Let There Be Light-Digital Eye Strain (DES) in Children as a Shadow Pandemic in the Era of COVID-19: A Mini Review.

Introduction: Digital eye strain, which is often ignored by the public, has emerged as a "Shadow Pandemic" in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic. Aim: The current paper is aimed at discussing the ill effect of digital screens on eyes in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methodology: A literature search was done using "PubMed," "Google scholar", and "Scopus" using key terms like "Digital Eye Strain," "Eyestrain," or "Computer Vision Syndrome." Relevant articles were identified and included to support the argument for this narrative review. Results: Studies conducted in the UK reported that 68% of children extensively use computers, while 54% undertake online activities after the age of 3. Similar studies estimated 4 h and 45 min per day of screen exposure time among adults in the UK. Indian studies reveal that the prevalence of DES is 69% in adults and 50% in children respectively. Indian ophthalmologists found that computer-using and specialized ophthalmologists were more informed of symptoms and diagnostic signs but were misinformed about treatment modalities. The use of social media and multitasking is particularly prominent among younger adults, with 87% of individuals aged 20-29 years reporting the use of two or more digital devices simultaneously. It has been observed that the use of computer glasses corrects refractive errors and helps in the reduction of symptoms, while precision spectral filters help in reducing symptoms of micro-fluctuation of accommodation. Conclusion: We concluded that DES is emerging globally as a "Shadow Pandemic" and it is high time to respond. Community ophthalmologists, public health authorities, and educational sectors especially should be involved to prevent this.

Dengue outbreak in the times of COVID-19 pandemic: Common myths associated with the dengue.

With the sharp rise in dengue cases across the state and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, it is crucial to pay attention to the common misbelieves among the population about dengue. It should be considered to actively spread awareness about the disease to bust the common myths associated with it. A few common myths include that it is a contagious disease, or it is a milder infection than COVID-19, so it's not taken more seriously, or that one cannot be coinfected with both dengue and COVID-19 at one time. We propose that accurate information about dengue can be spread through community education through televisions and social media to cater to the targeted audience. In addition to that, awareness campaigns in rural areas should be planned to help the masses understand the pathogenesis of the diseases and play a role in limiting the transmission.

The Rising Scourge of Mental Illness and Infodemic: An Outcome of Social Media and COVID-19.

COVID-19 was accompanied with the increasing broadcast of fake news, misinformation and excessive information via social media platforms. This phenomenon has been termed "infodemic", to describe an overwhelming amount of mostly fake, false or inaccurate information which spreads rapidly and impacts negatively on achieving a solution. It would therefore be desirable to use a cautious approach which utilizes culturally sensitive and country specific measures to deal with this occurrence. We aim to raise awareness, likewise draw the attention of global scientific community on this topic of public and mental health concern and it calls for further comments on this issue.

Sputum Testing as the New Mass Screening Method for COVID-19 Patients in India - A Public Health Perspective.

In December 2019, an unusual form of pneumonia of unknown origin was identified in Wuhan and soon expanded into an intercontinental pandemic that affected nations all over the world. The unusual pneumonia was subsequently named COVID-19. The management of COVID-19 disease has been highly dependent on the early identification of patients who are positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection. For detecting the SARS-CoV-2 virus in upper or lower respiratory tracts, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend strategic sampling approaches. Most countries collect nasopharyngeal swabs and oropharyngeal swabs for rapid viral testing by experienced healthcare workers. Due to the increase in single-day cases, the high cost of RT-PCR, and the requirement for greater coverage in order to detect COVID-19 infections, the screening method has been changed to the Rapid Antigen Test during this phase of the pandemic in India. Considering the limited sensitivity of the fast antigen test compared to the sputum test, and the benefit of having additional resources available from an already established TB network, policymakers should consider implementing COVID-19 with sputum testing. For India, which has 1.3 billion people and limited resources, contemplating a community level sample collection of COVID-19 samples will be an effective decision if scientific data is used for this purpose will be an effective choice for the country with more than 1.3 billion population and limited resources.

Lessons learnt from alcoholism and substance use disorders (SUDs) during the COVID-19 pandemic in India.

SUD is a widespread non-communicable disease (NCD) with biological, social, or psychological foundations which policymakers have given less attention during the COVID-19 pandemic. People with alcohol dependence went into withdrawal as a result of the lockdown and acute lack of alcohol availability, which led to black marketing and, in extreme cases, suicide. On the other hand, De-addiction services in India were not adequately equipped for the SUD pandemic, and as a result, most services could not cope with lockdown problems. To generate revenue and to get out of this Catch-22 situation, the Government opened liquor shops and sold alcohol while people purchased it as usual because of excess stress, lack of social contact, loneliness and boredom. We recommend that during COVID-19 pandemic, national, state, and local governments, as along with organisations such as Alcoholics Anonymous, develop and support networks to address the needs of patients with SUD.

COVID-19 and childhood obesity (CO-BESITY) in the era of new normal life: A need for a policy research.

BACKGROUND: In the era of new normal life after Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), our children are experiencing the double threat of COVID-19 and Childhood Obesity (CO-BESITY). The rate of childhood obesity has been rapidly increasing in developed as well as low middle-income countries during the pandemic. DESIGN AND METHODS: The current paper aims to identify the probable reasons of increase in childhood obesity during this pandemic and offers suggestions to reduce the burden of it. Literature search was done using PubMed, Google Scholar, and Scopus databases for the key terms "childhood obesity," "obesity," "pandemic," and/or childhood obesity. All the relevant articles were included to support the argument for this viewpoint. RESULTS: Childhood obesity is a complicated disorder having diverse outcomes. The incidence of childhood obesity is analysed from Bronfenbrenner's model of child development. The model examines an overabundance of bio-psycho-social backgrounds, risks, and probable outcomes on the development of a child. COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the ecosystem of this dynamic model and has created an economic and social-cultural crisis that has ignited a chain reaction of stressors upon children and their families. In this paper, we have described how this Bronfenbrenner's model of child development also known as the Bioecological Model can be effective for the estimation and prevention of childhood obesity. CONCLUSION: We propose that this Bioecological Model will help the children and their families further understand and manage the problem of childhood obesity during this pandemic on their own.

