Combating COVID-19 with Proficiency and Precision

It has been two years since the first case of Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) was detected in India in the state of Kerala in March 2020. (1) The Government and the citizens of India have united together to combat the virus since then. India is the largest democracy in the world and the second highest populous country with an estimated 1.36 billion population. The country has witnessed three major waves of the COVID-19 pandemic in the past 3 years, the second being the worse. In the month of June 2022, India has reported a cumulative total of approximately 4.34 crore confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 511,903 deaths. The state of Maharashtra has been the worst effected in all three waves. Presently the recovery rate from COVID-19 in India has crossed 98%. (2

Gender Perspectives in Ear Care: A Cross-Sectional Survey in Delhi

Background: Ear disease in children is a major public health problem in developing countries. There has been scarcity of evidence of any gender differentials, if any exists, with ear care in the Indian context.Objective: To study the gender perspectives in ear care with regard to attitude and health-seeking behavior of caregivers of children 1–10 years of age in Delhi.Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted in an urban health center situated in the north-east district of Delhi from January to March 2015. 160 caregivers of ill children aged 1–10 years who came to seek medical care in out-patient department (OPD) constituted the study population. Chi square test or Fisher’s Exact test (wherever required) was used to observe the differences between qualitative variables.Results: The study was conducted among 160 caregivers of 87 (54.4%) male children and 73 (45.6%) female children. Mean (±SD) monthly family income was INR 7637.5±1155.30. When inquired about the attitude of caregivers about playing of their child with another child who is suffering from hearing loss, 18 (20.7%) caregivers of male children perceived that their child will also suffer from hearing loss while 30 (41.1%) caregivers of female children, agreed for the same (χ2=7.87, df=1, p value=0.01).

An epidemiological study of ear morbidities among primary school children in a rural area of Delhi

Background: Globally, more than 360 million population (nearly 5% of world’s population) have disabling hearing loss and 32 million of them are children. Approximately 0.5-5 of every 1000 infants is born with or develops in early childhood disabling hearing loss. It is estimated that over 60% of the otological (ear) morbidities could be avoided through preventive measures, as stated by World Health Organization (2015). As per World health Organization report 2007, 6% of the population of India suffers with significant otological morbidities. Many ear morbidities have their origin in childhood and they may go unnoticed. Estimates indicate that by the age of 3 years at least half of children have experienced at least one episode of middle ear infection. Because it is a childhood illness, it requires close monitoring of signs and symptoms and it is often co-morbid with other infections of the upper or lower respiratory tract. Method: It was a cross sectional study conducted at a rural area based school of Delhi. A total of 368 primary school students, 5 to 11 years age, were included.  Questionnaire was used to take history of ear morbidities, related risk factors and health seeking behaviour. Ear examination was performed using otoscope. Educational status of mother, immunization status, frequent cough-coryza, socio-economic status were found to be significant risk factors [p<0.05].  Results: Around 25 % of students had preventable ear morbidity. Cerumen impaction was the commonest morbidity followed by Chronic Suppurative Otitis Media.  Conclusion: Preventable ear morbidities are prevalent among children. Health education pertaining to health seeking behaviour for ear hygiene and regular ear examination in schools can reduce the prevalence of ear morbidities. Keywords: cerumen, otitis media, otological morbidities, rura

The knowledge and attitudes towards domestic violence among pregnant women in Delhi, India

Background: Domestic violence during pregnancy endangers the health of the mother and her child. Aim and Objective: To ascertain the knowledge and attitudes towards domestic violence among pregnant women in India and to find out their sociodemographic predictors. Settings and design: This cross-sectional analysis of baseline data from a prospective study was conducted at the antenatal care (ANC) clinic of a major tertiary care government hospital in New Delhi from 2015-2018. Methods and material: The data were collected through face-to-face interviews with 1500 pregnant women up to 20 weeks of gestation. A p-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The mean (SD) age of the participants was 24.6 (3.6) years. All the participants were married. A total of 1169 (77.9%) participants were aware of domestic violence. The participant comprehension of the types of domestic violence was highest for physical (89.9%), emotional (68.4%), economical (21.5%), and sexual (17.4%) violence. On adjusted analysis, education ?10 years and higher SES were associated with a comprehensive awareness of domestic violence. Conclusions: The awareness of domestic violence, especially beyond physical violence, is low among pregnant women in India

Revisiting Global Health Security Measures in COVID 19 Pandemic

As the world has become a global village with increasing socio-economic interdependence, health, security and stability issues are imposing interrelated global impacts. Thus, activities supporting epidemic and pandemic preparedness are needed to minimize vulnerability to acute public health events. Coordination mechanisms must be pre-established for diagnostics, therapeutics and research as emergencies often lead to competition and shortage of resources. This paper attempts to discuss the available global health security measures at the time of COVID 19 pandemic

