Management of menstrual hygiene, practices and perceptions among vulnerable Bharia women in Madhya Pradesh: A pilot survey

India has the highest proportion of adolescents and the highest adolescent pregnancy and childbirth rate in the tribal segment of the population. Very few studies have focused on the use of sanitary pad and quality of health care as menstrual hygiene practices. The data was collected among ‘Bharia’ women who identified as one of the particularly vulnerable tribal groups (PVTGs) in Madhya Pradesh. Towards comparing the use, source, and components of menstrual hygiene practices among adolescents and adult mothers, the sample included adolescent (10-19 years) and adult women 20-49 years of age. The relevant information was collected by trained female investigator with designed questionnaire from the respondents. Findings revealed that only 22.7% women are using sanitary pad during menstruation period in the studied tribe. It was seen the use of this absorbent (sanitary pad) for menstrual hygiene among the adolescents were found significantly higher (37.5%) than that of adult women (14.3%), whereas, the use of old cotton was found significantly higher (78.6%) among adult women. Awareness on menstrual hygiene about 50% adolescents and 64% adult women believed it is a curse of God. About 25% adolescents and 21.4% adult women believed menstruation is a natural process. The tribe has underprivileged menstrual hygiene practices owing to low awareness, illiteracy, and poverty. The special IEC education campaign with suitable strategy can be forced to optimum hygiene practices.

A Study on the Compliance, Risk Perception and Attitude of University of Khartoum Medical Students to Safety Measures against COVID-19 during the Period of Lockdown, a Cross-Sectional Study

Background COVID-19 is a novel respiratory infectious disease. Preventive measures against COVID-19 include facemask use, physical distancing and good sanitation and hygiene practices. Risk perception of COVID-19 is important in prevention. Lockdown was imposed in Sudan in early 2020. The study aim to: study the compliance, risk perception and attitude of University of Khartoum Medical Students to safety measures during the period of COVID-19 lockdown. Methodology: A University-based cross sectional study was conducted at the University of Khartoum, Faculty of Medicine in 435 students selected via proportionate stratified random sampling through a self-administered semi- structured questionnaire. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 20. Pearson and Mann Whitney U test were used to measure associations. Result Out of 435 participants, a mean adherence of 57.7%, mean risk perception of 73.6% was elicited. And 80.3% had a positive attitude towards lockdown. Adherence had significant association with gender and risk perception. Risk perception had no significant relation with gender. Conclusion In conclusion, adherence to preventive measures among medical students of the University of Khartoum was poor. Risk Perception was high. Attitude towards lockdown was positive.

A METHODOLOGY FOR CYBER HYGIENE IN SMART GRIDS

Although smart grids offer multiple advantages over traditional grids, there are still challenges to overcome to ensure the quality of service and grid security. In particular, cybersecurity plays an essential role in ensuring grid operation reliability and resilience to external threats. The traditional approach to address cybersecurity issues generally does not consider the human factor as the main component. Recently, the concept of cyber hygiene has emerged, where social and human aspects are fundamental to reduce vulnerabilities and the risk of attacks and breaches. In a similar manner to personal hygiene, which greatly influences people’s health, considering the human factor (i.e., human behaviour, awareness, and training) as a critical cybersecurity component, can significantly improve human operator cybersecurity practices that in turn can result in improved cybersecurity performance. In this paper, the authors propose and test a methodology for implementing cyber hygiene practices in the context of Smart Grid systems, focused on smart metering systems. The results suggest that implementing cyber hygiene practices can improve smart meter cybersecurity and be suitable for implementing other sensitive Smart Grid components. Key Words: Cybersecurity, Cyber Hygiene, Internet of Things, Smart Grid, Smart Meters.

Prevalence and risk factors of Eimeria spp. natural infection in sheep from northern Paraná, Brazil

The present study aimed to perform an epidemiological and morphological identification of Eimeria infection in sheep in Brazil. Fecal samples from sheep were collected from 20 farms in northern Paraná, Brazil. An epidemiological questionnaire was used to evaluate the risk factors. Fecal samples containing oocysts per gram of feces (OoPG) ≥1000 were subjected to the modified Willis-Mollay method to perform oocyst identification. Sporulated oocysts were observed microscopically for morphological identification. A total of 807 fecal samples were collected. Based on the morphological characteristics of the sporulated oocysts, 10 species of Eimeria were identified, with main species observed: Eimeira ovinoidalis (98.1%), Eimeria crandallis (87.6%), Eimeria parva (79.1%), and Eimeria bakuensis (60.8%). Only 2.6% (7/268) of the sheep were infected with a single species, 4.8% (13/268) contained two different species, and 92.5% (248/268) were infected with three or more species. The analysis of risk factors showed that an intensive rearing, no rotation of pasture, dirt, and slatted floors, and age up to 12 months were associated with infection. This study showed a high prevalence of Eimeria natural infection in sheep from northern Paraná, Brazil. Furthermore, based on the risk factors, good management and hygiene practices must be employed to avoid infection.

