movement

The struggle for land pervades Brazilian history, but it was not until the 1950s that various groups coalesced, thus forging the basis of a national peasant movement. Prior to the military dictatorship, small farmers associations and Peasant Leagues, irrespective of their strategies, had placed agrarian reform in the public spotlight. Since then, the issue has become the driving force for rural social movements. The 1964 coup violently suppressed these organizations, persecuting peasant and rural labor union activists. At the same time, it created legal mechanisms to make land expropriation viable while giving incentives for massive technological modernization in rural areas. It also encouraged the occupation of frontier zones by corporations. Such initiatives aggravated the land issue in the country in areas of recent and historical occupation rather than alleviating it. By the late 1970s, new actors emerged, putting land disputes back onto the political arena: landless workers, rubber tappers, small farmers, squatters, and the indigenous peoples. New organizations emerged, sometimes in opposition to rural workers’ unions, which performed a relevant role during the dictatorship while at other times working from within them. One of these emerging actors was the Landless Rural Workers’ Movement (Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais sem Terra, MST), which stood out nationally and internationally due to its innovative approach in terms of strategies such as land occupations and encampments, and in the late 1990s by building networks with other organizations worldwide, as is the case with the Via Campesina. In parallel to that, family farmers also became politicized as they demanded public policies through union organizations to survive in a rural environment controlled by large entrepreneurs.

PERSEPSI MASYARAKAT LOKAL TERHADAP USAHA TANI TANAMAN KARET PADA AREAL BEKAS PERLADANGAN DI DESA NYIIN KECAMATAN JELIMPO KABUPATEN LANDAK

Rubber gives an important role for the national economy, in West Kalimantan, most of the population work as rubber farmers, especially the community in Nyiin Village, Jelimpo sub-district, Landak district, is one of the villages that runs rubber plantations in the former cultivation area, which has been running since long time ago as the main livelihood to meet the needs of daily life. Some of the problems that are faced by rubber farmers, during the rainy season the rubber farmers have difficulty in tapping rubber, also falling rubber prices nowadays. This affects for the economy and the amount of rubber latex produced by the public. While the prices of basic food are rising, to deal with such a problem the community tends to look for side jobs, such as working in oil palm companies, mining gold, and other jobs. This situation naturally raises perceptions in the local community in Nyiin Village as rubber tappers. The aim of this study to find out the perception of the local community on rubber farming in the former cultivation area and analyze the relationship between knowledge, age and cosmopolitan factors with the perception of the local community on rubber farming in the former cultivation area. This research was carried out for 2 weeks effectively in the field, using descriptive and associative survey methods with interview techniques and questionnaire aids in the form that submitted to a number of respondents. of 81 respondents 73 respondents (90.12%) had low perception, 8 respondents (9.88%) had moderate perception and 0 respondents had low perception of rubber farming. It can be concluded that the people in Nyiin Village, Jelimpo sub-district, Landak district tend to have a low perception of rubber farming, this proves that the community feels the negative impact of the current rubber farming business, caused by the current low price of rubber.Keywords: Communities, Perception, Rubber

A AMAZÔNIA DE ADRIAN COWELL: A Década da Destruição (1980 a 1990)

