Awareness and practices regarding crimean-congo haemorrhagic fever among animal handlers in peri-urban karachi and rural areas of Sindh

Objective: To assess the awareness and practices among animal handlers regarding Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever and compare the awareness and practices among different groups of animal handlers in Sindh, Pakistan

Methods: Cross-sectional study conducted among 150 animal handlers with the response rate of 93%, including sellers, butchers, transporters, caretakers and veterinary doctors in peri-urban Karachi and rural areas of Sindh. Quota sampling technique was adopted to select the study population. The duration of the study was three months from August 2016 to October 2016; this period includes selling of animals of sacrifice for Eid-ul-Azha in temporary established markets. Data was entered into Epidata 3.1 and analysed using SPSS version 23

Results: A total of 150 participants enrolled in the study. The mean age of the study participants was 35 +/- 7.5 years. Among the subjects, 48% were uneducated. Overall, 52% of the participants were aware about the Crimean-Congo fever. The hygiene practice among animal handlers was found to be washing; 40.7%, bathing; 27.3% and tick removal; 11.3%. The awareness of Crimean-Congo fever among animal caretakers was 50%, animal sellers; 43.3%, transporters; 36.7% and butchers; 30% [p<0.001]

Conclusion: The awareness among animal handlers was on the lower side among animal sellers, transporters, butchers and animal care taker and there is a need to improve the awareness level among these groups regarding practices, hygiene of the animal as well as handling procedures

Epidemiology, determinants and dynamics of cholera in Pakistan: gaps and prospects for future research

Cholera is one of the notifiable endemic diseases in Pakistan, but the reporting of cholera cases is still unsatisfactory. Most of the diagnosed cases are never reported to the relevant authorities. In the year 1993 - 2005, the country did not report any single case of cholera to the WHO. The objectives of this review were to understand the epidemiology and to identify the possible determinants of cholera infection in Pakistan. Medscape, Medline, PakMedinet and PubMed, was searched, using key words, epidemiology and determinants of cholera infection in Pakistan during 1995 - 2010. Morbidity and mortality due to cholera infection during 1995 - 2010, without any language restriction. Out of 27 articles published between 1995 - 2010, 17 articles were included in the review. Vibrio cholerae O139 identified as a major cause of infection in older age group, while O1 biotype of cholera as a predominant cause of cholera among young individuals. Mainly reported determinants of cholera in Pakistan include poor sanitation and hygiene practices, increased population density in urban areas, leading to rapid and unplanned urbanization of the major cities and climate change due to increased environmental pollution in Pakistan are plausible factors for endemicity of cholera in Pakistan. Cholera reporting as a notifiable disease to the relevant departments and timely action can prevent the risk of outbreaks. There is a need to identify specific behavioral and environmental determinants responsible for outbreaks and epidemics of cholera in Pakistan which can help to design appropriate preventive and control interventions

An overview of the predictors of depression among adult pakistani women

Diseases of women that are due to their gender specific roles and responsibilities result from cultural and social factors prevalent in the environs. World Health Organization has put special emphasis on research need regarding gender related factors for diseases disproportionately affecting women in developing countries. The objective of this write up was to determine the prevalence of depression and the associated risk factors among adult women in Pakistan. PubMed was searched using key words depression, risk factors, women and Pakistan. Out of 20 initially retrieved articles, 12 were directly related to depression and its risk factors among Pakistani women within Pakistani geographical context. Women in Pakistan are vulnerable to poor mental health due to marriage related issues, domestic violence, verbal or physical abuse by in-laws, stressful life and poor social conditions. Women in their perinatal period are more at risk of depression due to pregnancy related concerns