Objective: The objectives of this study were to evaluate the knowledge and attitudes towards ZIKV and its prevention among residents of Selangor, Malaysia. Methods: A pre-tested, selfadministered, cross-sectional survey involving 400 participants was conducted from January to February 2016 in Selangor, a most populated state of Malaysia. Participants were selected using a purposive sampling approach. Descriptive and inferential statistical tests were applied to analyze the data. Results: Of 400 surveys included in the final analysis, 286 (71.5%) respondents showed good knowledge towards ZIKV. The mean knowledge score of the participants was 10.94 ± 3.89. A total of 298 (74.5%) respondents showed a positive attitude towards ZIKV and its prevention. The mean attitude score of the participants was 7.10 ± 2.80 (based on 10 questions). One-third of participants (n=132, 33%) did not consider the need of any protective measure if the male partner is suspected of having ZIKV. A large proportion of respondents (n=190, 47.5%) did not consider Malaysia at risk of ZIKV. Participants' main source of information about ZIKV was the internet. Conclusion: The findings of this study highlighted important gaps in the knowledge and attitudes of Selangor residents towards ZIKV and its prevention. There is a need for developing customized interventions to bridge these gaps as it is critical to prevent the spread of ZIKV in Malaysia.

Objective:The present study was aimed to evaluate the practices and attitudes of young Malaysian adults towards the use of antibiotics, and to determine the socioeconomic factors associated with the antibiotic use.Methods:A survey was carried in Cheras community by approaching a conveniently selected sample of 480 participants. A pre-tested questionnaire was used for data collection.Result:Of 480 participants approached, 400 agreed to participate in this study, giving a response rate of 83.3%. The study results showed that 42.75% of the participants exhibited poor attitudes towards antibiotic usage. Chinese race and high income were significantly associated with the positive attitudes towards antibiotic usage. It is shown that the practice of the participants towards antibiotics was relatively poor. The majority of participants agreed that they do not consult a doctor for minor illnesses (64%). The main reason for not consulting a doctor was the high fees of consultation (34.25%) and the inconvenience of visit (29.25%). However, a large proportion of respondents (77.5%) agreed that there is a need to enhance antibiotic education among public.Conclusion:The study results identified some crucial gaps in the attitudes and practices of Cheras community about the use of antibiotics. Thus, improving the public knowledge and changing their attitude towards antibiotic use along with proper interventions to regulate the ease of their availability would play a significant role for the effective use of antibiotics in the community.

Background Shortage of qualified medical doctors and little or no access to basic medicines and medical facilities are the major rural health concerns in India. Expanding the role of pharmacists to provide prescribing services could improve rural health outcomes. Objective To assess the attitudes of rural population towards pharmacist prescribing and their interest in using expanded pharmacist prescribing services. Setting Rural population of Assam, India. Methods A descriptive, cross-sectional survey was conducted for a period of 2 months from March to April 2016 in the State of Assam, India. A multi-stage sampling was used to recruit (n = 410) eligible participants. Main outcome measure Rural population attitudes towards, and interests in using, pharmacist prescribing services. Results The attitudes of participants were generally positive towards pharmacist prescribing. A large proportion of participants (81.5%) agreed that pharmacists should have a prescribing role in rural India. Participants indicated their interest in using expanded pharmacist prescribing services, with greater interests in receiving medications in emergency situations (79.7%) and getting a treatment plan for their medical problem (75.6%). Participants with low income and tertiary education had better attitudes and showed more interest towards expanded pharmacist prescribing services (p < 0.05). Conclusions Most participants had positive attitudes towards pharmacist prescribing and were interested in using expanded pharmacist prescribing services.

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BAckground: The National Center for Epidemiology (NCE) provides basic information about the epidemiology of the registered HIV infected patients in Hungary, but there is no evidence about the size or characteristics of the patient population appearing in the healthcare system. Hungary has a comprehensive public health insurance system covering the total population, and Hungarian laws grant public data access. oBjectives: These are the first results from HEARTS: HIV Epidemiology and AntiRetroviral Treatment Study about the prevalence, incidence and mortality of HIV patients requiring healthcare services in the real world setting. Methods: This is a non-interventional retrospective claims database study of patients receiving healthcare services for their HIV infection between 2005-2015 in Hungary. Patients were identified from the National health Insurance Fund Administration (NHIFA) databases based on multiple criteria including International Classification of Diseases and International Classification of Procedures in Medicine codes, and medication purchase data. results: The number of prevalent patients in Hungary increased from 475 in 2005 to 1420 in 2015. The total number of HIV patients in the study period was 1772. Yearly incidence increased from 58 patients in 2005 to 379 in 2015. In the study period, a total of 120 patients died of the 1772 subjects which means a 6.7 % mortality rate. The gender distribution of patients has only changed minimally during the study period: the proportion of male patients has increased slightly, from 2005 (85%) to 2015 (88%). The age group of 30-39 years was the largest for both men and women, and accounted for about 39% of all prevalent patients. conclusions: Less than 60% of the patients registered by the NCE are prevalent in the national healthcare system, and they can appear for care years after their first registration. Anonymised follow-up of these patients can provide valuable information about the treatment patterns and resource use of this population.

Background: An adverse drug reaction (ADR) is a noxious and unintended response to a drug which occurs at a normal therapeutic dose. Most non-dose related ADRs remain unpredicted and increase morbidity and mortality. Despite the introduction, in Malaysia, of a spontaneous ADR reporting system, a sizable number of ADR cases remain under-reported. Objective: To assess the knowledge and attitudes of consumers toward ADRs, and to determine the common barriers toward reporting an ADR in Malaysia. Methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional study was carried out for a period of 3 months in Cheras, Malaysia. The data were collected by a self-administered questionnaire consisting of four sections. Results: Among the 400 respondents, 144 (36%) were male and 256 (64%) were female. The majority of the respondents were Chinese (n = 227, 57%) and 54.5% of them were treated with a medication in the past year. About 60.75% (n = 243) of participants reflected inadequate knowledge when asked what is an ADR. A sizable number of the participants (n = 333, 83%) were unaware of the ADR reporting centre in Malaysia, and about 86% (n = 344) stated that they were not aware of the ADR reporting procedure. The main reasons as considered by the participants for under-reporting an ADR were inadequate knowledge regarding the drugs (n = 395, 87.4%), unawareness of the reporting procedure (n = 320, 80%), lack of an online process to report an ADR (n = 299, 75%), and other significant factors such as lack of time, incentives, proper advertisement, motivation and uncertainty of an ADR, with percentages of 62 (n = 248), 50 (n = 201), 80.5 (n = 322), 78 (n = 312) and 83 (n = 331) respectively. Conclusion: As most of the participants were still unaware about the availability of the ConSERF form which was introduced by the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (NPRA) in 2015, healthcare providers, as well as the Malaysian Adverse Drug Reactions Advisory Committee, need to improve public education regarding this system. The public awareness about the availability of various methods of the ADR reporting can help improve ADR reporting by consumers.

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