THE AMAZON OF ADRIAN COWELL: The Decade of Destruction (1980 to 1990)L´AMAZONIE SELON ADRIAN COWELL: La Decenie de la Destruction (1980 a 1990)RESUMONesse ensaio analisa-se a Amazônia revelada na obra cinematográfica de Adrian Cowell a partir de alguns elementos da série “A década da destruição”, os quais remetem ao arcabouço geográfico sobre as transformações territoriais recentes na Amazônia. Para isso, foi necessária a transcrição (decupagem) dos principais documentários da referida série para que as análises dos contextos abordados por Cowell permitissem reafirmar as estratégias e disputas envolvendo inúmeros destruidores e vítimas desse árduo processo histórico como indicado por Milanez (2013), Rios (2008) e Cowell (1990 e 2008). Trata-se, portanto, de uma leitura geográfica dos conflitos territoriais e ambientais materializados na Amazônia, envolvendo indígenas, posseiros, sem terra, seringueiros, entre outros povos e comunidades tradicionais imersos em conflitos e disputas; seja sob a égide da Ditadura ou Democracia os conflitos seguem vigentes.Palavras-chave: Amazônia; Conflitos Territoriais; Documentários; Década da Destruição.ABSTRACTIn this essay the Amazon revealed in the films of Adrian Cowell is analyzed from some elements of the series “The Decade of Destruction”, which refer to the geographic structure on recent territorial transformations in the Amazon. Thus, it was necessary to write down the main documentaries of this series, to facilitate the analyzes of the contexts covered by Cowell allowed and reaffirm the strategies and disputes involving countless destroyers and victims of this arduous historical process as indicated by Milanez (2013), Rios ( 2008) and Cowell (1990 and 2008). It is, therefore, a geographic interpretation of the territorial and environmental conflicts materialized in the Amazon, involving indigenous people, squatters, landless, rubber tappers, among other peoples and traditional communities, immersed in conflicts and disputes, whether under the aegis of the Dictatorship or Democracy conflicts are still ongoing.Keywords: Amazon; Territorial Conflicts; Documentaries; Decade of Destruction.RÉSUMÉDans cet article on analyse l´Amazonie qui apparaît dans l´œuvre cinématographique d´ Adrian Cowell. Cela est fait à partir de quelques élements de la série – La décenie de la destruction – qui renvoient au cadre géographique des transformations territoriales les plus recentes dans l´Amazonie. Il a fallu faire auparavant le decoupage des principaux documentaires de la série pour que les analyses des contextes qui apparaissent en Cowell permettaient de réafirmer les stratégies et les litiges entre les inombrables destructeurs et les victimes de ce procès historique difficil indiqué par Milanez (2013), Rios (2008) e Cowell (1990 e 2008). Il s´agit donc d´une lecture géographique des conflits territoriaux et environnementaux matérialisés dans l´Amazonie et qui concernent les indigènes, les “posseiros”, les sans-terre, les manipulateurs de caoutchouc et d´autres peuples et communautés traditionelles plongés dans des conflits et querelles, soit sous la dictature, soit sous la démocratie.Mots-clés: Amazonie; Conflits Territoriaux; Documentaires; Décenie de la Destruction.

Pengaruh Faktor Psikologik, Sosial dan Finansial Terhadap Kepuasan Kerja Karyawan Penyadap Karet di PT. Atjeh Raya Corpindo Kab. Aceh Timur

The aim of this research was to know the effect of psychological, social and financial factors to rubber tappers employees statisfaction in PT. Atjeh Raya Corpindo (ARCO) East Aceh district. This research used case study method. Location was determined purposively in PT. ARCO Kebun Alur Buluh, Birem Bayeun sub-district, East Aceh district. The objects of this research only a rubber tappers with mount of sample 33 person with multiple regression linear. The result showed that psychological dan social factor very effected meanwhile financial factor affected to rubber tappers employees statisfaction in PT. Atjeh Raya Corpindo (ARCO) East Aceh district

Contested Frontiers: Territory and Power in Euclides da Cunha’s Amazonian Texts

This essay explores the political and discursive mechanisms Brazilian writer Da Cunha employs to build a historical past for Brazil in the Amazon, while simultaneously discrediting Bolivia and Peru’s territorial demands on the Acre region in Amazonia. Building his argument on boundary-making history, cartographical data, and nationalistic feelings, Torres argues that Da Cunha crafts a compelling case for Brazil’s rightful purchase of Acre and expansion of its frontiers in two ways. Firstly, Da Cunha identifies the value of the Amazon, whether as a political, economic, or even symbolic capital that can be utilized to lay the grounds for a diplomatic defense, and therefore lawfulness of their territorial claims. Secondly, Torres goes on to argue that Da Cunha is aware of the decisive nature of his mission for the mapping of a terrain visited only by local Indians and Peruvian rubber tappers. This consciousness leads him to compose a history for Brazil in the Amazon with the intention of nationalizing the territory; in other words, to turn an abstract and alien place into one concrete narrative in which the uprooted nation is reunited and homogenized under a common and shared identity.