The trend of global prevalence for hypertension has been dramatically increasing for the past two decades in Southeast Asian countries. A systematic review aiming to assess the prevalence of hypertension and its risk factors among the urban population in Southeast Asian countries was conducted. We performed database searches of PubMed and Web of Science and performed meta-analysis to determine the pooled prevalence estimate. The overall pooled prevalence estimate of hypertension for Southeast Asian urban population was 33.82%. Among this, 33.98% of hypertension was reported in the community and 32.45% among adolescents in school. The common risk factors that we found were male, ethnicity, education and socioeconomic level, body mass index, waist circumference, smoking, and dyslipidaemia. The review indicates an urgent need for primary and secondary prevention activities. Therefore, a multisectoral and intersectoral approach and collaboration should be undertaken to improve the overall health outcomes of all populations in all Southeast Asian countries.
Introduction healthcare workers (HCWs) are at high risk of acquiring COVID-19 occupational transmission and subsequently, exposing patients and others. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and examine the characteristics and predictors of HCWs with COVID-19 infection in a Malaysian district. Methods this is a cross-sectional study of HCWs working at Cheras District Health Office, with COVID-19 infection from 1 st January to 31 st October 2021. Data was obtained from the Occupational Safety and Health Unit which included variables of basic sociodemography, type of disease acquisition; healthcare-acquired (HA) or community-acquired (CA), and management outcome. Data was analysed descriptively and cases with type of disease acquisition were compared using logistic regression. Results the prevalence of HCWs with COVID-19 was 17.4%. Majority aged 30-39, female gender and Malay ethnicity (51.7%, 60% and 91.7% respectively). Main comorbidities included hypertension (3.3%), diabetes mellitus (3.3%), both hypertension and diabetes mellitus (2.5%) and obesity (4.2%). Smokers, pregnant mothers and non-immunized made up only small proportions (4.2%, 4.2%, and 4% respectively). Paramedics were the most infected proportion (68.4%). About one third of cases managed COVID-19 patients directly (37.5%). Similar proportion had HA infection (29.2%). Smaller proportion (12.8%) needed hospitalization. The early source of infection was HA (January-April). Later, the trend shifted towards CA (May-October). Male gender (OR 3.22, 95% CI = 1.43 - 7.29, p<0.05), smoker (OR 10.84, 95% CI = 1.17 - 100.77, p<0.05), and those who manage COVID-19 cases were more likely to acquire occupational COVID-19 infection (OR 2.28, 95% CI = 1.02 - 5.09, p<0.05). Conclusion continuous occupational infectious disease control measures is necessary to reduce the disease burden. Future research on HCWs with COVID-19 infection with larger scale is recommended to determine the final model for predictors of infection.
Background Japanese encephalitis (JE) is one of the major mosquito-borne infectious diseases in the Western Pacific region, accounting for 20-30% of mortality cases. The JE virus (JEV) seroprevalence fluctuations indicate that continuous research is important for prevention and control activities. By mapping JEV seroprevalence by age stratification, the population profile for immunity and susceptibility can be identified to aid in vaccination programme planning. Thus, the aim of this study is to determine the trend of age-specific JEV seroprevalence. Method Systematic search was conducted on all studies conducted on JEV seroprevalence between the years 2010 until 2019. The two search engines used were PubMed and Web of Science. Eligible criteria were set and articles were screened according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. Three investigators cross-checked all articles assigned. Data were extracted into Excel sheet and results were tabulated in tables and graphs accordingly. Result Four studies from four countries (Taiwan, Sri Lanka, South Korea, India) met the eligibility criteria. The papers show an increasing trend of JEV seropositivity in all countries as their populations reach older age cohorts. Nonetheless, there were slight downtrend notches seen among young adults in Taiwan and India before increasing again after reaching more mature ages. South Korea has the highest seroprevalence rate (97.8% to 98.3%) among the compared countries; this is most likely because it was the earliest to introduce the JEV vaccine in 1967 which was later made mandatory in early 1980s, while India has the lowest seroprevalence rate (12.9% to 18.1%). Among the old-vaccination-naïve population, seropositivity is commonly derived from natural infection. Conclusion Decreases in reported JE cases are mainly due to immunisation. As JEV is expected to remain in nature and the zoonotic chains, the risk of infection will persist. Hence, it is important to apply JEV vaccination protocols in national immunisation programmes with priority given to those at the young childhood stages.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.