scholarly journals Breeding Sites of Synanthropic Mosquitoes in Zika-Affected Areas of the Dominican Republic

2021 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 10-19
Author(s):  
Pedro María Alarcón-Elbal ◽  
María Altagracia Rodríguez-Sosa ◽  
Carlos Ruiz-Matuk ◽  
Leandro Tapia ◽  
Cesar Alberto Arredondo Abreu ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Mosquito-borne diseases are a major public health concern in the Caribbean. Domestic water-storage containers are preferred breeding habitats for synanthropic mosquito species, among which Aedes aegypti stands out due to its role in arbovirus transmission. To determine the microenvironmental features associated with container-dwelling mosquitoes, a house-to-house cross-sectional entomological survey was carried out in 9 Dominican provinces affected by Zika virus in 2016. All containers with the potential to store water were sampled, all immature mosquitoes were collected, and information on the type, capacity, volume of stored water, building material, presence of flowers, and house location was documented. The specimens were identified and larval indices (House index [HI], Container index [CI], Breteau index [BI], and Ae. aegypti Breeding Percentage) were applied. A total of 665 dwellings were surveyed across 30 neighborhoods. A total of 1,420 water-filled container habitats were sampled, 19.3% of which harbored immature mosquitoes of 5 species, including 4 important vectors. The dominance of Ae. aegypti was marked, as it was present in all sampled neighborhoods, inhabiting 272 containers (19.1%). Larval indices were higher than the threshold values accepted (5% for the HI and BI, and 3% for the CI) in almost all neighborhoods. The presence of Aedes spp. was associated with the serviceability of water-holding containers (χ2 = 16.56522; P < 0.001), and the difference in volume between water-holding containers was associated with the presence of Aedes spp. infection (χ2 = 4; P < 0.001), the containers up to 5 liters being the most infested. This is the first entomological research based on synanthropic mosquito breeding habitats that cover urban areas of the 3 macro-regions of the Dominican Republic.

Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 2961
Author(s):  
Nafissatou Cisse Egbuonye ◽  
Ariun Ishdorj ◽  
E.L.J. McKyer ◽  
Rahma Mkuu

Malnutrition is a major public health concern in Niger. The stunting rate in children in Niger is over 50%, one of the highest in the world. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to examine children’s dietary diversity (CDD) and the maternal factors that impact CDD. A total of 1265 mother–child pairs were analyzed. Descriptive analysis was conducted to present maternal and child characteristics. To compare the mean scores of CDD in relation to the region, an independent sample t-test was conducted. A one-way ANOVA test was conducted to evaluate the CDD score by different age groups. A linear regression model was estimated to identify household, maternal and child factors that affect the CDD score. Our results indicate that most of the participants of our survey resided in rural areas and the majority (80.7%) of the mothers had no education. Factors such as region, children’s age, woman’s empowerment, vitamin A intake and wealth index were significant predictors of CDD (p < 0.05). The children residing in rural areas were more likely to have lower CDD scores (p < 0.05) than the children in urban areas, therefore becoming more susceptible to malnutrition.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. e0246085
Author(s):  
Muhammad Riaz ◽  
Ghazala Shah ◽  
Muhammad Asif ◽  
Asma Shah ◽  
Kaustubh Adhikari ◽  
...  

Background High blood pressure is an important public health concern and the leading risk factor for global mortality and morbidity. To assess the implications of this condition, we aimed to review the existing literature and study the factors that are significantly associated with hypertension in the Pakistani population. Methods We conducted several electronic searches in PubMed, ISI Web of Science, PsycINFO, EMBASE, Scopus, Elsevier, and manually searched the citations of published articles on hypertension from May 2019 to August 2019. We included all studies that examined factors associated with hypertension regardless of the study design. To assess the quality of the research, we used the Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale. We also conducted meta-analyses using the DerSimonian & Laird random-effects model to collate results from at least three studies. Results We included 30 cross-sectional and 7 case-control studies (99,391 participants country-wide) in this review and found 13 (35.1%) to be high-quality studies. We identified 5 socio-demographic, 3 lifestyle, 3 health-related, and 4 psychological variables that were significantly associated with hypertension. Adults aged between 30–60 years who were married, living in urban areas with high incomes, used tobacco, had a family history of hypertension, and had comorbidities (overweight, obesity, diabetes, anxiety, stress, and anger management issues) were positively associated with hypertension. On the other hand, individuals having high education levels, normal physical activity, and unrestricted salt in their diet were negatively associated with hypertension. Conclusion We found several socio-demographic, lifestyle, health-related, and psychological factors that were significantly (positively and negatively) associated with hypertension. Our findings may help physicians and public health workers to identify high-risk groups and recommend appropriate prevention strategies. Further research is warranted to investigate these factors rigorously and collate global evidence on the same.


