Introduction: Fear is the normal response to any perceived threat, especially when it comes to contracting a new disease, resulting in stress and anxiety. This study was conducted during the peak epidemic phase of COVID-19 in Pakistan to assess fear level among the Pakistani population regarding COVID-19. Method:A cross-sectional study was conducted during June-July 2020 in Pakistan. A pre-designed questionnaire based on "Fear of COVID-19 Scale" was distributed through email and social media platforms using voluntary response sampling. Descriptive analysis was conducted and frequencies were calculated. Each response was scored as 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). The fear level was categorized as high (>20 score), Moderate (14-20 score) and low (<14 score). Inferential analysis was carried out using multiple logistic regression, at 95% confidence interval and P<0.05.Results: A total of 489 individuals were contacted and 404 individuals participated in this study (Response Rate: 83%). Mean age was 29 years (SD: ±14.5), 54.5% were males, literacy rate was 90.1%, employment rate was 89.1%, 49.5% were previously infected with COVID-19, and 58.4% were unmarried. Out of total, 45% of the population showed a moderate level of fear. Chi-square analysis revealed that factors including gender, education, marital status, occupation and province of residence were associated with different levels of fear. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that individuals previously infected with COVID-19 (OR: 2.18, 95% CI: 1.65-3.71, P=0.004), and males(OR: 2.09, 95% CI: 1.82-3.70, P=0.01) were significantly more likely to have a high level of fear. Higher education level had a protective association against "Moderate (OR: 0.38, 95% CI: 0.18-0.811, P=0.01)" and "High (OR: 0.33, 95% CI: 0.17-0.66, P=0.002)" fear levels. Similarly, married persons had lower odds of having high fear (OR: 0.55 95% CI: 0.21-0.69, P=0.001) Conclusion and Recommendations: It is evident that a COVID-19 linked fear exists in different groups of the Pakistani community, especially among males and previously infected cases. Therefore, there is a need to conduct health awareness and education campaigns for high risk groups focusing on psycho-social issues. It is also recommended to design, develop and implement different public health interventions for mitigation of COVID-19 linked fear in the society.
Rabies is a neglected viral zoonotic disease with an almost 100% fatality rate. A pilot project was initiated by the National Institute of Health (NIH), Islamabad, in collaboration with Health Security Partners (HSP) to establish a real-time dog bite surveillance in humans in public sector secondary care hospitals of Islamabad. The main objective of this study was to analyze different characteristics of dog bite cases, identify gaps in surveillance, and recommend suggestions to improve and strengthen real-time dog bite surveillance systems. An observational cross-sectional study was conducted in two major public sector hospitals in Islamabad from December 2019 to July 2020. Data on demographic information, site of the dog bite, category of the dog bite, and treatment was collected via a WVS mobile-based application. Descriptive analysis was carried out for different variables at a p-value of <0.05. A total of 338 dog bite cases were captured in the World Veterinary Service (WVS) application, and most cases (n = 226, 85.6%) were reported in December 2019 with a male-to-female ratio of 2:1. Most cases were reported from the age group of 22 to 31 years (n = 178, 53%). Out of the total number of cases, 263 (78%) presented with a single anatomical location, and 174 (51%) had Category II wounds. All dog bite patients were given only the first dose of the anti-rabies vaccine at the hospital level. Real-time dog bite surveillance via a mobile-based application proved to be effective for the timely recording and management of dog bite cases. Young people were reported to be mostly affected by dog bites, and nearly half of the cases were managed in hospitals. Refresher training was conducted for medics and paramedics for mobile-based applications, dog bite management, and proper referral of cases to tertiary care hospitals.
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