In order to reduce the risk of dengue outbreak recurrence in a dengue outbreak prone area, the members of the community need to sustain certain behavior to prevent mosquito from breeding. Our study aims to identify the factors associated with larval control practices in this particular community. A cross-sectional study involves 322 respondents living in a dengue outbreak prone area who were interviewed using a pretested questionnaire. The level of knowledge about Aedes mosquitoes, dengue transmission, its symptoms, and personal preventive measures ranges from fair to good. The level of attitude towards preventive measures was high. However, reported level of personal larval control practices was low (33.2%). Our multiple logistic regression analysis showed that only those with a good level of attitude towards personal preventive measure and frequent attendance to health campaigns were significantly associated with the good larval control practices. We conclude that, in a dengue outbreak prone area, having a good attitude towards preventive measures and frequent participation in health campaigns are important factors to sustain practices on larval control.

The aim of this paperis to evaluate the aspects of knowledge, attitude, and practices about food hygiene and safety issues among food handlers who are working in food courts. A cross-sectional study was conducted at four randomly food courts in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia during June and July 2017. It involves 108 respondents that match the inclusion criteria among food handlers. The guided self-administered questionnaire; were divided into three sections which are knowledge, practices, and attitudes. After the complete questionnaireswere collected, data were entered and analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) software version 23.0. Positive correlations were seen between mean knowledge score and mean attitudes score (p-value=0.0240, r=0.217), between attitude score and practices score (p < 0.001, r=0.559) and between knowledge score and practices score (p value=0.049, r=0.190). The strongest correlation being between mean attitudes score and mean practices score. Respondents with low knowledge score also had the higher practices score. This paper serves as an eye-opener for policy makersas they can review and improve the knowledge, attitude and practices in food safety among food handlers in food courts and they can also help raise food safety awareness campaign and organize more targeted training in related fields of concern.

The aim of this cross sectional case control study was to examine the serofrequency and serointensity of Toxoplasma gondii (Tg) IgG, IgM, and DNA among patients with schizophrenia. A total of 101 patients with schizophrenia and 55 healthy controls from Sungai Buloh Hospital, Selangor, Malaysia and University Malaya Medical Center (UMMC) were included in this study. The diagnosis of schizophrenia was made based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV). The presence of Tg infection was examined using both indirect (ELISA) and direct (quantitative real-time PCR) detection methods by measuring Tg IgG and IgM and DNA, respectively. The serofrequency of Tg IgG antibodies (51.5%, 52/101) and DNA (32.67%, 33/101) among patients with schizophrenia was significantly higher than IgG (18.2%, 10/55) and DNA (3.64%, 2/55) of the controls (IgG, P=0.000, OD=4.8, CI=2.2-10.5; DNA, P=0.000, OD=12.9, CI=2.17-10.51). However, the Tg IgM antibody between patients with schizophrenia and controls was not significant (P>0.005). There was no significant difference (P>0.005) in both serointensity of Tg IgG and DNA between patients with schizophrenia and controls. These findings have further demonstrated the strong association between the active Tg infection and schizophrenia.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has had monumental effects on the mental health of populations worldwide. Previous research indicated that programs and interventions using social networks can play a positive role in promoting mental health. Nevertheless, current evidence is largely derived from high-income regions, reflecting an urgent need for more studies in low- and middle-income settings.Objectives: This paper aims to (a) describe the potential value of a hybrid health carnival in promoting mental health and increasing access to screening services; (b) assess the level of community engagement with the digital platform.Methods: A mental health carnival was conducted with the theme of “Mind Your Mental Health” (Cakna Kesihatan Mental) in conjunction with the World Mental Health Day in Malaysia. This was a hybrid carnival that combined elements of face-to-face interactions and virtual learning. Free online therapy sessions were offered to high-risk groups identified during the screening process. Social media metrics were utilized to report the levels of community engagement and participants completed pre-and post-assessments to measure the program's impact on their knowledge.Results: The carnival was attended by 515 participants (78.8% virtual participants). Social media metrics reported more than 5,585 reaches on Facebook for all the activities held throughout the event. Results from pre-and post-assessments showed significant improvement in the mean knowledge scores (p &lt; 0.05).Conclusion: This digital approach will continue to evolve by releasing new features and tools as a new frontier for high-risk populations and all individuals seeking mental health support and treatment.