Author(s):  
C. C. Nduka ◽  
H. N. Chineke ◽  
P. O. Adogu ◽  
A. F. Chizoba

Malaria, a disease of poverty, is of significant public health concern. It is endemic in Nigeria with the risk of transmission appearing to be high because of favorable climatic and environmental factors. Increased susceptibility to malaria has also been linked to dirty surroundings that favor the breeding and propagation of the vector, poor access to quality health care and ignorance especially of malaria prevention strategies. However, this study investigated the role of socioeconomic factors responsible for the observed difference in malaria prevalence between selected rural and urban areas of Anambra, Nigeria. A descriptive comparative cross-sectional study, data on demographic and socioeconomic variables were collected from 202 urban and rural respondents, then analyzed using SPSS platform to generate chi-square test of significance. The results were presented in figures, table and charts for clarity. All the subjects were aware of the term malaria but only 63.4% had adequate specific knowledge of malaria. Generally, 25.7% of rural participants had no formal education while the urban group had only 4% of that particular category. About 52.5% of rural participants earned below 50,000 naira monthly, with 14.9% earning above 100,000 naira while the reverse was the case in the urban area. Also, the number of malaria episodes was inversely proportional to the household monthly income (X2=24.30, p<0.001). More episodes of malaria were also reported among the unskilled workers and skilled workers (71.3%) compared to Professionals (28.7%), yet all the participants reported the presence of a healthcare facility <3km from their houses with 95% and 80.2% of them in the rural and urban areas respectively having to pay out-of-pocket for healthcare services. It is clear that socioeconomic factors play a role in the persistence of malaria as an endemic disease in Nigeria. Therefore, existing control measures should incorporate strategies to end poverty and ignorance especially among the rural populace.


2021 ◽  
Vol 66 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Marzà-Florensa ◽  
Daniel Boateng ◽  
Charles Agyemang ◽  
Erik Beune ◽  
Karlijn A. C. Meeks ◽  
...  

Objectives: Multimorbidity is a growing public health concern due to the increasing burden of non-communicable diseases, yet information about multimorbidity in low- and middle-income countries and migrant populations is scarce. We aimed to investigate the distribution and patterns of multimorbidity in rural and urban areas in Ghana and Ghanaian migrants in Europe.Methods: The RODAM cross-sectional study included 4,833 participants. Multimorbidity was defined as presence of multiple non-communicable chronic conditions. Patterns were determined from frequent combination of conditions. Prevalence ratios were estimated by logistic regression.Results: Prevalence of multimorbidity was higher in women and in urban Ghana and Europe. We observed a cardiometabolic pattern in all sites as well as circulatory-musculoskeletal and metabolic-musculoskeletal combinations in Ghana. Multimorbidity prevalence ratios were higher in Europe (men 1.47, 95% CI 1.34–1.59, women 1.18, 1.10–1.26) and urban Ghana (men 1.46, 1.31–1.59, women 1.27, 1.19–1.34).Conclusion: Distribution and patterns of multimorbidity differed by sex and site. With a higher burden of multimorbidity in urban areas, prevention strategies should focus on forestalling its increase in rapidly growing rural areas.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jones Asafo Akowuah ◽  
Ebenezer Owusu-Addo ◽  
Ama Opuni Antwiwaa

