Disease Pattern and Health Seeking Behavior in Rural Bangladesh.

Knowledge about the existing disease pattern and health seeking behavior is essential to provide need based health care delivery to any population and to make the health care system more pro-poor. A community based cross sectional study was conducted among 493 systematically selected households in the Modhukhali Upazilla of Faridpur District to determine the prevailing disease pattern and health seeking behavior in rural Bangladesh. Data were collected through face-to-face interview of the selected respondents. More than half of the respondents gave history of illness of her or her family members during the preceding 15 days. Fever (33.2%), gastrointestinal diseases (24.9%) and respiratory diseases (17.8%) were the most reported complaints. Overall, there were no discernible differences in the likelihood of seeking traditional or any kind of care considering socio-demographic variables and prevailing disease types. Occupation of household head as day labor or in agriculture and suffering from gastrointestinal diseases positively predicted use of para-professionals. Use of un-qualified allopths was negatively predicted by the male gender or literacy of the household head and presence of gastrointestinal, respiratory and other types of diseases and positively predicted by occupation of the household head in agricultural field or as day labor. Use of qualified allopaths was positively predicted by respiratory, skin/eye/ENT and other types of diseases and also by standard of living and relationship of the respondents with household head and negatively predicted by agricultural or day labor work of the household head. Existence of several distinct therapeutic systems in a single cultural setting was found to be an important feature of health care system in the study area. This study concluded that it is important to develop a need based health care delivery system and actions should be taken to improve the overall scenario of health system of rural Bangladesh.

Study of the presence of rabies virus in indigenous bats.

One hundred and thirteen fruit eating and insectivorous bats were captured from different parts of Bangladesh. Antemortem and post mortem examinations of the bats for rabies were conducted. Microscopic studies and biological tests were carried-out with bat's brain for the detection of rabies virus. The results were negative. It may therefore, be concluded that the insectivorous and fruit eating bats from different parts of Bangladesh do not act as the reservoir for rabies virus.

Studies of the presence of rabies virus among stray dogs in Dhaka City.

One hundred and thirty one stray dogs were captured from Dhaka City. Anti-mortem as well post-mortem examination of the dogs for rabies were conducted. Microscopic studies and biological tests were carried-out with dog's brain for the detection of rabies virus. One dog was found to have rabies virus in its brain. The stray dogs under Dhaka Municipal Corporation area therefore, seem to harbour rabies virus in their brains and could be a source of potential danger to the community after the full development of the disease.