ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: To know the prevalence of leptospirosis cases reported in private clinics among fever cases in Villupuram District, Tamil Nadu, India to know its real magnitude of the problem and to diagnose Leptospirosis among fever cases from differential diagnosis. METHODS: 1502 Blood serum samples collected from three urban towns namely Kallakurichi (Latitude: 11° 73' N; Longitude: 78° 97' E), Villupuram (Latitude: 11° 75' N; Longitude: 79° 92' E) and Thindivanam (Latitude: 12° 25' N; Longitude: 79° 65' E) in fifteen clinics based on case definition of leptospirosis delineated by the National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP), Government of India. Samples were tested in the laboratory of the Zonal Entomological Team (ZET), Cuddalore with Macroscopic Slide Agglutination Test (MSAT) and Ig-M ELISA. RESULT: There were 65 positive cases detected from 1502 blood serum samples in both MSAT and Ig-M ELISA. It could be known that there was 4% cases contributed from private clinics among fever cases. From this study, further it was known that all age groups of people affected irrespective of sexes based on their living condition associated with the environment prevailed of the disease. CONCLUSION: From this study, it was quantified that 4% of cases reported in private clinics among fever cases and its findings ascertained both the importance of differential diagnosis as well as reports that should be included to the Government for knowing its real magnitude for planning.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: TO STUDY THE SIGNIFICANCE OF ENTOMOLOGICAL SURVEILLANCE, THE HOUSE INDEX (HI), CONTAINER INDEX (CI), AND BRETEAU INDEX (BI) WERE DETERMINED TO ESTIMATE THE DEGREE OF A MAJOR DENGUE OUTBREAK IN TIRUNELVELI, TAMIL NADU, INDIA (LATITUDE: 8°42'N; Longitude: 77°42'E) in May 2012. METHODS: The HI, CI, and BI were determined in a primary health center (PHC) in the village of Maruthamputhur (Pappakudi taluk, Tirunelveli) by carrying out an antilarval (AL) work that involved door-to-door search for immature stages of Aedes spp. mosquitoes by trained field workers and volunteers. The work of field workers was evaluated by a junior and senior entomologist the following day. RESULTS: Before the AL work, the reported numbers of fever cases from Week 1 to 5 in Maruthamputhur were 211, 394, 244, 222, and 144 with two deaths. By contrast, after the AL work, these numbers were considerably reduced and there was no fever-related death (the HI was reduced from 48.2% to 1.6%, the CI from 28.6% to 0.4%, and the BI from 48.2 to 1.6). CONCLUSION: Because no specific medicine and vaccines are available to treat dengue fever and dengue hemorrhagic fever, entomological surveillance and its significance can be used to halt the outbreak of dengue as shown in this study.
