Dog Bites in Humans and Estimating Human Rabies Mortality in Rabies Endemic Areas of Bhutan

Dog bites in humans are a public health problem worldwide. We conducted a hospital based questionnaire survey and described the incidence and risk factors for human dog bites in Bhutan. We also estimated the human death rate attributable to rabies in two rabies endemic areas of south Bhutan. Our study shows that dog bites incidents in humans are common in the survey areas. There were significant gender and age differences in bite incidents; males and the children are affected the most. The majority of the victims were bitten by stray dogs, increasing the risk of rabies infection if not treated in time. Our decision tree model predicted 2.23 (95% CI: 1.20–3.59) human deaths from rabies/year, equivalent to an annual incidence of 4.67 (95% CI: 2.53–7.53) deaths/100,000 in the two rabies endemic areas of south Bhutan. In the absence of post exposure prophylaxis, the model predicted 19.24 (95% CI: 13.69–25.14) deaths/year in these two areas. The public should be encouraged to visit hospitals for post exposure prophylaxis following dog bite injury in south Bhutan

The GANSSER seismological network in Bhutan

Abstract HKT-ISTP 2013 A

Enhancing the Reading for Pleasure Habit of the Students of Samtse College of Education

Reading is an essential skill for everybody especially for the students of Samtse College of Education who are future teachers. They need to read to enhance their communication skills, upgrade their knowledge and skills and be role models in reading for their students. However, we have found that the reading for pleasure habit among the students is poor. Students generally use social media during their leisure time instead of reading which is a concern both for their lecturers and the institution. An action research study was carried out to improve students’ reading for pleasure habit. Data for the study were gathered using a survey and interview. A total of 325 students completed the survey and 57 students participated in the interview. The data were collected twice; before (baseline) and after the intervention. Comparison of means was used to analyse the quantitative data and the qualitative data were analysed thematically. Following the analysis of the baseline data, three intervention strategies were employed; Our Time To Enjoy Reading (OTTER), Self-indulgence Reading, and Raffle Draw. These strategies were implemented in all the 16 classes for a period of 8 weeks. The comparison of the analysis of the pre-and post-data showed that the interventions have been effective in promoting the reading for pleasure habit of the students

Participatory varietal selection of potato and agronomic performance with farmers’ feedback on new varieties.

Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is one of the widely produced, consumed and traded horticultural crops in Bhutan. Hence, potato cultivation has helped to transform the Bhutanese agriculture from subsistence to an emerging market-oriented agriculture. However, its productivity has remained stagnant over the years due to lack of varietal diversity and degeneration of seed quality. Therefore, variety development research was conducted to increase yield and provide alternative varieties. The advanced evaluation trial using mother and baby approach was conducted using suitable International Potato Center (CIP)-originated potato clones of 399053.11, 394034.7, 394611.112, 396034.268, 397196.3, 392797.22 and 303381.30 and Desiree as the local check (control) at Bumthang and Khangma in 2015. Following the evaluation and release of a new potato variety, three demonstration trials were conducted in Chukha, Haa and Wangdue districts to compare the yields of two new varieties with Desiree. When the clones were assessed based on yield and preference ranking by the farmers, 397193.3 and 392797.22 clones outstood as high yielders and most preferred ones, while 394034.7 was considered as the least yielder and least preferred clone in Bumthang. The two clones (397193.3 and 392797.22) had significantly (P<0.05) high yield and were the most preferred ones compared to Desiree in both the mother and baby plots. Having fulfilled all the research requirements, 392797.22 were released in June 2017 as Yusi Maap to address yield stagnation, as an alternate redskinned variety. Besides being a micro-nutrient-dense variety, Yusi Maap has moderate resistance to late blight. In three demonstration trials, Desiree yielded the least among the three varieties. Analysis on the farmers’ preference ranking showed that Yusi Maap was most preferred in three locations probably due to the red skin and better yield. The results of this study is has potential to positive impact potato production and enhance farmers’ livelihood through higher yields

New Herpetofaunal Records from the Kingdom of Bhutan Obtained through Citizen Science

Social media has, in the past decade, emerged unexpectedly as a powerful tool in citizen science (Liberatore et al. 2018). Whether unintended or formally integrated, it offers, among other benefits, mass participation in activities such as data collection in inventories, monitoring, or natural history observations (Tulloch 2013). It can be argued that such activities often do not consume taxpayers’ contributions, as formal research projects tend to do, and can provide a cost-effective means of data collection (Goldstien et al. 2014). The vast number of (and rapidly rising) online resources and virtual specialists available to identify samples serve as references and reviewers of such data, increasing the speed over traditional forms of data collection (e.g., scientific publishing) and providing the capacity to absorb multiple opinions. Nonetheless, challenges that remain in citizen science programs are directing the data towards priority scientific objectives and needs, and achieving high standards in data quality (Ambrose-Oji et al. 2014)

Top ten public health challenges to track in 2022

Abstract We identify ten public health challenges that need to be closely tracked in 2022. These challenges are COVID‐19, inadequate human resources for health, poor health systems financing, conflict and humanitarian crises, mental health, poverty, climate change, the health of children, reproductive health issues, and the infodemic. These global priorities, based on opinion of experts and current evidence and literature, need immediate attention and scaled‐up actions. This list of priorities does not discount the existence of other major public health challenges. We forecast and highlight those that may impact global public health in 2022 in order to progress and to achieve the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). Thus, we advocate for stronger international cooperation, solidarity, and sustainable funding to address these challenges, and improve health across and within populations globally