Japanese Encephalitis (JE) is a mosquito borne disease with epidemic potential. There is no specific treatment available till date and apart from vector control, vaccination of individuals is considered as a safe and effective measure for prevention. Vaccination campaign among 1-15 years is being carried out with full vigour from 2015 onwards in West Bengal. This study was conducted to assess the knowledge of the care givers of 1-15 years old children about JE and its prevention and to find out the factors associated with vaccination status of the children. A cross sectional, community based study was conducted from May-June 2016 in a slum of Chetla, Kolkata, which is within the service area of Urban Health Unit and Training Centre (UHU&TC), Chetla of All India Institute of Hygiene and Public Health, Kolkata, where the campaign prior to the study was completed in March 2016. Care givers of 90 children of aged 1-15 years were interviewed with a pre-designed, pre-tested, structured schedule. Mean age of the surveyed children was 6.34 years (SD 3.76) and 88% of them were vaccinated during the campaign. 56.7% of the caregivers had poor knowledge about JE and 84.95% were sensitized about the campaign by relatives/friends followed by health workers (33.7%). Low socio-economic status and good knowledge of JE had significant association with vaccination of the child after adjusting with other factors (age and sex of the child, education and occupation of parents, type of family). Enhancement of knowledge and awareness about JE with appropriate health education programmes and special emphasis on sensitization campaigns for JE vaccination at both mass and individual level would prevent emergence of JE epidemics in future.​

OBJECTIVES: A clean India is the responsibility of all Indians. One of the objectives of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (Clean India Initiative) is to bring about behavioural changes regarding healthy sanitation practices. While large-scale programs in India have increased latrine coverage, they have to some extent failed to bring behavioural changes ensuring optimal latrine use, including the safe disposal of child faeces, which is a significant source of exposure to faecal pathogens. Hence, this study was done to explore child faeces disposal practices in rural West Bengal and to elicit the determinants of unhygienic faeces disposal. METHODS: Data collection was done using an interview method among the mothers of 502 under-5 children, following a pre-designed, semi-structured schedule during house-to-house visits in a set of villages in the Hooghly district of West Bengal. RESULTS: The prevalence of unsafe disposal of child faeces was 72.4%, and maternal education, per capita income, and water source were found to be significantly associated with unsafe child faeces disposal. CONCLUSIONS: This study draws attention to the unsafe disposal of child faeces in this area of India and raises questions about the efficiency of sanitation campaigns in rural India that focus on expanding coverage rather than emphasizing behavioural changes, which are crucial to ensure the safe disposal of child faeces. Thus, it is urgently necessary to strengthen efforts focusing on behavioural changes regarding the safe disposal of child faeces in order to minimise adverse health outcomes.
Appointments and Schedules ; Child* ; Data Collection ; Education ; Humans ; India* ; Methods ; Mothers ; Prevalence ; Rural Health ; Sanitation ; Toilet Facilities ; Water

Background: India is home to a large number of thalassemic children. Despite malnutrition being an essential determinant of their therapeutic goals and quality of life (QoL), it was hardly ever explored. With this background, this study aimed to estimate the proportion of β-thalassemia major (β-TM) children experiencing malnutrition, its attributes, and impact on their QoL. Methods: This cross-sectional, hospital-based, analytical observational study was conducted among 328 β-TM children attending the thalassemia day care unit of a medical college from May 2016 to April 2017, with a structured schedule. Data were analyzed following appropriate statistical methods using SPSS statistical package ver. 16.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). Results: Among the study participants, 48.2% were malnourished with a mean body mass index of 13.9 kg/m2 . In the multivariable logistic regression model, participants’ age (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 1.15; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.02–1.29), caste (AOR, 2.11; 95% CI, 1.23–3.60), mothers’ educational level (AOR, 2.05; 95% CI, 1.22– 3.44), blood transfusion frequency (AOR, 1.25; 95% CI, 1.16–1.31), and palpable spleen size (AOR, 1.22; 95% CI, 1.08–1.37) were significant predictors of malnutrition after adjusting for pre-transfusion hemoglobin level and hemolytic facies status. In multiple linear regression analysis, malnutrition negatively impacted total QoL (unstandardized beta [standard error], -4.4 [1.7]; P=0.009) and various domains of the study participants except the social and school domains adjusted for age, sex, caste, place of residence, parents’ educational level, and socioeconomic status. Conclusion Almost half of the study participants had malnutrition. Malnutrition had a negative impact on their QoL.

Background: India is home to a large number of thalassemic children. Despite malnutrition being an essential determinant of their therapeutic goals and quality of life (QoL), it was hardly ever explored. With this background, this study aimed to estimate the proportion of β-thalassemia major (β-TM) children experiencing malnutrition, its attributes, and impact on their QoL. Methods: This cross-sectional, hospital-based, analytical observational study was conducted among 328 β-TM children attending the thalassemia day care unit of a medical college from May 2016 to April 2017, with a structured schedule. Data were analyzed following appropriate statistical methods using SPSS statistical package ver. 16.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). Results: Among the study participants, 48.2% were malnourished with a mean body mass index of 13.9 kg/m2 . In the multivariable logistic regression model, participants’ age (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 1.15; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.02–1.29), caste (AOR, 2.11; 95% CI, 1.23–3.60), mothers’ educational level (AOR, 2.05; 95% CI, 1.22– 3.44), blood transfusion frequency (AOR, 1.25; 95% CI, 1.16–1.31), and palpable spleen size (AOR, 1.22; 95% CI, 1.08–1.37) were significant predictors of malnutrition after adjusting for pre-transfusion hemoglobin level and hemolytic facies status. In multiple linear regression analysis, malnutrition negatively impacted total QoL (unstandardized beta [standard error], -4.4 [1.7]; P=0.009) and various domains of the study participants except the social and school domains adjusted for age, sex, caste, place of residence, parents’ educational level, and socioeconomic status. Conclusion Almost half of the study participants had malnutrition. Malnutrition had a negative impact on their QoL.