Risk factors of adult Dengue Fever in urban community of Nepal

With the objectives of determining the association between risk factors and Dengue Fever (DF), a case-control study with a random sample size of 102:102 in each was conducted at Hetauda and Kamalamai Municipalities, Nepal. The hypothesis of risk factors for DF like low level of knowledge about DF, discarded receptacles, old tires, containers, etc. nearby house, and use of stagnant AC/Coolers was used to conduct the study. Traveling to DF affected areas nearly 2 weeks before the onset of disease was significantly associated with dengue fever (OR= 6.10, 95% cl: 1.31-28.34, p<0.021). Waste disposal of old containers, receptacles, tires during the rainy season were significantly associated with the incidence of DF (AOR= 6.308, 96% cl: 2-751-14.462, p<0.000). The frequency of DF was associated with the middle social class level (p<0.05, d. f. 2). Uncovered water tanks of the household were significantly associated with DF (AOR= 3.78, 95% cl: 1.51-9.45, p<0.0043). As the number of families increases in the household, the number of cases increases with a positive correlation (r = +0.62). Crowded households with more than 2 occupants in one room were at risk of dengue infection. The study concluded that DF was associated with the risk factors of traveling to endemic areas, discarded waste containers, receptacles, tires, and uncovered water tanks, middle social class, and crowded households. Public health managers should prioritize these risk factors while planning for DF control and prevention.

Impact of the gamma variant on the icu admission in a hospital of the autonomous city of Buenos Aires (Caba), Argentina

Objectives: Comparison between patients admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) with ventilatory support during the first and second wave (Gamma variant) of COVID 19 in a tertiary hospital in the City of Buenos Aires. Design: Descriptive, observational, prospective cohort study. Setting: ICU of an acute general hospital in Argentina. Patients: Adult patients with COVID-19 admitted consecutively to the ICU. Intervention: Admission to ICU. Main variables of interest: Demographic and laboratory data, history, duration of MV, mortality. Results: 44 patients were recruited during the first wave, and 80 in the second. Significant differences were observed in the second wave for age (60, [SD 11]; vs 68 [SD 11]; p <0.01), days with symptoms (9 [SD 5]; vs 4.5 [SD 3]; p <0.01), duration of MV (10 days [SD 7]; vs 16 [SD 13]; p <0.01), Ferritin (1450 mcg / l [SD 547]; vs 941 mcg / l [ SD 593]; p 0.04) and use of antibiotics (97% vs 45% p <0.01). There was no difference in mortality (66% vs 78% p 0.14) but there was in its primary causes; being more frequent hypoxemia associated with sepsis in the second wave (40% vs 3.4% p <0.01) and hypoxemia and multiorgan failure in the first (28% vs 4% p <0.01). Conclusions: During the second wave of the pandemic, due to Gamma variant, more patients were admitted to our unit, younger, with a longer evolution time, a shorter time on MV and a greater inflammatory response, with no difference in mortality, although there was a difference in its causes.

Social media: An opportunity to reduce hookah smoke during an outbreak of COVID-19

The tobacco epidemic is one of the biggest public health warnings in the world, and 8 million people die every year due to smoking, of which 7 million die due to direct smoking and 2.1 million due to exposure to secondhand smoke [1].