Journal of Communicable Diseases

A case of bacteraemic pneumonia complicated with pleural empyema due to Haemophilus influenzae type b is reported in a one-year old previously healthy child who had apparently no other associated medical condition. The organism was isolated from both the pleural fluid aspirate and blood of the patient with pneumonia. She was successfully treated with parenteral ampicillin and chloramphenicol alongwith intercostal chest tube drainage. The case is notable because it adds to the existing disease spectrum of invasive Hib diseases and brings awareness to the existing burden of the disease in Asia...

We report a case of human fascioliasis adding to the few of the previously reported cases in India. A young boy from rural background in Bihar presented with diarrhea, vomiting, hepatic tenderness, jaundice and fever along with peripheral eosinophilia. Examination of stool revealed yellow-brown eggs of Fasciola hepatica. Human fascioliasis should be kept in mind in patients with cholangitis and eosinophilia especially in areas of sporadic occurrence.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

A cross sectional study was carried out to assess drug compliance after Mass Drug Administration of DEC and the factors responsible for poor compliance among the population of Murshidabad district of West Bengal during Jan 2009. Total study unit were 120 families covering 3 villages and one municipality ward area (30 families from each area). As a part of Revised Filaria control strategy, MDA programme was implemented in Murshidabad district from 29th-31st December 2008. Result revealed that total covered population were 601, out of which 571 were eligible population for Mass drug administration (6 Pregnant women and <2 years age groups (24) were excluded)...

Norms and guidelines are formed for safe disposal of hospital waste but question is whether these guidelines are being followed and if so, to what extent. Hence, this study was conducted with objective to study the knowledge and practices about hospital waste disposal and universal safety precautions in class IV employee and to study its relationship with education, occupation and training. A cross-sectional study was carried out in a teaching hospital in Mumbai using semi-structured questionnaire in which Class IV employee were included...

It has been repeatedly reported that lack of effective community participation in malaria control strategies has been partly responsible for high incidence of malaria in India. Active involvement of community in malaria control is a function of the awareness of that community. The present study was conceived with the objective to study the awareness and practices regarding malaria among fever cases clinically suspected of malaria and to assess the slide positivity rate among the same. Awareness and practices of 101 consecutive clinically suspected malaria cases (presenting with fever) attending medical OPD in Satyawadi Raja Harishchandra Hospital, Narela in North West district of Delhi regarding malaria were assessed using a 37 item pre-tested, semi-structured, semi-open ended, and Investigator administered questionnaire...

Antimicrobial resistance and hospital acquired infections have become an important public health issue. Data on pathogen and antibiotic resistance is important for physicians, microbiologists and infection control officials but limited information on antibiotic resistance prevents pathogen specific therapy and propels antibiotic misuse. A retrospective review of bacterial isolation and antimicrobial susceptibility profiles in the in- and outpatients of a Delhi hospital between January 2009-December 2009 was performed...

Lymphatic filariasis is a major public health problem of tropical countries. Although its elimination is planned as global effort using mass drug administration in affected communities but its impact has been influenced by MDA coverage across countries. The drug coverage is affected by fever as side effect and its continuation for over 6 years which affect the population participation. Therefore alternative approaches are needed which can show impact faster than standard MDA. Present research using additional 12 days dose of DEC to mf carriers, show that if drug coverage could be regular, sustainable impact could be created in 4 years...

This study was carried out in a Anti-Retroviral Therapy Clinic and TB center of a tertiary level hospital to find out socio-demographic correlates of HIV/TB individuals and risk factors of HIV/TB co-infection in Indian context. It is a case-control study comprising 420 subjects, 3 groups of 140 each. For a case group of HIV-TB co-infected subjects, two control groups, one comprising HIV patients (not having TB), and the other TB patients (not having HIV). Majority 267 (63.6%) males, 100 (71.4%) in case group (HIV/ TB), 74 (52...

Lymphoedema of extremities is a major clinical manifestation of lymphatic filariasis. Recurrent episodes of acute dermato-lymphangioadenitis (ADLA) in these patients lead to progression of the clinical condition. Studies have documented the effectiveness of regular limb hygiene in reduction in frequency and duration of ADLA. However, no data is available on the effectiveness of limb hygiene alone on reduction of lymphoedema volume and locomotor function of the affected extremities. A total of 93 consecutive patients visiting VCRC Filaria Clinic formed a cohort for the study...