Abstract Background Anaemia during pregnancy is a major public health concern. Despite its wide scope and adverse effects including increased maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality, and long-term adverse effects in the new born, extensive interventions using upstream approaches to public health have largely not been implemented. This study investigated the prevalence and associated factors of anaemia in pregnant women in four health facilities in the Kwabre East Municipality of Ghana.Method A cross-sectional survey with a two-stage sampling technique was conducted on 220 pregnant women who attended antenatal care at the selected health facilities. Interview-based structured questionnaires were used. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression were used to identify predictors.Results The prevalence of anaemia was 11.4%. Few women (25) were anaemic and morphologically, 14 had normocytic normochromic (56%) anemia and 9 had Microcytic hypochromic (36) anaemia. Iron deficiency was reported in 19 (8.6%) pregnant women. Iron sulphate intake (AOR [95% CI] = 3.16 [1.15, 7.37], ANC follow-up during pregnancy (AOR [95% CI] = 3.07 [1.59, 7.99], household size of ≥ 5 (AOR [95% CI] = 3.58 [1.75, 9.52], folic acid intake (AOR [95% CI] = 5.29 [2.65, 12.39] and the period in pregnancy AOR [95% CI]= ≥36 weeks 3.2 (1.3–4.5) were independent predictors of anemia.Conclusion Though anaemia prevalence has been low in urban areas as previously reported, collaborated healthcare measures that aim at eradicating the menace are encouraged. Maternal health care interventions including the administration of folic acid, regular iron sulphate intake and intensive education on early ANC are recommended.


2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (Supplement_B) ◽  
pp. B24-B26
Author(s):  
Corine Houehanou ◽  
Léopold Codjo ◽  
Philippe Adjagba ◽  
Arnaud Sonou ◽  
Hugues Dohou ◽  
...  

Abstract Hypertension constitutes a major health concern worldwide and particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa. May Measurement Month (MMM) is a global initiative of the International Society of Hypertension for raising awareness of high blood pressure (BP). This work aims to determine the prevalence, awareness and levels of treatment and control of hypertension among adults participating in the MMM Campaign in Benin in 2019 (MMM19). A cross-sectional survey including volunteers aged ≥18 years was carried out in June 2019 in 13 rural and urban areas in Benin. BP measurement followed the MMM19 protocol. Hypertension was defined as a systolic BP ≥140 mmHg, or a diastolic BP ≥90 mmHg (based on the mean of the second and third readings) or taking antihypertensive medication. A total of 3637 people were screened with a female predominance (61.4%) and a mean age of 44.4 ± 16.1 years. A total of 1363 (37.5%) participants had hypertension. Of 1363 participants with hypertension: 64.5% were aware of their status and 43.9% were taking antihypertensive medication. Among 598 participants taking anti-hypertensive medication, 34.9% had controlled BP (systolic BP &lt;140 mmHg and diastolic BP &lt;90 mmHg). The results suggest a high prevalence of hypertension in Benin and that intensifying actions for its primary prevention, early detection and effective management should be encouraged.


Author(s):  
Sabishruthi S. ◽  
Vedha Pal Jeyamani ◽  
Kavitha S. ◽  
Ponsegaran S. ◽  
Magesh M.

Dengue is one of the common mosquito-borne arbovirus infections, especially in India. Dengue virus is a single strand RNA virus, which composed of four serotypes and these serotypes, belongs to the flavivirus genus. Dengue viruses are normally transmitted through the bites of aedes mosquito species. Dengue is the most frequent cause of fever which is caused with thrombocytopenia. Dengue is probably a fatal ailment that is widely spread through the tropical and subtropical regions of the world affecting urban and semi-urban areas. It also becomes a dominant health concern globally in recent decades. The most serious complications of this infection are dengue haemorrhagic fever and dengue shock syndrome. 18 y old male patient was admitted to the general ward in thiruvallur government hospital with chief complaints of fever, vomiting and dehydration, cough with expectorant for a period of 3 d. The patient was diagnosed with dengue fever followed by thrombocytopenia and advised for proper rehydration therapy. The patient was initiated with prophylactic therapy and Oral Rehydration Solution. He was also treated by focusing points based on patient counselling to recover the current condition. The patient was counseled accordingly as regular sit-ups, with points focusing on disease condition and therapy prescribed. The current case was aimed to target on the counselling points for dengue, which made a better improvement in the patient with severe dengue fever with thrombocytopenia and this could be a measure as community awareness outlook to spread alertness which can avoid the outbreak of Dengue. 


