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Objective To understand the awareness of schistosomiasis control knowledge among people going to Africa in Taizhou City, to provide insights into the development of control measures for imported schistosomiasis. Methods During the period from July to October, 2019, a face-to-face questionnaire survey was conducted among people that had gone to African countries between 2015 and 2018 and return to China now, including awareness of schistosomiasis control knowledge, type of living and drinking water and contact with river and lake water. Results A total of 573 peoples going to Africa were investigated, and 572 eligible questionnaires were recovered. Among the 572 people interviewed, senior high school and above was the predominant education level (509 people, 89.0%), labor was the predominant aim (543 people, 94.9%), and Angola (52.3%) and Algeria (15.9%) were predominant destiny countries. There were 7.2% of the interviewees hearing about African schistosomiasis, 19.8% knowing infections by contact with infested water, and 36 people with a history of contact with river and lake water. In addition, 270 interviewees used running water as drinking water and 276 used running water as living water. Conclusions The awareness rate of schistosomiasis control knowledge is low among people going to Africa in Taizhou City. Health education pertaining to schistosomiasis control is required to be improved among those going to Africa in Taizhou City to increase the awareness of schistosomiasis prevention and avoid parasitic infections.
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OBJECTIVE：To provide reference for improving the equity of medicine in China ，and to provide reference for promoting the full coverage policy for essential medicine. METHODS ：Taking hypertension essential medicines full coverage policy in 4 areas of Taizhou in Zhejiang province as an example ，the electronic health records of patients in baseline year and the first ， second and third years after the implementation of the full coverage policy of hypertension were collected. The catastrophic expenditure of family drugs was used to measure the medicine cost burden ，and the effects of policy on the equity and change of local medicine cost burden were analyz ed by means of concentration index and its decomposition method. RESULTS ：With the increase of the proportion of patients taking free medicine ，the incidence of catastrophic expenditure on household medicines in the high，middle and low income group decreased year by year generally （decreasing from 6.3％，12.0％，16.4％ of baseline year to 4.7％，8.9％，12.4％ at the third year after the implementation of the policy ）；the gap among the three groups was in narrowed trendency. The concentration indexes of the baseline year and the first ，second，third year after the implementation of policy were －0.198，－0.186，－0.181，－0.202，the policy contribution rates of which were 0，－1.335％，－4.507％ and 1.936％；and the policy contribution rates in the change of the yearly concentration index were 20.8％，95.0％ and 57.6％. CONCLUSIONS ：The implementation of the full coverage policy for essential medicines is conducive to improving the equity of the medicine expenditure burden. The effect is affected by the implementation of policies and supporting systems ，but the comprehensive promotion of the equity of medicine requires multi-policy synergy.
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Objective To analyze a case infected with Plasmodium falciparum due to blood transfusion in Taizhou City, so as to provide scientific evidence for malaria control. Methods The epidemiological investigation of a case with P. falciparum malaria was conducted, and the blood donors’blood samples were collected and detected in laboratory to identify the origin of the infection. Results Microscopy detected Plasmodium in the blood samples from a 64-year-old male inpatient with nephropathy, and P. falciparum malaria was diagnosed. The case had no history of travel to Africa or Southeast Asia except blood transfusion, and he had received blood transfusion 14 times during his hospital stay. Detection of blood donors’blood samples showed P. falciparum in the archived blood samples from an Indonesian student studying in China, as revealed by PCR assay, and the student was found to have a history of malaria. Conclusions The patient was confirmed to be a case with P. falciparum malaria due to blood transfusion. Screening of malaria should be intensified in blood donors to prevent the development of malaria transmitted by blood transfusion.
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Objective To analyze a case infected with Plasmodium falciparum due to blood transfusion in Taizhou City, so as to provide scientific evidence for malaria control. Methods The epidemiological investigation of a case with P. falciparum malaria was conducted, and the blood donors’blood samples were collected and detected in laboratory to identify the origin of the infection. Results Microscopy detected Plasmodium in the blood samples from a 64-year-old male inpatient with nephropathy, and P. falciparum malaria was diagnosed. The case had no history of travel to Africa or Southeast Asia except blood transfusion, and he had received blood transfusion 14 times during his hospital stay. Detection of blood donors’blood samples showed P. falciparum in the archived blood samples from an Indonesian student studying in China, as revealed by PCR assay, and the student was found to have a history of malaria. Conclusions The patient was confirmed to be a case with P. falciparum malaria due to blood transfusion. Screening of malaria should be intensified in blood donors to prevent the development of malaria transmitted by blood transfusion.
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OBJECTIVE： To evaluate the economics of the full coverage policy for hypoglycemic essential medicines in Taizhou city， and to provide reference for improving medicine accessibility and essential medicine system in China. METHODS： The electronic health records and financial input data of diabetic patients were extracted from different districts and counties of Taizhou city during 2009-2016. In cohort study design， taking the implementation time of each district and county’s policies as the breakpoint， the data recorded annually were processed as annual data， forming the cohort data for 1 year before （baseline year） and 3 years after the implementation of the policies. According to the choice of free medicines after the implementation of the policy， they were divided into policy group and control group. Propensity score matching was used to balance the differences between two groups to get the final sample， and then the economics of the policy was evaluated with the methods of difference-in-differences. The cost and benefit of implementation policy were calculated. RESULTS： Totally 14 744 people of each group were got by propensity score matching. The mean annual financial expenses on free medicine per capita were 263.8 yuan. Compared with baseline year， mean annual medicine expenses per capita reduced by the policy were 649.2 yuan， and mean annual hospitalization expenses per capita were 624.7 yuan. Thus the input-output ratio of the policy was 1 ∶ 4.8. CONCLUSIONS： The implementation of the policy is beneficial to reduce the cost burden of patients and economical. It can be popularized and sustained through scientific design combined with relevant policies.