Mental health consequences of infections by coronaviruses including severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

BACKGROUND: Anxiety and stress like mental illnesses are the common outcomes of viral epidemics and pandemics. Novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was first reported in Wuhan, China, and then spread all over the world in a short time. OBJECTIVES: To highlight and discuss the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on mental or psychological health. METHOD: Literature search and collection of the information were performed using PubMed, the reports from the World health organization, and the Center for disease control and prevention. RESULTS: COVID-19 infection has already been declared as a global pandemic, which in association with infodemic has increased the risk of psychiatric/psychological disorders. A large population of the world is prone to develop anxiety, depressive disorders, and other mental abnormalities. Therefore, timely psychological interventions and preventive strategies are required. Moreover, the infection has been reported to be linked with cerebrovascular conditions; therefore, patients with underlying cerebrovascular diseases should be given attention. CONCLUSION: COVID-19-mediated mental health complications and cerebrovascular conditions may cause a huge burden on healthcare communities in the future. Therefore, timely intervention and the development or application of preventive strategies are required to decrease the risk of neurological consequences.

Prevalence and future prospects of HIV in Pakistan

In Pakistan, 1.5 million people are living with HIV and only 8% of them are receiving antiretroviral therapy. Moreover, the number of newly reported cases of HIV have increased to 30% and it has caused 78% deaths of the HIV infected patients since 2010. More than eight outbreaks have been reported in different area of Pakistan in past two decades, Gujrat-a city of Punjab is one of them. Recently, a medical practitioner in the civil hospital of Gujrat referred 905 cases which were suspected on the basis of symptoms-rapid weight loss, extreme tiredness, prolonged swelling of lymph glands, mouth sores. HIV-ELISA test was performed for suspected cases and 17.5% cases were reported HIV positive. Female percentage (58%) was higher as compared to the male (42%) with HIV positive cases. Study participants were categorized into different age groups and the HIV was highly prevalent in the individuals with 30-39 years of age (38%), 23% in age group III with (20-29 years). However, 4% cases were less than 10 years of age. Overall, 17% HIV positive cases in a small town of Gujrat are an eye opener to the incidence and prevalence of HIV. Stringent actions are required in collaboration with federal and provincial agencies to control the HIV spread.

A Retrospective Analysis on the Cystic Echinococcosis Cases Occured in Northeastern Punjab Province, Pakistan

A retrospective study was performed to report the case occurrence of cystic echinococcosis (CE) in three hospitals of north-eastern region in Punjab Province, Pakistan. We reviewed retrospectively the clinical records of patients in 4 hospitals which were diagnosed with CE during 2012–2017. A total of 198 cases, 82 (41.4%) male and 116 (58.6%) females were detected as CE. The most Highest incidence was revealed in.... 21–30 years-old group (24.2%) followed by 41–50 (22.7%), 31–40 (16.2%), 11–20 (13.6%), 51–60 (8.1%), below 10 (5.5%), over 71 (5.1%) and 61–70 year-old group (4.5%). CE was detected in various organs of infected individuals. However, most of CE cases were detected in the liver (47.4%) and lung (18.6%). The present study indicated that CE is more or less prevalent in surveyed areas and one of the most important public health problems in Punjab Province, Pakistan.

Epidemiology of polio virus infection in Pakistan and possible risk factors for its transmission

End Polio Pakistan program still has to overcome many hurdles; unfortunately on 8th February 2016 first polio case of the year has surfaced in Karachi. It seems that battle against polio demands little bit more conviction and motivation. WHO has set a goal of polio eradication in Pakistan till 2018, in order to evaluate the success of this target; polio eradication campaign in Pakistan has been analyzed in different perspectives. Our analysis indicated that major obstacles in eradication are low literacy rate, poor health infrastructure, lack of planning, natural disaster, economic crisis, counter insurgencies and almost no protection for polio health workers. WHO has allocated new funds to tackle this problem, now there is a need to spend this money more effectively; with proper planning and honest deployment of funds.

Epidemiology of polio virus infection in Pakistan and possible risk factors for its transmission

End Polio Pakistan program still has to overcome many hurdles; unfortunately on 8th February 2016 first polio case of the year has surfaced in Karachi. It seems that battle against polio demands little bit more conviction and motivation. WHO has set a goal of polio eradication in Pakistan till 2018, in order to evaluate the success of this target; polio eradication campaign in Pakistan has been analyzed in different perspectives. Our analysis indicated that major obstacles in eradication are low literacy rate, poor health infrastructure, lack of planning, natural disaster, economic crisis, counter insurgencies and almost no protection for polio health workers. WHO has allocated new funds to tackle this problem, now there is a need to spend this money more effectively; with proper planning and honest deployment of funds.

Seroprevalence and Spatial Distribution of Toxoplasmosis in Sheep and Goats in North-Eastern Region of Pakistan

Toxoplasmosis is a protozoan disease that is caused by Toxoplasma gondii in livestock and humans. Due to its medical and veterinary importance, it is essential to study the seroprevalence of T. gondii infection among humans and animals in various parts of the world. The major objective of this study was to determine the seroprevalence and spatial distribution of toxoplasmosis in small ruminants (sheep and goats) of north-eastern region, Pakistan. A total of 1,000 animals comprising of sheep (n=470) and goats (n=530) were examined for T. gondii infection by using ELISA. An epidemiological data was collected in the form of questionnaire. A surface has been generated by using method of interpolation in Arc GIS with the help of IDW (inverse distance weight). The results showed higher seroprevalence of T. gondii in goats (42.8%) as compared to sheep (26.2%). The seroprevalence was higher in females as compared to males in all examined ruminants. Similarly, there is a wide variation in the seroprevalence of T. gondii in different breeds of sheep and goats showing higher seroprevalence in Teddy (52.8%) and Damani breed (34.5%) of goat and sheep's, respectively. The geographical and spatial distribution of T. gondii shows that it is widely distributed in different parts of the north-eastern region of Pakistan. Our results suggest widespread environmental contamination with T. gondii oocysts. It suggests us that small ruminants could be a potentially important source of T. gondii infection if their infected meat is consumed undercooked.