Molecular surveillance of dengue virus in field-collected Aedes mosquitoes from Bhopal, central India: evidence of circulation of a new lineage of serotype 2

IntroductionDengue fever is hyperendemic in several Southeast and South Asian countries, including India, with all four serotypes (DENV 1–4) circulating at different periods and in different locations. Sustainable and improved virological and entomological surveillance is the only tool to prevent dengue and other vector-borne diseases.ObjectivesThe present study has been carried out to detect and characterize the circulating dengue virus (DENV) in field-collected Aedes mosquitoes in Bhopal, Central India.MethodsAedes mosquitoes were collected from 29 localities within Bhopal city during October 2020 to September 2022. DENV infection was assessed in the individual head and thorax regions of Aedes mosquitoes using reverse transcriptase PCR. Positive samples were sequenced, and the circulating serotypes and genotypes were determined using phylogenetic analysis.ResultsDENV RNA was detected in 7 Aedes aegypti and 1 Aedes albopictus, with infection rates of 0.59 and 0.14%, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis revealed all the isolates belonged to DENV serotype 2 and distinctly clustered with the non-Indian lineage (cosmopolitan genotype 4a), which was not recorded from the study area earlier. The time to most common recent ancestor (TMRCA) of these sequences was 7.4 years old, with the highest posterior density (HPD) of 3.5–12.2 years, indicating that this new lineage emerged during the year 2014. This is the first report on the DENV incrimination in both Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus mosquitoes collected from Bhopal, Central India.ConclusionThe observed emergence of the non-Indian lineage of DENV-2 in Bhopal, which again is a first report from the area, coincides with the gradual increase in DENV cases in Bhopal since 2014. This study emphasizes the importance of DENV surveillance and risk assessment in this strategically important part of the country to decipher its outbreak and severe disease-causing potential

Facilitators and barriers to the uptake of COVID-19 vaccine precaution dose among adult population: qualitative analysis across six different states of India

IntroductionIndia launched the COVID-19 vaccination drive on 16th January 2021 by vaccinating the adult population above 18 years of age. This was followed by the introduction of an additional precaution dose. As on 18th October 2022, 1,02,66,96,808 (1.02 Billion) first dose and 94, 95, 39,516 (949 Million) second doses of COVID-19 vaccine were administered. However, when compared to the uptake of the primary doses, the precaution dose uptake lagged behind with only 21,75, 12,721 (217 million) doses administered. Even though, the uptake of the primary doses remained optimal, irrespective of different interventions by the Government of India, the uptake of the precaution dose remained poor. In this context, the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare wanted to understand the facilitators and Barriers for precaution dose uptake among adults so that future immunization campaigns could address these issues.MethodsAn exploratory qualitative study was conducted to assess the facilitators and barriers for COVID-19 precaution dose uptake at community level across 6 different states in India. From each of the states, two districts with the highest and lowest rates of COVID-19 vaccine precaution dose uptake were selected. In each of these districts, 2 block Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs), one with high and one with low uptake were identified. Within these block PHCs, a PHC field area with high and low precaution dose uptakes was identified. From the identified sites a minimum of four IDIs, four FGDs were conducted among the community members. KIIs of the State Immunization Officers, District Immunisation Officers, PHC Medical Officers, healthcare workers like Accredited Social Health Activist/Auxiliary Nurse Midwife were also conducted. The data was audio recorded and it was transcribed, translated and analysed using framework approach.ResultsIt was observed that rise in COVID-19 cases prompted the community to take the precaution dose, this along with the cost of hospitalization and the number of productive days being lost as a result of being infected resulted in vaccine uptake. The fear of non-availability of COVID-19 vaccines latter on also prompted people for vaccine uptake. While the barriers were, poor accessibility to vaccination centers, long hours of travel, poor road connectivity and lack of transportation facilities. However, the most prominent barriers observed across all study sites was that a sense of pandemic fatigue and complacency had developed both among the providers as well as the beneficiaries. Other barriers include differences in vaccination schedules and longer duration between the primary doses of some vaccines. Media was identified to be both a barrier and facilitator for Covid-19 Precaution dose uptake. Even though media played an important role in disseminating information in the beginning of the campaign, it was soon followed by the circulation of both misinformation and disinformation.DiscussionThe study identified that dissemination of accurate information and community involvement at each stage of planning and implementation are crucial for the success of any campaign. Efforts should be constantly made to address and re-invent strategies that will be most suitable for the needs of the community. Therefore, in order to ensure successful vaccination campaigns, it is crucial that along with political will it is also important to have a decentralized approach with inter-sectoral coordination with different stakeholders such as healthcare workers, community members and the different departments such as the local self-governments, education department, law & order department etc. These lessons learnt from COVID-19 vaccination campaigns must not be forgotten and must be applied in future vaccination campaigns and while framing public health policies

Review Article - Child labour in footwear industry: Possible occupational health hazards

nd adverse physical factors. It is recommended to stop child labour and let the child be bread eater rather than bread earner

