A Child with Serious Chikungunya Virus (CHIKV) Infection Requiring Intensive Care, After an Outbreak.

A 5 1/2-yr-old boy presented with high grade fever for 4 days, and cervical adenitis, body ache, arthralgia, followed by sudden onset of breathlessness. He had clinical, electrocardiographic and echo evidence of myocarditis and congestive cardiac failure. An enzymelinked immunosorbent assay (MAC-IgM ELISA) with serum collected 5 days after disease onset showed IgM antibodies to CHIKV. He was managed conservatively and started showing symptomatic improvement by 3 days. At discharge, a repeat Echocardiogram (a week later) showed normal left ventricular (LV) function with mild Mitral regurgitation. On follow up, after 2 months, child remains asymptomatic. Other common aetiological agents were screened for and found negative. This may indicate a probable cardiac tropism for the virus.

Epidemiological trends of leprosy elimination in CLTRI rural field operation area, Tamil Nadu, India.

The analysis of computerized data of patients in our Rural Field Operation Area (Kunrathur Taluk, Kancheepuram District, Tamil Nadu) from the start of MDT in 1986 has shown a decrease of leprosy prevalence from 275/10000 in 1986 to 0.7/10000 in 2005. Leprosy has been eliminated as a public health problem after 19 years of MDT implementation. Although the control programme was started in 1962, MDT implementation began only in 1986. The new case-detection rate has declined significantly from 27.3 in 1987 to 2.4/10000 in 2005 (y = -1.6x + 2325.1, p = < 0.05). The age-specific cumulative detection rates calculated showed highest case-detection at 10-14 years for total, 10-14 years for PB, 50-54 for MB, and 10-14 for both males and females. MB percentage was more among new cases in the last three years as compared to the initial three years, and this difference was found to be statistically significant, but there was no significant difference between the first three and the last three-year periods in child, male and disability rates (grade +/-2) among new cases. Thus, the declining trend in NCDR has not reflected any change in sex and age-groups of new cases. This analysis strengthens the hypothesis of sub-clinical cases possibly transmitting the disease and MB cases accruing after long incubation period.

Dental caries prevalence and experience among the group of institutionalized hearing impaired individuals in Pondicherry--a descriptive study.

A descriptive study was conducted among a group of hearing-impaired individuals in Pondicherry to assess the dental caries prevalence and experience. A total 114 individuals were examined. The data was collected by direct clinical examination using appropriate indices and findings were recorded on the proforma sheets. The data were statistically processed and the results were obtained. Prevalence of dental caries in terms of DMFT is 42.98% and dft is 45%. Mean dft +/- s.d is 1.2 +/- 1.38 and Mean DMFT +/- s.d is 1.0 +/- 1.42. It was concluded that in both permanent and deciduous dentition and the females have high caries prevalence.