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Background: Adolescent period is signalized by marked physical activity and rapid growth spurt; therefore, they need additional nutritional supplements and are at utmost risk of developing nutritional anaemia. Anaemia play a major role in affecting the adolescents especially girls. On September 2019, Ministry of Health and Family welfare, Govt. of India directed to all state and district health authority to conduct Test, Treat and Talk (T-3) anaemia camps for celebration of nutrition month (Poshan Maah) in all government schools and colleges. The present study aimed to assess prevalence of anaemia and factors associated with it among school going adolescent girls attending T-3 camp in Delhi. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 203 adolescent girls in government girls' school in central district of Delhi. Hb estimation was done by HemoCue 201 and data regarding socio-demographic details, deworming, dietary preferences were collected. Clinical examination and anthropometric measurements were done by resident doctors. Data was analysed using STATA vs. 13. Results: The prevalence of anaemia was found to be 59% with mean (±SD) Hb of 11.3 gm/dl (±1.55) among 203 participants. The majority (48%, n = 119) of anaemic girls had mild degree of anaemia. Among 203 girls, 65% participants were of age 14–15 years with mean (±SD) age of 14.6 years (±1.18). There was a significant relationship between anaemia and diet, deworming status, and BMI ( P < 0.05). Conclusion: The study revealed that anaemia was highly prevalent among adolescent girls. Among anaemic girls, majority had mild anaemia. Factors like vegetarian diet, underweight, deworming and presence of pallor were found to be associated with anaemia. There is need to conduct T-3 camps at regular interval in all schools to curb the problem of adolescent anaemia.

ObjectiveThis study examined profile and treatment outcomes of young patients with tuberculosis (TB) registered at a district TB centre under the National TB Elimination Programme in Faridabad district of Haryana state in India.MethodsIn this secondary data analysis, we studied the records of young TB patients aged 15–24 years registered under a TB programme during October 2013–December 2017 in Faridabad district of Haryana state.ResultsWe analysed records of 5257 young patients with TB. Majority (58.7%) were patients with pulmonary TB and most of them (83.6%) were registered as new patients. Majority of the young patients with TB (93.2%) had a successful treatment outcome, and patients having sputum result 2+ or less and patients who did not have a previous history of TB were found to be significantly associated with a successful treatment outcome on multivariable analysis.ConclusionThere was a high treatment success rate noted in young patients with TB. More focus is needed to patients having a history of TB and sputum result >2+. Targeted interventions can be designed for these groups in future programmatic strategies to reduce disease burden in this section of young population.

Background: Every year >9 million people suffer from tuberculosis (TB) and India accounts for >25% of global TB burden. Tuberculosis patients experience both psychological and social suffering. Amongst the problems met by tuberculosis patients, social stigma has been increasingly recognized. This study was done to assess social stigma and associated factors among the tuberculosis patients attending Directly Observed Treatment Short-course (DOTS) centers in South East Delhi. Material and Methods: It was a cross-sectional study carried out among tuberculosis patients availing treatment from DOTS centers of South East Delhi. Out of 48 DOTS centers in South East Delhi, 6 centers were selected on the basis of population proportion to size. A total of 270 TB patients were interviewed using a semi-structured, pretested questionnaire consisting of stigma-based questions. Fisher exact and Chi-square test applied. Results: The mean age of patients was 31.5 years (SD ± 11.5) with age ranging from 18 to 77 years. Males were higher (57.4%) compared to females (42.6%). 123 (45.5%) perceived stigma with family/friends and 92/158 (58.2%) perceived stigma at workplace. Young patients (<30 years), males faced more stigma at workplace and lower socioeconomic class faced higher stigma with family and friends ( P < 0.05). Conclusion: There is still higher stigmatization faced by patients with TB at family/friends and at workplace. Motivation by friends/family and support at workplace has been crucial in achieving successful treatment outcomes.

BackgroundIn January 2020, the Government of India based on the recommendation of the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) and National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (NTAGI) started the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine in the country. Two vaccines, ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 coronavirus vaccine (recombinant), i.e., COVISHIELD produced by Serum Institute of India and COVAXIN developed indigenously by Bharat Biotech, were given emergency use authorisation (EUA) by the DCGI. MethodsIn this cohort study, we assessed the incidence, pattern and severity of adverse events following immunization (AEFI) observed among the healthcare workers of a large tertiary care institute in eastern U.P., India vaccinated with ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 Coronavirus vaccine (recombinant) within 30 minutes of vaccination by direct observation. ResultsOut of the total 836 healthcare workers who were vaccinated with the first dose of the vaccine, around 10% experienced any AEFI within the directly observed period. The most common AEFI was pain/tenderness at the injection site experienced by 59.3% of those who experienced any AEFI followed by headache/dizziness (35.3%), itching/rashes at the injection site (8.1%), nausea/vomiting (5.8%) and fever/chills (4.7%). The majority (95.3%) of the AEFIs observed were of minor severity with no serious AEFIs observed as per the WHO severity classification. ConclusionChAdOx1 nCoV-19 Coronavirus vaccine (recombinant) is proven to be safe based on our findings as the majority of AEFIs observed were of minor grade only. However, the vaccine beneficiaries should be strictly observed for a minimum of 30 minutes at the vaccination site to look for any serious AEFI with arrangements to manage the same.

The gut microbiota is a quickly developing bacterial ecosystem with biodiversity. It is an adaptive immunity that varies with food intake, environmental conditions, and human habits, among other factors. Various external stimuli, such as drugs, can influence the gut microbial environment and lead to gut dysbiosis. Recently, gut dysbiosis has been identified as an important factor that leads to several diseases either by the released metabolites or by the gut neuronal connection. In brain disorders, gut dysbiosis is involved in neuropsychiatric manifestations, including autism spectrum disorder, anxiety, and depression by interfering with neurotransmitter homeostasis, and neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease by releasing abnormal metabolites from the gut. Gut dysbiosis has been documented in gut disorders, including inflammatory bowel disease or irritable bowel syndrome. Immune cells in the gut are modulated by external factors such as stress, diet, and drugs to produce inflammatory cytokines, including interleukins (IL-4, IL-6, IL-17, IL-23, etc.). Inflammatory cytokines lead to a cascade of events, which lead to various ailments in the bowel. Beneficial bacteria in the form of probiotics ameliorate the condition and have healthful effects in disease conditions. This warrants further research to identify newer therapeutic strategies for diseases that cannot be cured or are difficult to treat.

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