Background. Schistosomiasis is a public health problem in Democratic Republic of the Congo but estimates of its prevalence vary widely. The aim of this study was to determine prevalence of Schistosoma mansoni infection and associated risk factors among children in 4 health areas of Kisantu health zone. Methods. A cross-sectional study was carried out in 4 health areas of Kisantu health zone. 388 children randomly selected were screened for S. mansoni using Kato Katz technique and the sociodemographic data was collected. Data were entered and encoded using software EpiData version 3.1. Analysis was performed using SPSS version 21 software. Results. The prevalence of S. mansoni was 26.5% (103); almost two-thirds (63) (61.2%) had light infection intensity. A significant association was found between S. mansoni infection and age (p = 0.005), educational level (p = 0.001), and practices of swimming/bathing (p < 0.001) and using water from river/lake/stream for domestic use (p < 0.001). Kipasa health area had high prevalence of schistosomiasis (64.6%) (64/99; 95% CI 54.4–74.0) compared to other health areas. Conclusion. Schistosoma mansoni infection still remains a public health problem in these areas. There is a need to promote health education and promote behavioral changes in children towards schistosomiasis.

Background: Needle Stick Injuries (NSIs) are wounds caused by needles that accidentally puncture the skin. NSI are one of the commonest occupational hazards to which a Health Care Worker is exposed.2 million out of 35 million health care workers experience NSI per year.90% of Hep.B, Hep.C and HIV cases among health care workers due to NSI occur in the developing countries. A high prevalence of needle-stick injuries in Pakistan estimated around 55%.This study was conducted to estimate the prevalence of needlestick injuries in female nurses of a public and private hospital and compare the findings.Methods and materials: This cross-sectional study was conducted at one public and one private tertiary care hospital in Lahore, Pakistan. Comprised of female nurses who were selected using nonprobability purposive sampling. A structured questionnaire was used to interview the subjects. Data analysis was done using SPSS 17.Results: Of the 386 participants, there were 193(50%) from each of the two hospitals. The prevalence of needle-stick injuries was found to be 85(44%) in public and 51(26.4%) in the private hospital. The highest proportion of injuries in both hospitals occurred while disposing or recapping needles, 36(42.4%) and 32(62.7%) in public and private hospitals, respectively, especially in the morning shift, i.e. 42(49.4%) in public and 32(62.7%) in private hospital.Syringe needles were mostly involved, 51(60%) in public and 45(88.2%) in private hospital. Conclusion:The prevalence of needle-stick injuries was higher in public hospital.