Feeding behavior of the Yellow-chevroned Parakeet at the northeast of the State of Sao Paulo State, Brazil

This research was carried out from March 1990 to December 1993. It was designed to obtain data on the feeding behavior of the Yellow-chevroned Parakeet (Brotogeris chiriri) at four distinct areas of northeast Sao Paulo State. The following aspects of its feeding biology have been addressed: the plant species used as food, the items (flower, fruit, pulp, seed) included in the diet, the methods used to obtain food, and the flock size variation. Brotogeris chiriri used 45 plant species as food resource. From these it used seeds from 27 species, fruit pulp from 19 species and flowers from 16 species. There was a significant statistical variation on the methods used to gather food relative to the food item. The flock size of B. chiriri is highly variable (from one individual eating alone to about 45 individuals) on the same period of the year. The smallest average flock size was found during the breeding period of the species.1519510

The costs of preventing and treating chagas disease in Colombia

Background: The objective of this study is to report the costs of Chagas disease in Colombia, in terms of vector disease control programmes and the costs of providing care to chronic Chagas disease patients with cardiomyopathy. Methods: Data were collected from Colombia in 2004. A retrospective review of costs for vector control programmes carried out in rural areas included 3,084 houses surveyed for infestation with triatomine bugs and 3,305 houses sprayed with insecticide. A total of 63 patient records from 3 different hospitals were selected for a retrospective review of resource use. Consensus methodology with local experts was used to estimate care seeking behaviour and to complement observed data on utilisation. Findings: The mean cost per house per entomological survey was $4.4 (in US$ of 2004), whereas the mean cost of spraying a house with insecticide was $27. The main cost driver of spraying was the price of the insecticide, which varied greatly. Treatment of a chronic Chagas disease patient costs between$46.4 and $7,981 per year in Colombia, depending on severity and the level of care used. Combining cost and utilisation estimates the expected cost of treatment per patient-year is$1,028, whereas lifetime costs averaged $11,619 per patient. Chronic Chagas disease patients have limited access to healthcare, with an estimated 22% of patients never seeking care. Conclusion: Chagas disease is a preventable condition that affects mostly poor populations living in rural areas. The mean costs of surveying houses for infestation and spraying infested houses were low in comparison to other studies and in line with treatment costs. Care seeking behaviour and the type of insurance affiliation seem to play a role in the facilities and type of care that patients use, thus raising concerns about equitable access to care. Preventing Chagas disease in Colombia would be cost-effective and could contribute to prevent inequalities in health and healthcare.Wellcome Trus