Unilateral palatal palsy with viral hepatitis.

Isolated unilateral palatal (velopalatopharyngeal) palsy is a clinical rarity. This usually presents in a child as acute onset rhinolalia, unilateral absent palatal reflex and pharyngeal asymmetry with a benign self-resolving course. Etiology remains controversial. We report association of this entity in a male child with viral hepatitis A.

An outbreak of dengue fever in Veerannapet village, Cherial Mandal, of Warangal district, Andhra Pradesh.

An epidemiological and entomological investigation was carried out in Veerannapet village, Cherial Mandal of Warangal district, Andhra Pradesh. The study showed that all age groups and both the sexes were affected with the disease. Fever and bodyache was the first presenting feature, which was self-limiting and lasted for 4-5 days. Of the 19 Serum Samples tested, 17 showed high titre to Dengue antigen with 10 showing diagnostic titre. Five samples were positive for IgM antibodies to dengue virus. Larval surveys indicates high Breteau index (30.40%), House index (23.20%) and Container index (9.17%). The clinico-epidemiological and entomological investigation indicates present episode of fever outbreak is due to dengue fever. Strengthening and intensification of surveillance along with educating the community is recommended for prevention of outbreak.

Breeding habitats and larval indices of Aedes aegypti (L) in residential areas of Rajahmundry town, Andhra Pradesh.

Entomological studies on relative prevalence and distribution of adults and immatures of Aedes aegypti were conducted in Rajahmundry town of Andhra Pradesh from December 1998 to November 1999. Adults and immature stages of Aedes aegypti were found in all the 22 localities viz; posh area (8), mixed area (8) and slum area (6) of the town. Larval indices were found to be higher in slum areas as compared to mixed or posh areas of the town. However, the larval habitats were observed to be similar in all localities. The larval indices were highest during monsoon and post-monsoon months. The breeding preference ratio (BPR) was highest for cement tubs followed by discarded tyres and barrels. The high larval indices of Aedes aegypti in these areas warrant intensification of vector surveillance activities along with source reduction and health education.

Community studies on prevalence of HBsAg in two urban populations of southern India.

OBJECTIVE: To find out prevalence of HBsAg in general population, especially in under-five children. SETTING: Bangalore and Rajahmundry towns in southern India. METHODS: Localities were chosen as the sampling units in each town. About 10-20 households were randomly selected from each locality. Only the youngest but apparently healthy person present in the household was interviewed for age, sex and history of jaundice any time in life. Mothers were interviewed to collect data for children below 15 years of age. Blood samples were collected from these persons on filter paper strips (18-mm diameter disc, Whatman filter paper No. 3) by finger prick method. The samples were tested for HBsAg by Micro ELISA (Ortho-Clinical Diagnostics). RESULTS: Overall, 3.3% (95% CI, 2.0-4.5) of 737 persons in Rajahmundry and 4.2% (95% CI, 2.8-5.5) of 816 persons in Bangalore were found carriers of HBsAg. Age-specific or sex specific carrier rates were similar in Rajahmundry as well as in Bangalore. Most of the carriers (96%) denied having jaundice ever in life. CONCLUSIONS: The results from this community based study are in agreement with the historical data from hospital based studies that about 3-5% of persons may be carriers of HBsAg and that the pool of chronic carriers of hepatitis B virus in India is built up in childhood and is then maintained in older children and adults. The results highlight the need of completing hepatitis B immunization during the infancy.

Some aspects of the bionomics of Culex quinquefasciatus (Diptera: Culicidae) in Rajahmundry town, Andhra Pradesh.

From January 1991 to December 1992 the adult and immature populations of Culex quinquefasciatus were monitored in selected localities of Rajahmundry town. The larval density per dip ranged from 1.1 in September to 25.3 in October and the pupal density from 1.2 to 8.4 in October. Two high peaks of adult density in a year were observed during the study. Infective mosquitoes were recorded only in November 1991 and August 1992. Cx. quinquefasciatus landing on human bait was maximum between 2200 to 2400 hours and they preferred to land on body site followed by legs, hands and face in that order. The anthropophilic index was 79.5 per cent. Ratio of Female: Male mosquitoes was 5:1.

Acute respiratory infection in children--a survey in East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh.

A survey was carried out in East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh to determine the magnitude of the problem of Acute Respiratory Infection (ARI) in children below five years of age. ARI associated mortality rates were found to be 15 times higher in infants than in the 1-4 year age group. However, overall ARI associated mortality was only 2.01 per thousand with an estimated case fatality ratio of 0.4 per thousand. A reverse trend in morbidity was noted in which 2-week incidence of ARI was more in 1-4 years age group than in infants. There is a need to standardize diagnosis and treatment of ARI disease in the district in order to eliminate wasteful use of antibiotics.

Diarrhoeal diseases in children--a survey in east Godavari District of Andhra Pradesh.

A survey carried out in East Godavari District of Andhra Pradesh to determine the extent of diarrhoeal disease problem in children under five years of age revealed an incidence of 7.5 per cent. It was two times more frequent in infants than in the age group of 1-4 years. Mortality due to diarrhoea was 1.1 per thousand children which was two times more in infants than in the age group of 1-4 years. As high as 68.5 per cent of children were treated with antibiotics. There is a need to standardize management of diarrhoeal diseases in order to eliminate wasteful use of antibiotics.

Feasibility of controlling lymphatic filarial diseases through primary health care system.

A study was undertaken to explore the feasibility of treatment of clinical cases of filariasis by the Village Health Guides (VHG) and to assess the impact of different dose schedules by Diethylcarbamazine (DEC) on the frequency of acute attacks. It was observed that six days treatment with DEC at a dose of 500 mg daily was the most effective regimen in controlling recurrence of filarial attacks. The VHGs can serve the community in treating filarial cases with DEC.