Knowledge and Preventive Practices related to Avian Influenza among Poultry Workers of Kamalamai Municipality, Sindhuli, Nepal.

BACKGROUND: Avian influenza (AI) is currently a threat to global health. Prevention and control of AI depends on the knowledge and preventive practices of the poultry workers as well as of general population. This study aims to assess knowledge and preventive practices related to AI among poultry workers. METHODS: Cross-sectional study was carried out among poultry workers of Kamalamai Municipality, Sindhuli. Data was collected from randomly selected 122 respondents through face-to-face interview. The collected data was entered in Epi-data version 3.1 and analyzed in terms of descriptive statistics (proportion, 95% CI, mean and standard deviation) by using SPSS, version 20. A scoring system was used to assess knowledge and preventive practices. RESULTS: Out of total, 93.4% (95% CI, 87.6- 96.6%) of the respondents had heard about AI. More than half (54.9%) of the respondents had poor knowledge on AI. Only 5.3% of respondents had good preventive practice against AI. 30.3% respondents had good knowledge and good practice and 24.6% had poor knowledge as well as poor practice. 20.5% of the respondents had good practice but poor knowledge, whereas, 24.6% had good knowledge but poor practice towards prevention. CONCLUSIONS: The knowledge and practice of AI among poultry workers were low. The groups should be targeted for appropriate intervention based on whether they lack knowledge or practice or both.

First national tuberculin survey in Nepal.

SETTING: The size of the tuberculosis (TB) problem in Nepal is unknown, as no national tuberculin or TB prevalence survey has yet been performed. OBJECTIVE: To assess the prevalence of TB infection and the annual risk of TB infection (ARTI) in primary schoolchildren in the three ecological zones (mountains, hills and terai) and Kathmandu valley. DESIGN: A representative sample of primary schoolchildren were tuberculin skin tested using the Mantoux method. The data were analysed using cut-off levels to define infection and by the mirror method. RESULTS: Of 19577 children registered, 17260 (88.2%) were available for analysis. Seventy-eight per cent had a visible bacille Calmette-Guérin scar. The best estimate of the prevalence of TB infection was 7.0% (95%CI 4.2-9.7), with an ARTI of 0.86% (95%CI 0.49-1.23) using the mirror method, with a mode at 16 mm. Although the ARTI was higher in Kathmandu and the mountains compared to the hills and terai, the difference between the areas was not significant. CONCLUSION: The ARTI in Nepal is lower than previous estimates, indicating a decrease in transmission or overestimation of previous estimates. To obtain information about the trend of the ARTI in Nepal, the survey needs to be repeated in 5 to 7 years.

Rates of hepatitis E virus infection and disease among adolescents and adults in Kathmandu, Nepal.

To determine hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection and disease rates in the Kathmandu Valley of Nepal, serum was collected from 757 healthy Nepalese (ages 12-48 years) during March and September 1992 and September 1993. At each visit, reports of interval illness were obtained. Sera were examined for IgG to HEV, using a commercially available kit. Seroconversion was used as a marker for HEV infection, and an episode of hepatitis E was defined as a history of jaundice with seroconversion. Seroprevalence ranged from 16% to 31% and increased with age, whereas both infection and disease rates decreased with age. Infection and disease rates were as high as 99/1000 and 45/1000 person-years, respectively. These results highlight the importance of sporadic hepatitis E as a public health problem among adolescents and young adults in this region.

The glutaraldehyde test as a rapid screening method for pulmonary tuberculosis: a preliminary report.

When equal parts of EDTA-blood and 2.5% glutaraldehyde solution were mixed, a shorter gelification time was observed in blood from patients with pulmonary tuberculosis--diagnosed by clinical and X-ray examination--than in blood from patients with other respiratory diseases or with non-respiratory diseases, or from healthy volunteers. Of a total of 539 persons tested, 267 had pulmonary tuberculosis as judged by clinical and X-ray examination and 238 of these reacted positively to the glutaraldehyde test with a gelification time of less than 10 minutes. When clinical examination and X-ray evaluation are used as bases for the diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis, the glutaraldehyde test gives a sensitivity of 89% and a specificity of 95%. It is suggested that this simple and cheap method, together with clinical examination, might be a useful screening tool for identifying cases of pulmonary tuberculosis in peripheral health posts in developing countries where X-ray and other facilities are lacking.