Background:
Leptospirosis is emerging as one of the growing public health problems in many parts of India. It can occur in both rural and urban areas with varied risk factors. This study was taken up in three districts of Maharashtra namely—Mumbai, Ratnagiri, and Sindhudurg to understand the determinants of leptospirosis in both the urban and rural areas and look for differences if any.
Materials and Methods:
This cross-sectional study was carried out during the year 2017. A pretested validated questionnaire was used to collect data. Field observations were made. Eighty-seven cases from Sindhudurg and 14 from Ratnagiri and 307 cases from Mumbai were included in the study.
Results:
A total of 408 cases were included in the study. A total of 63 (62.4%) were males and 38 (37.6%) were females. Most cases belonged to the 20–35 year age group (37%). In rural areas, 32.7% of them visited government facilities first, whereas, in the urban areas, it was 73.9% (
P
= 0.006). Headache, myalgia, and prostration were more common in cases from rural areas (
P
= <0.05). Skin rash was found to be associated with urban cases of leptospirosis. The presence of rodents, cattle sheds, pets, and working in paddy fields were common environmental risks in rural areas, and using water for recreational activities were common in urban areas (
P
< 0.001).
Conclusions:
Context-specific risk factors were found significantly associated with the cases. No important difference was found in the epidemiology of leptospirosis in the urban and rural areas except the source of infection.
Dengue is the most important vector-borne viral disease of humans and likely more important than malaria globally in terms of morbidity and economic impact [8]
Background: Animal bites pose a major public health problem in children and adults worldwide. Rabies is a viral zoonosis caused by bite of a rabid dog that occurs in >100 countries and territories. India accounts for 60% of all the world burden of rabies related deaths. The objective of the present study is to analyse the profile of dog bite victims reporting to ARV OPD of a tertiary care hospital.Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted in the ARV OPD of a tertiary care hospital. A total of 228 victims of dog bite were interviewed. They were selected using systematic random sampling technique. Analysis of data obtained was done using SPSS.Results: Majority of the participants belonged to the age group 20-30 years. The proportion of male was higher than female. Most of the victims had suffered category II type of dog bite (66.2%). A statistically significant association was seen between age group and nature of dog bite, sex of victim and type of dog, type of dog and category of dog bite and the category of bite and history of dog biting other individuals.Conclusions: The burden of dog bite seems to be borne by the economically productive age group. All individuals need to be educated on how to behave around animals so that they can avoid animal bite.
Background: Dengue fever is a major public health problem, the concern is high as the disease is closely related to climate change.Methods: This was a retrospective study, conducted for 1 year in a tertiary care hospital in the city of Mumbai. Data of Dengue cases and climate for the city of Mumbai between 2011 and 2015 were obtained. Data was analysed using SPSS- time series analysis and forecasting model.Results: 33% cases belonged to the 21-30 years, proportion of men affected were more than women. A seasonal distribution of cases was observed. A strong correlation was noted between the total number of cases reported and (a) mean monthly rainfall and (b) number of days of rainfall. ARIMA model was used for forecasting.Conclusions: The trend analysis along with forecasting model helps in being prepared for the year ahead.
Context: Rabies remains a public health challenge in many parts of the world with over 90% of human rabies cases worldwide attributed to dog bites. In India the annual incidence of dog bite is 1.9%. The study was conducted to analyse the distribution of dog bite cases as per time, place and person.
Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted between Jan-2016 and Dec- 2017. A total of 228 victims of dog bite were interviewed. They were selected using systematic random sampling technique. Data was analysed using SPSS. Spot maps were prepared.
Results: The proportion of adults being bitten by dog was more than that of children. Most of the bites occurred after evening hours. There was similarity in the place of residence and place of occurrence of bite in 81% of the cases. A statistically significant association was seen between the type of occupation and place of occurrence of dog bite.
Conclusion: Epidemiological mapping of dog bite cases gives more insight to understand the problem and aids in planning control measures against occurrence dog bite. Most dog bites occurred at hours when the man dog interaction was highest. The individuals working in outdoor type of occupation are at high risk for dog bite.
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.