Anopheles annularis is widely distributed mosquito species all over the country. An. annularis has been incriminated as a malaria vector in India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Indonesia, Malaysia and China. In India, it has been reported to play an important role in malaria transmission as a secondary vector in certain parts of Assam, West Bengal and U.P. In Odisha and some neighbouring countries such as Sri Lanka, Nepal and Myanmar it has been recognised as a primary vector of malaria. This is a species complex of two sibling species A and B but the role of these sibling species in malaria transmission is not clearly known...

Dengue was earlier a disease of children. But with increasing incidence in adults, dengue is increasingly encountered in infants and sometimes in neonates. The usual mode of transmission in neonates is vertical. We report a neonate with horizontal transmission of dengue. Dengue should be considered in the differential diagnosis of neonatal septicemia especially during dengue season even in the absence of maternal symptoms, to ensure proper case management.

Lymphatic filariasis (LF) is one of the major public health problems in some of the endemic districts in India including Surat city of Gujarat province. Historical data reveals that in 1960s, Surat city had infection rate of about 23% and infectivity rate of 1.6%. Since then, Surat city has been reporting the cases of Lymphoedema and hydrocele. Filaria Control Unit was established under National Filaria Control Programme to detect and provide treatment to the cases. Based on the reports of NFCP, Surat City has been considered as LF endemic...

An abnormal increase in the incidence of dengue was reported at Vellore Corporation since September 2012. Intensive control operations supported with health education campaigns were carried out from September to November 2012 till the outbreak situation subsided. During December 2012, a cross sectional survey was conducted at Vellore Corporation to assess the impact of the health education campaigns on the knowledge, attitude and practice in the community and also to assess future needs. A total of 101 families from four different locations at Vellore corporation were interviewed on pre-structured formats...

Silver is one of the heavy metals traditionally played major role in the human life. It is used in the form of ornaments or as containers to store or drink water and other consumable liquids. The study was designed to observe the effect of water storage in silver containers on enteric pathogens. Three sets of sterile silver, stainless steel and glass metal screw capped containers were filled with non-chlorinated sterilized well water. One each of the three sets was inoculated with enteric pathogens viz. Shigella dysenteriae, Vibrio cholerae O1 and Salmonella typhi cultures drawn from the laboratory stock and incubated at 37 degrees C for varying periods...

Awareness of the virulence of coagulase negative staphylococcus (CoNS), previously regarded as commensals with minimal pathogenicity has steadily increased. CoNS is one of the most important nosocomial pathogen in blood stream infections and in patients with intravenous catheters and implants. CoNS also acts as a reservoir of drug resistance genes for S.aureus. The present study was done to know the nasal carriage rate of CoNS and methicillin resistant CoNS (MRCoNS) in medical students, the effect of hospital environment and patient exposure on carriage rate in medical students and to know the sensitivity pattern of CoNS and MRCoNS to different drugs...

Neurocysticercosis (NC) spreads due to complex socio-cultural and economic conditions prevailing in our country. The up-scaling of the infection among pediatric age group in recent times is related to faulty food preparation and personal hygiene practices, which are amenable to simple preventable measures in daily life. Students are prime targets for educational intervention to change sanitary habits due to their impressionable minds. Further, changing the knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) of teachers regarding the disease leads to a multiplier effect as they pass on the message to many generations of students...

Monitoring antimicrobial resistance patterns meticulously and discussing them in multi-speciality forums can guide the usage of and help in judiciously utilising antibiotic resources. This study was done to compare the antimicrobial resistance trends observed over a period of two years at a tertiary care super-speciality hospital in Delhi. Microbiological data was collected for the years 2008 and 2009 and comparisons were made in the number of different isolates received, their antibiograms and changes in their resistance trends...

Acute gastroenteritis due to Vibrio cholerae and Enterotoxigenic E. coli is a common problem faced in the hot and humid summer months in north India. The study was undertaken to evaluate drinking water supplies for fecal coliforms, V. cholerae and Enterotoxigenic E. coli in urban, semiurban and rural areas in and around Chandigarh and correlate with occurrence of acute gastroenteritis occurring from the same region. Drinking water sample were collected from various sources from April to October 2004 from a defined area...