Occupational health hazards in sewage and sanitary workers

An estimated 1.2 million scavengers in the country are involved in the sanitation of our surroundings. The working conditions of these sanitary workers have remained virtually unchanged for over a century. Apart from the social atrocities that these workers face, they are exposed to certain health problems by virtue of their occupation. These health hazards include exposure to harmful gases such as methane and hydrogen sulfide, cardiovascular degeneration, musculoskeletal disorders like osteoarthritic changes and intervertebral disc herniation, infections like hepatitis, leptospirosis and helicobacter, skin problems, respiratory system problems and altered pulmonary function parameters. This can be prevented through engineering, medical and legislative measures. While the engineering measures will help in protecting against exposures, the medical measures will help in early detection of the effects of these exposures. This can be partly achieved by developing an effective occupational health service for this group of workers. Also, regular awareness programs should be conducted to impart education regarding safer work procedures and use of personal protective devices

Morbidity profile of steel pipe production workers

Objective: To study the different morbid conditions among steel pipe producing workers. Methods: The present cross-sectional study has been carried out among the workers of one of the steel pipes and tubes manufacturing factory of Gujarat. Hundred workers from the four major departments of the steel pipe production plant, namely welding, pressing machine, X-ray welding and loading/transportation department were covered. The information regarding demographic, occupational, clinical characteristics and diagnosis were recorded on a pre-designed proforma. Statistical analysis included calculation of percentages and proportions and was carried out using the statistical software Epi Info Version 3.3.2. Results: The mean age of the study subjects was found to be 38.7±7.1 years. The mean duration of exposure was found to be 9.0±3.4 years. Forty-four percent of the subjects had an upper respiratory tract infection, as evidenced by symptoms like dry cough, cough with rhinitis and cough with fever. Symptoms suggestive of allergic bronchitis were observed in 12% of the subjects while symptoms suggestive of heat stress such as prickly heat, dehydration, perspiration and pyrexia were observed in 13% of the subjects

INJURY PATTERN AMONG NON-FATAL ROAD TRAFFIC ACCIDENT CASES: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY IN CENTRAL INDIA

RESEARCH QUESTION: What is the pattern of injuries among non-fatal cases of road traffic accidents? OBJECTIVE: To study the pattern of injuries among non-fatal cases of road traffic accidents. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: Nagpur, a city in central India. PARTICIPANTS: 423 non-fatal cases of road traffic accidents reporting for treatment to Indira Gandhi Medical College, Nagpur during 1999-2000. STUDY VARIABLES: Demographic characteristics, accident characteristics. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Percentages, proportions, Chi-square test. RESULTS: Out of total 423 subjects, 363 (85.8%) were male while only 60 (14.2%) were female subjects. Majority of the victims (75%) were in the age group 18- 37 years. Sideways collision was the most common type of accident seen in 269 (63.59%) cases. Two wheelers and LMV were the common vehicle being involved in accidents (69.97%) and these accidents were almost equally distributed in both half of the day. Fracture of the bones was the common injury afflicted to the victims followed by multiple injuries like blunt injury, abrasions and lacerations. Lower extremity was involved in 192 (45.39%) cases while multiple sites were affected in 114 (26.95%) cases. CONCLUSIONS: In the present study, the fractures were the commonest injury among the victims of non-fatal road traffic accidents

Role of occupation as a risk factor for sexually transmitted disease: A case control study

Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are a major public health problem. The epidemiology of STDs is distinctive because of common behavioral and biological features. Occupation is one of the socio-demographic factors, which not only act as a risk factor for acquiring STDs but also as a factor for the spread of the acquired infection. The information was collected about the nature of the occupation and it was categorized as unskilled, semi-skilled, skilled, professional and housewives. Most of the subjects belonged to sexually active group. Male to female ratio was found to be 10.9:1. The majority of the cases of sexually transmitted diseases belonged to unskilled profession and most of these were unemployed. They also had twice higher risk of having STDs as compared to controls (OR=2; 95% CI= 1.01-3.95). The analysis of statistical parameters suggested that in this study 28% of the total cases of STD could be attributed to the unskilled profession and 50% to the job requiring frequent travel. Similarly, 15% of the total STD in population can be attributed to the unskilled profession; while only 5% can be attributed to the job requiring frequent travel. It can be concluded that occupation can be considered as a significant risk factor for acquiring sexually transmitted diseases. The unskilled and unemployed on one hand and those employed in occupations, which require frequent travel outside the place of residence, constitute the high-risk groups

Online resources for occupational health physicians

Periodic retraining ensures that experts are updated in the advances in the science and methods of their profession. Such periodic retraining is sparsely accessible to Indian occupational health physicians and researchers. However, there is significant material that is available online in occupational health and related fields. This information is open-source and is freely available. It does not require any special subscription on the client's part. This information can supplement the efforts of motivated occupational health practitioners in India