1971 ◽  
Vol 61 (2) ◽  
pp. 299-307 ◽  
Author(s):  
Canute P. M. Khamala

Six natural terrestrial mosquito breeding habitats were recognised in the Kano Plains of Kenya by their condition, i.e. temporary or permanent, presence or absence of emergent plants, and by the chemical and physical characteristics of their water. Between September 1968 and March 1970, 13 mosquito species were found breeding in these habitats. Most species were restricted to a few habitats; only four showed a wide occurrence, being found in at least four. Anopheles gambiae Giles and Culex annulioris Theo. exploited all six habitats, suggesting that the characteristics studied were probably not critical to their selection of a breeding site. Mansonia and Coquillettidia spp. were restricted to habitats with some plants, indicating their dependence on such vegetation for respiration and protection. The indiscriminate selection of breeding sites by disease vectors, e.g. A. gambiae, A. pharoensis Theo. and Culex pipiens fatigans Wied., is worth noting in irrigation schemes.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1954-1959
Author(s):  
Budi Mulyaningsih ◽  
Sitti Rahmah Umniyati ◽  
Suwarno Hadisusanto ◽  
Erwin Edyansyah

Background and Aim: Brugia malayi is known to be zoonotically important because it can be transmitted from animals (mammals and primates) to humans or from humans to humans through mosquito vectors. This study was conducted to explore the fauna associated with Malayan filariasis transmission in Sedang village, Suak Tapeh District, Banyuasin Regency, South Sumatra Province, Indonesia. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional research design with an observational and analytical approach was applied in this study, and it was conducted in May 2018. Mosquitoes were collected twice using human bait both inside and outside the house from 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. The presence of competitors, predators, and reservoir hosts in the areas of five breeding habitats of Mansonia spp. was observed. The presence of microfilaria was confirmed under a microscope in night blood samples of inhabitants and cats. The presence of infective larvae (L3) of B. malayi was identified microscopically and based on the polymerase chain reaction method in female Mansonia mosquitoes. Results: A total of 12 mosquito species were found, among which Mansonia uniformis was the dominant mosquito, and the predominant competitor was Mansonia annulifera. Dragonflies, as predators were found in two breeding habitats and fish were found in one breeding habitat. The L3 of B. malayi were not identified in the mosquitoes, and the microfilariae of B. malayi were not found in the blood samples of inhabitants and cats. Conclusion: Although Mansonia mosquito population was abundant in Banyuasin Regency, the mosquito was not confirmed as an intermediate host of B. malayi, and the cat was not confirmed as a reservoir of B. malayi in the location.


Author(s):  
Novyan Lusiyana

Aedes aegypti is a vector of many arboviruses. Information of the breeding site of this vector is important for preventing many diseases and for design intervention programs. This study was to determine the breeding place of Ae. aegypti, type of water-holding container and susceptibility for organophosphate insecticide in Banguntapan village. Design of this research was cross-sectional study that located in Banguntapan village from November 2016 until January 2017 on 400 houses.  All water holding container that present in and around houses were inspected for the presence of Ae. aegypti with single larvae method. Susceptibility test using bioassay and biochemist test was applied on F1 generation larvae. Risk indicator of the entomological survey was the free larvae index (FLI), house index, container index and breteau index. A total 696 container were inspected, of which 149 containers were positive Ae. aegypti, with FLI 73%, HI 27%, BI of 33%, CI 18.14% and PI of 17.5%. The most common breeding habitats for larvae were bathtub, bucket, plant’s pot, birds drinking pot. Susceptibility status to temephos was susceptible, whiles for organophosphate insecticide was medium resistance. Banguntapan village was a high potential for arbovirus transmission and bathtub is the most potential breeding place for Ae. aegypti mosquitoes.  


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