Nutritional status of 0-5 years children and its determinant in Maharashtra India

Background: Malnutrition is silent emergency and it is one of the most common causes of morbidity and mortality among children in India. India is home for underweight children. Hence the present study attempt to assess the underweight status of 0-5 years children and to find out socio-demographic determinant with it in rural community of Maharashtra.Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted among 281 children aged 0-5 years. The study was conducted rural health training centre, Barshi Takali district Akola which is field practicing area of Community Medicine Department of Government Medical College, Akola. The data was analyzed using Epi-info-6.Results: 24.9% children were in the age group of 24-35 months. 33.8% fathers were educated up to high secondary 21%. Under five children were underweight. The proportion of under-five children with under-weight showed significant association with education of father, breast feeding and diarrhoea.Conclusions: Father education, breast feeding practices and diarrhoea were the important determinant for underweight that were found in the study. The information education and communication (IEC) is needed to for preventing the occurrence of under-nutrition among 0-5 years children.

Cost of Illness Due to Typhoid Fever in Pemba, Zanzibar, East Africa.

The aim of this study was to estimate the economic burden of typhoid fever in Pemba, Zanzibar, East Africa. This study was an incidence-based cost-of-illness analysis from a societal perspective. It covered new episodes of blood culture-confirmed typhoid fever in patients presenting at the outpatient or inpatient departments of three district hospitals between May 2010 and December 2010. Cost of illness was the sum of direct costs and costs for productivity loss. Direct costs covered treatment, travel, and meals. Productivity costs were loss of income by patients and caregivers. The analysis included 17 episodes. The mean age of the patients, was 23 years (range=5-65, median=22). Thirty-five percent were inpatients, with a mean of 4.75 days of hospital stay (range=3-7, median=4.50). The mean cost for treatment alone during hospital care was US$ 21.97 at 2010 prices (US$ 1=1,430.50 Tanzanian Shilling─TSH). The average societal cost was US$ 154.47 per typhoid episode. The major expenditure was productivity cost due to lost wages of US$ 128.02 (83%). Our results contribute to the further economic evaluation of typhoid fever vaccination in Zanzibar and other sub-Saharan African countries.