Entomopathogenic Fungi as a Potential Management Tool for the Control of Urban Malaria Vector, Anopheles stephensi (Diptera: Culicidae)

Anopheles stephensi (Diptera: Culicidae) is the vector of urban malaria in India and has a significant impact in transmitting infection in cities and towns. Further, WHO has also alarmed its invasive nature as a threat to African countries. Entomopathogenic fungi such as Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium anisopliae have been found to be highly effective in controlling vector mosquito populations and therefore could be used in integrated vector control programs. Before employing the entomopathogenic fungi into the control programs, an effective isolate must be selected. Two separate experiments were conducted to evaluate the efficacy of Beauveria bassiana (Bb5a and Bb-NBAIR) and Metarhizium anisopliae (Ma4 and Ma-NBAIR) isolates against An. stephensi. Cement and mud panels were treated with fungal conidia with the concentration of 1 × 107 conidia/mL and adult An. stephensi mosquitoes were exposed to the treated panels (24 h after conidia were applied) by conducting WHO cone bioassay tests. The survival of the mosquitoes was monitored daily until the 10th day. In the second experiment, second instar larvae of An. stephensi were treated with fungal (Bb5a, Bb-NBAIR, Ma4 and Ma-NBAIR) conidia and blastospores with the spore concentration of 1 × 107 spores/mL. The survival of larvae was monitored until pupation. All the fungal isolates tested caused mortality in the adult mosquitoes, with varying median survival times. The Bb5a isolate reported lesser median survival times on both cement and mud panels (6 days). The treated mosquitoes showed similar survival rates for each fungal isolate irrespective of the panel type. There was no mortality in the treated larvae; however, a delay in larval development to pupae was observed compared with the untreated control larvae. Ma4-treated larvae took 11 days (95% CI = 10.7–11.2) to become pupae when compared with the untreated control larvae (6 days [95% CI = 5.6–6.3]). The findings of this study will be useful to consider EPF as a tool for the management of vector mosquitoes

Impact of School-Based Health Education on Dengue Prevention and Control in an Urban Area during an Epidemic

Background: Most school communities lack awareness and health education toward dengue and its transmission. Aim: To assess the impact of implemented school-based health education intervention program on cognitive and affective domain as well as behavior of high school children as a change agent in the prevention and control of dengue fever in an urban area. Methods: All the children were self-administered a pretested semi-structured questionnaire to assess the baseline knowledge and attitude on dengue fever and its prevention in an epidemic. Multimodal health education intervention was provided and after 1 week, the same questionnaire was used to assess the postintervention level of knowledge and attitude. The Chi-square test and ordinal logistic regression were performed in R. v. 3.5.2. Sample of students was administered observation checklist to document the practices. Results: Majority belonged to the Class X 379 (60.64%) and their level of knowledge during pretest was higher compared to Class VIII and IX. Posttest, level of education of father's (P = 0.006), student's (P = 0.000), and occupation of mother's (P = 0.048) significantly associated with knowledge of students. While mother's education significantly associated with both knowledge (P = 0.000) and (P < 0.036) attitude of the students toward dengue fever. Knowledge and attitude of the students toward dengue significantly improved posttest. There was significant change in behavior practices as evident by reduction of breeding sites after intervention. Conclusion: The cognitive and affective domain of the high school students toward dengue fever improved after the health education program along with behavioral change which highlights the role of students as change agents

Challenges To Harness India’s Demographic Dividend: Are We on The Right Track? - A Cross Sectional Study in South India

Introduction: Currently India’s demographic profile is changing in such a way that in the next 20-25 years we shall be having World’s youngest workforce. In order to reap the benefits of demographic dividend current students have to be interested in vocational education and also have to be physically and mentally healthy. So the current study was designed to assess the perceptions about vocational education and presence of risk factors of non communicable diseases among them. Methods: Cross sectional study conducted among 389 students of selected colleges of Bangalore through convenient sampling technique. Pre tested semi structured questionnaire was administered and analysed in SPSS 17. Results: Only 35.7% had heard of vocational education and 31.9% were interested in pursuing vocational education as their career. Many had developed risk factors for non communicable diseases and few of them were also mentally disturbed. Conclusion: There is a need to create awareness about vocational education among these students. Life style modification and life skill education is the need of the hour among these students

Impact of steam inhalation, saline gargling, and povidone-iodine gargling on clinical outcome of COVID-19 patients in Bengaluru, Karnataka: A randomized control trial

Context: In the absence of any specific treatment available for COVID-19, people started practicing traditional nonpharmacological preventive home remedies such as salt water gargling and steam inhalation. The available research evidence on some of these measures opines that steam inhalation, saline gargling, and povidone-iodine gargling does have virucidal properties and do provide symptomatic relief. Aims: The aim is to test this hypothesis, and the present trial was undertaken with an objective to assess the effect of steam inhalation, saline gargling, and povidone-iodine gargling among the COVID-19-positive patients with respect to early test negativity and clinical recovery. Methodology: Open-labeled, parallel, randomized controlled trial was conducted among asymptomatic or mild COVID-19-positive patients in Bangalore from September 2020 to February 2021. In each group of steam inhalation, saline gargling, povidone-iodine gargling, and control, twenty participants were allocated. Daily follow-up was done for 21 days to assess early test negativity and clinical recovery. Trial Registry Number: Clinical Trial Registry India/2020/09/027687. Results: Among 80 participants recruited, 65 (81.3%) were symptomatic. Early test negativity was seen in povidone-iodine gargling group of 6 days (KaplanMeier survival curve, BreslowGeneralized Wilcoxon test P = 0.7 as per the intention-to-treat and as per-protocol P = 0.8). Significant clinical recovery was seen in saline gargling group (4 days, P = 0.01). Conclusion: Povidone-iodine gargling was effective in providing early test negativity, whereas saline gargling was effective in early clinical recovery