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This study was conducted to estimate the prevalence of intestinal parasitic infestations among school children in Kaski District of Western Nepal. A total of 2091 stool samples were collected from school children selected from 11 rural and eight urban schools. The stool samples were examined for evidence of parasitic infections by direct microscopic examination. Prevalence of intestinal parasites was 21.3%. There was a significant difference in prevalence between urban (18.7%) and rural (24.1%) school samples. Giardia lamblia (13.2%), Ascaris lumbricoides (2.1%) and Entamoeba histolytica (1.7%) were the commonest parasites isolated. The results indicate that intestinal parasitic infestation among school children in the study area is mainly water-borne. The burden of parasitic infestations among the school children, coupled with the poor sanitary conditions in the schools, should be regarded as an issue of public health priority. This strongly supports the need for school health programmes that will involve periodic deworming, health education and improvement of school sanitation.

This study identified a few important misconceptions associated with polio and PPI which need to be addressed by large scale awareness campaigns in order to achieve polio eradication in the near future.

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Refractive errors progressively shift along myopia up to the third decade and change to hypermetropia till the seventh decade. Hyperopic shift in the refractive error in young adults should be well noted while planning any refractive surgery in younger patients with myopia.

Background Suicide ideation is a neglected issue in our society. Information on suicidal ideation is lacking in India. Objectives This study was conducted to study the prevalence of suicide ideation and its associated risk factors among medical students at Mangalore, India. Methods This pilot study was conducted on medical students by using a self-administered questionnaire. Data was collected from second year students on baseline characteristics, habits, thought of suicide ideation, and thought of life as burden. The collected data was analysed using SPSS V.11.5. χ 2 test was used to determine the risk factors and their significance was reported at p<0.05. Results Out of 305 students who filled questionnaire completely (response rate 87%), 119 (39%) were males and 186 (61%) were females. Around 8.3% (n=25) admitted alcohol consumption, 4.3% (n=13) were smokers, 3% (n=9) admitted to having tried/done substance abuse. More than half (172; 56.39%) were dissatisfied with academic performance ( p=0.002), 34 (55.7%) students had broken up with their close friends ( p=0.009), and 20 (6.56%) felt neglected by the parents/family. One fifth of respondents (61; 20%) had reported suicide ideation, 24 (7.9%) have given serious thought to committing suicide, 28 students (9.5%) consider their life as a burden. Significance Dissatisfaction in academics, neglect by the family, and break up with close friends had significant association with suicide ideation. These issues can be tackled by counselling. The awareness generated could be helpful in avoiding suicide. Also, quantification of the problem is the first step in prevention. A166Inj Prev 2012;18(Suppl 1):A1-A246