Food Microbial Hazards, Safety, and Quality Control

Food is any material or substance eaten or drunk to provide energy and nutrients for the body's growth, development, and maintenance. Food can be considered safe if it is free from all hazardous substances that can affect consumer health. Food safety issues can place a high burden of responsibility on traders, government bodies, and international organizations. This chapter covers the hazards, their types, foodborne diseases, and strategies to ensure food safety and quality. Different food quality and safety assurance programs are discussed as well like quality management systems, HACCP certification, ISO 9000 family, good manufacturing practices (GMP)/good hygiene practices (GHP), total quality management (TQM), good working practices (GWP), good lab practices (GLP), etc. Moreover, the role of some novel processing technologies is also focused on in this regard.

Assessment of Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices on the Risks of Food Poisoning in Collective Restaurants in the Kloto 1 Municipality, Togo

Collective food toxiinfections (CFTI) are frequent accidents, formidable by their health and economic consequences. They usually result from the consumption of food contaminated with microorganisms or chemical toxins. The objective of our study is to evaluate the knowledge, attitudes and practices of food product handlers in Kloto 1 municipality in order to guarantee food safety. To do this, we carried out a survey using google form whose questions were based on knowledge of foodborne diseases, good hygiene practices, good manufacturing practices, cross-contamination, wearing jewelry during handling, waste management. As a result of the study, It shows that during the years 2018, 2019 and 2020, the frequencies of toxiinfections recorded at the PHC of Kpalimé are respectively 33.09%, 41.84%, and 25.06%. To acces risk factor about this hight case of food poissoning in this area, 197 food handlers (FH) were interviewed and of these, 54.4% were women, 51.3% are between 15 and 25 years old, 67.2% have secondary education, and 68.7% have not received training on food safety. In terms of the level of knowledge, attitudes and practices, 10.7% of FH have insufficient knowledge about food safety, 98.0% have negative attitudes and 100.0% have insufficient food safety practices. Also, it shown that there is a strong positive correlation between knowledge and attitudes (rs = 0,267; p= 0.000), between knowledge and practices (rs = 0.182; p = 0.011), between attitudes and practices (rs = 0.253; p = 0.000), and between knowledge about foodborne illness and practice (rs = 0.189; p = 0,008). In short, the majority of FH have insufficient knowledge, practice and negative attitudes to avoid cases of CFTI because of the lack of training in food safety.

An analysis of YouTube videos on oral hygiene practices during coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic

Objectives: The objectives of the study were to examine the usefulness and content of YouTube videos regarding additional oral hygiene practices that need to be taken during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Materials and Methods: A search of YouTube videos was performed using the terms “oral health,” “dental hygiene,” “oral health child” and “dental hygiene child” in combination with “COVID-19”. When analyzing each video, the descriptive characteristics such as title, country of origin, date of upload, duration of the video, the number of views, comments, likes, and dislikes were recorded. The quality of the videos were assessed through indices: Video ınformation and quality ındex (VIQI), modified DISCERN, and global quality score (GQS). The content quality score of the videos was examined. Results: The majority of the analyzed videos were uploaded by health-care professionals (67%). About 40% of the videos were slightly useful, and 6% were useful. There was no statistically significant correlation between the source of upload and GQS, VIQI, total content, or modified DISCERN scores (P > 0.05). Highly-watched videos appeared to have a higher total content, VIQI, Modified DISCERN, and GQI scores than poorly-watched videos, but this difference was not statistically significant (P > 0.05). Conclusion: YouTube videos related to oral hygiene practices during COVID-19 pandemic were a limited source for children. Oral health-care professionals and organizations should play an active important role for providing educative oral hygiene-related information on YouTube videos.

Food safety, sanitation and hygiene practices among street food vendors in Pokhara, Kaski

Background: Street foods are unique and convenient urban food supply meanwhile it lacks the food hygiene and safety posing major public health risk. Thus, the study aims to identify the food safety, sanitation and hygiene practices of street food vendors. Method: The study is cross sectional including 70 vending units selected conveniently. Structured interview schedule and observation checklist was used as data collection tool. Result: The mean age of the respondent was 38.06 (±10.417) years with >1/2 being females (61.4%). Majority (77.1%) had formal education, 37.1% earns>40,000/month and 86 % had not taken any food hygiene training. Eighty percent of the respondents had fixed stall with about 83% sell freshly cooked food and 75% prepare it in market place. About 84% of the respondent revealed diarrhea as the most prevalent disease caused by poor hygiene. Very less (27%) have their health check-up regularly and about 68.6% prepare food when they are ill. Almost 50% heat food before serving, 58% wash dishes with tap water, 98.6% wash raw food before preparation and all of them wash cooking dishes daily. About half (48.6%) of the respondents re-use oil while cooking. Approximately in 77% refrigeration facility was available. The food vending was found to be good (>50) in 54.3% and sanitation was good (>50%) in 60%. Conclusion: Overall sanitary conditions of the vending sites were good but instead needs improvement in most of the aspect of sanitary condition.