Role of vaccine science diplomacy in low-middle-income countries for eradicating the vaccine-preventable diseases: Targeting the "LAST MILE".

The meaning of "vaccine diplomacy (VD)" is defined as "the use of vaccines to increase a country's diplomatic relations and influence over other nations." The golden era of vaccine science diplomacy started during the time of Cold War between the United States (US) and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) with the development of a prototype of oral polio vaccine by the US Scientist Dr Albert Sabin working along with his Soviet counterparts. The foundation stone was already laid down by Edward Jenner when he shared his technique of the smallpox vaccine with other major countries to curb the spread of smallpox. Eventually, such a step led to the eradication of such a deadly disease. Only time has changed, not the tide. Even today, vaccines continue to remain as one of the important tools for achieving Millennium Developmental Goals (MDGs) and other targets in developing countries like India. During the wake of the Corona Virus Diseases-19 (COVID-19) pandemic, India's role in developing its vaccine science diplomacy has been a point of attraction. The phase-3 trial of Covaxin being developed by Bharat Biotech started in Lucknow and Gorakhpur in October 2020, and it is widely considered as the forerunner for the Indian vaccine market. As per the Union Health Ministry of India- "The Union Government is working on at least five distinct ways, ranging from free vaccines to guaranteed supply, in which it can help its immediate neighbours and countries in West Asia, Africa and even Latin America-officials familiar with the plan said on conditions of anonymity. The idea is to leverage the country's standing as the world's vaccine factory to merge diplomatic ties. Historically, it is observed that by the development and introduction of newer vaccines from time to time, many dismaying hurdles to vaccine science diplomacy (VSD) arise from ongoing wars and political instability. The current scenario is that both VSD and VD are at crossroads, and there is a possibility of getting a good direction if we make a piggyback policy approach of vaccine diplomacy along with the foreign policy. The lessons learned from the past must be followed now and, in the future, to make a better world for all. We acknowledge that the COVID-19 episode has again highlighted the dire need for VSD, and we assume that not only COVID-19 but in future, emerging and re-emerging diseases will occur so we have to prepare ourselves for combatting those future emerging and re-emerging diseases.

Imposing COVID-19 lockdown and reported dog bite cases: An experience from a tertiary antirabies center of North India.

The world was taken aback after the corona pandemic started from China and soon engulfed the whole of the world. Strict restrictions were in place since the beginning, and people were confined to their homes; only emergency services were allowed to work. The study's objectives were to see the effect of lockdown on the number of dog bite cases being reported to our antirabies clinic. The study was conducted in the antirabies clinic of the Department of Community Medicine, Government Medical College, Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir. This study involved a dog bite victim who approached the said clinic during the lockdown, which was implemented in the wake of COVID-19 from March 21, 2020 to June 03, 2020. We included all the dog bite victims living in the Srinagar city and from the adjoining districts who had been bitten by the street dog during the lockdown phase. Over 5 years, 4,670 (73.6%) dog bites among males were reported. The proportion of dog bites among males varies from 72% to 81% in the 5 years. It can be observed that a maximum of 783 (81.1%) dog bites were reported from males during the lockdown period in 2020. Moreover, 2,847 (44.9%) bites were category II dog bites, while 3,392 (55.1%) were category III dog bites. There were fewer dog bites reported at the first, fourth, seventh, eighth, and ninth weeks while there was a little surge in cases on the 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 6th, and 10th week. Lockdown had indirectly reduced the number of dog bite cases reported to the clinic during different lockdown phases than the previous year's data.

Knowledge, attitude, and practices related to COVID-19 pandemic among social media users in J&K, India.

BACKGROUND: A series of measures have been suggested to reduce Covid-19 infection, including knowledge training for prevention and control, isolation, disinfection, classified protections at different degrees in infection areas, and protection of confirmed cases. OBJECTIVES: We conducted this study with an aim to assess the knowledge, attitude and practice among the general population regarding COVID-19. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study carried out by the Department of Community Medicine, Government Medical College, Srinagar in the month of April 2020. The questionnaire had four segments to collect data regarding social-demographic details, knowledge regarding Covid-19, attitude and practice based questions. The questionnaire was shared via social media applications like face book and Whatsapp to reach the target population. Continuous variables were summarized as frequency and percentage. All the analysis was done using Microsoft Excel 2016. Among participants who responded, 1252 (82%) were in the age group of 18-40 years and 912 (60%) from urban areas. RESULTS: A total of 934 (61%) respondents had heard details on COVID-19 from the social media, 1358 (89%) knew all ways of coronavirus transmission, 602 (40%) felt that COVID-19 is a serious disease, 1184 (78%) responded that they totally agree with the lockdown decision, and 1296 (85%) responded that lockdown is helping in reducing the number of cases. The majority, i.e. 1318 (87%), followed advisories and reported washing hands with soap and water regularly, 1108 (73%) reported regularly wearing masks, 1344 (89%) reported following lockdown guidelines, and 1306 (87%) reported maintaining social distancing. The respondents exhibited good knowledge, positive attitude, and sensible practices regarding COVID-19. CONCLUSION: Our study showed that the respondents have exhibited good knowledge, positive attitude and sensible practices regarding covid-19 during the pandemic.