Association of sociodemographic characteristics with KAP regarding menstrual hygiene among women in an urban area in Delhi

Introduction: Menstruation despite being a natural process is linked with several misconceptions and false practices, which sometimes results in adverse health outcomes. The aim of this study was to assess knowledge, attitude, and practices regarding menstrual hygiene and their association with sociodemographic determinants among women in an urban area of Delhi.Materials and Methods: A community‑based cross‑sectional survey was conducted for a period of 1 year among 350 women age 18–45 years residing in an urban resettlement colony in Delhi. Semi‑structured questionnaire containing questions regarding subject’s demographic profile, their knowledge, attitude, and practices pertaining to menstrual hygiene was used. It had seven questions regarding knowledge and eight questions each about attitude and practices regarding menstrual hygiene, respectively. A 5‑point Likert scale was used to assess women’s responses to attitude questions. Practices satisfactory or unsatisfactory were based on UNICEF guidelines. Data were analyzed using SPSS software version 17.Results: The mean age of women was 26.53 ± 0.295 years. More than three‑fourths (88.3%) women had good knowledge, whereas only 32.3% of women had a positive attitude regarding menstrual hygiene. More than two‑thirds of the women were using sanitary pads as menstrual absorbent. Significant association was seen between knowledge and subject’s marital status (P = 0.034) and subject’s occupation (P = 0.046). A significant association was observed between attitude and socioeconomic status of the participant (P = 0.001).Conclusion: These findings indicate the need for education about healthy menstrual practices. Health education is an essential requirement to fill the knowledge gap to promote accessibility, availability, and sanitary facilities and products.Keywords: Attitude; knowledge; menstrual hygiene; practice

Sociodemographic Profile and Treatment-Seeking Behavior of HIV Infected Children Accessing Care at Pediatric ART Clinic of a Tertiary Care Hospital in Delhi

Background: Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) has emerged as one of the most serious public health problems in India. The parents of HIV-infected children are more likely to die and thus render the children orphan. The sociodemographic characteristics of children with HIV infection are different than the other children of the same age group. With the diverse range of manifestations, the symptoms of HIV/AIDS can appear in children at any time during the course of infection. After appearance of various signs/symptoms, the parents wander to various health agencies for relief and thus lose their vital time.Aims: The present study was conducted (1) to study the sociodemographic profile of children living with HIV/AIDS and (2) to know the treatment-seeking behavior of HIV/AIDS patients before coming to the tertiary hospital.Materials and Methods: The study was a hospital-based cross-sectional study where 216 children registered at the pediatric ART clinic of a tertiary care hospital in Delhi and their caregivers were included in the study. Semi-structured, pretested interview schedule was used for data collection through face-to-face interviews.Results: Out of the 216 children, males outnumbered females in the ratio of 2.48:1. Most of the children were in the age group of 10–14 years (48.1%) and the majority belonged to urban areas (63.4%). Most of the children were going to school. Majority of children (46.3%) belonged to social class-4. Hospitals (62.5%) were consulted first followed by private practitioners (33.3%) by these patients after appearance of earliest symptoms. Presenting symptoms of HIV in children were not specific and the most common symptom was fever (79.1%) followed by not gaining weight (69.4%), recurrent diarrhea (65.3%), cough (41.7%) and vomiting (30.6%). The average number of consultations sought by these patients before coming to this hospital was 2.34 per patients. Hospitals (39.8%) and prior experience at same hospital (33.3%) were the most common source of information about the ART center.

Challenges of Second-hand Smoke: Are We Asking the Right Questions?

Second-hand tobacco smoke as defined by WHO is the smoke emitted by a smoker or released from a burnt cigarette or any tobacco product. It is highly prevalent all over the globe but its serious health implications are often neglected by the public and the scientific community alike. Second-hand smoke has everlasting impact on all the body’s major organs, especially among the vulnerable population of children, pregnant ladies, people with chronic diseases and senior citizens. Although India started its war against this menace earlier than other counties, all its efforts remain bootless as its approach and implementation have a wide range of lacunae. This review aims to give a big picture of second-hand smoke, highlighting its pathophysiological changes in the body, socioeconomic impact, various strategies, and the gap that prevents these strategies from finding a favorable result in India. It becomes all the more important to reduce its impact owing to the increase in prevalence among youth reducing their vitality, derailing the society and the nation. It is recommended that the health authorities approach this health problem with utmost seriousness as a laid-back approach could welcome this silent killer’s known and unknown repercussions