Pakistan Journal of Public Health最新文献

{"title":"Intra-Familial Spread of HBV among HbsAg Positive Parents and their Children in a Defined Rural Community of District Peshawar, Pakistan","authors":"A. Khan, Israr Ahmad, Obaidullah, Zahoor Ahmad, Ambreen","doi":"10.32413/pjph.v13i1.737","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.32413/pjph.v13i1.737","url":null,"abstract":"Background: HBV horizontal and vertical transmission rate vary among population in different social communities. To know the leading cause of HBV transmission among a community would ease the planning and strategies to minimize the spread.  The objectives were to determine the frequency of different mode of intra-familial spread of Hepatitis B among the infected index identified families of rural community of Peshawar.\u0000Methods: This was 18 months descriptive cross-sectional study conducted among married couples of a defined rural community of district Peshawar. After taking informed consent from 797 couples of rural community, 3 to 5 ml blood sample was collected from each respondents for HbsAg screening along with the required data collected using predesigned questionnaire using convenient sampling techniques. HbsAg positive cases were considered as HBV index. Index case of both Hbs Ag positive parents were decided based on past history, previous exposure, past diagnosis and treatment record. The spouses and children of index cases were screened for serological determinants like HbsAg, HbeAg and ALT. Data was gathered and analyzed using SPSS version 16.0.\u0000Results: A total of 797 couples (1593 parents) were selected with proportion of household from ten different blocks of village Budhni. The prevalence of HBV infection among parents was found 1.5%. Nineteen HBV index families were detected among 797 parents screened for HbsAg. Spouse transmission rate of HBV were found 26.3% on average Transmission of HBV infection rate from index mother to children was 11.8%. About 10.5% index females were HbeAg positive.\u0000Conclusion: HBV transmission was high among the spouses followed by vertical transmission in a rural community of district Peshawar.","PeriodicalId":256876,"journal":{"name":"Pakistan Journal of Public Health","volume":"331 4","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-06-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"132339385","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Awareness Regarding Cross-Contamination Control among Post-Graduate Residents","authors":"J. Afzal, Ruqqia Jehan, Farheen Malik, M. Shoaib, Dil Rasheed, M. Jamil, Mustafa Sajjid","doi":"10.32413/pjph.v13i1.1111","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.32413/pjph.v13i1.1111","url":null,"abstract":"Background: Cross-infection during clinical training can occur when an infectious pathogen is transmitted between a medical staff and a patient in the clinical setting. Dental professionals, including dental/oral hygienists, doctors and P. A’s, are always at high risk of getting HIV and / or hepatitis B. Cross-infection is well-defined as “spread/transfer of infection amongst staff and patients in clinic or hospital setting”.\u0000Methods: Questionnaire based Cross-sectional study was done on post-graduate residents of the Multan dental college Multan. 58 post-graduate residents took part in our research. Universal sampling was done for collection of data. Partakers signed an informed consent.\u0000Results: Fifty-eight postgraduate residents completed the form. Males were eighteen while ladies were forty.79% participants believe that dental setups/hospitals are more liable to contamination compared to other healthcare areas. All PGR’s believe that vaccination against the hepatitis B virus is obligatory for a dental professional and they maintain additional precautions generally whenever dealing AIDS & hepatitis B, C patients. 93% residents wash their hands regularly after treating each & every patient and indicated that use of PPE plays an important role in preventing cross-contamination. 96.5% of subjects were conscious whenever handling sharp instruments. Majority of these PGR’s use facemask & gloves nevertheless Protective eyewear, aprons & head-caps were not used by most of them.\u0000Conclusion: Participants showed satisfactory awareness about cross-contamination control. Knowledge gained must also be transferred to their daily practice. Dental institutes should also focus on establishing policies to control cross-contamination at the institutional level.","PeriodicalId":256876,"journal":{"name":"Pakistan Journal of Public Health","volume":"2011 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-06-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"116908976","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Appropriateness of Covid-19 vaccine and misconceptions among Pakistani population: a web-based national survey","authors":"M. Panhwar, P. Memon, Sadaf Shamshad, Zulalikhan Baloch, Wajiha Anzar, Qasier Ali Baig","doi":"10.32413/pjph.v12i4.1049","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.32413/pjph.v12i4.1049","url":null,"abstract":"Background: Uncertainty about any kind of medication will be a potential threat. Hesitancy regarding vaccination is a danger to overall global public health. Since it’s the first-time global efforts were made to develop a vaccine against the pandemic of COVID-19. So, this is unknown its acceptance in the community. Getting information regarding the key determinants that influence and potential myths about the vaccine might help full to develop strategies that can help improve the vaccination programs globally. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of the acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine, its determinants, and myths about the vaccine among people in Pakistan.\u0000Methods: A descriptive web-based based study was done, using snowball sampling, bilingual, and a self-administered close-ended questionnaire was sent to participants through google forms on social media platforms and email.\u0000Results: A total of 463 participants from all over Pakistan showed the minimum level of secondary education. The occupational status of the participants showed that (45.1%) were currently employed. Vaccination and their perception can be influenced by educational/socioeconomic statuses, participants were also asked about factors they considered to be the most influential in terms of encouraging and discouraging. Fear of getting an infection was the most encouraging factor (39.1%) for people to get vaccinated, whereas adverse effects via social and digital media were the most demotivating factor (36.5%).  Participants were asked the reasons for their reluctance; most were afraid of an allergic reaction to the vaccine. The various myths and misconceptions associated with the Covid vaccine showed by logistic regression analysis for factors that were potentially associated with the intake of covid vaccination.\u0000Conclusion: Addressing educational/sociodemographic factors relating to the COVID-19 vaccination might help encourage the uptake of the vaccination program globally which also tackles future pandemics.","PeriodicalId":256876,"journal":{"name":"Pakistan Journal of Public Health","volume":"27 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-12-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"114631568","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Morbidity and Mortality in Patients Presenting with Septic Miscarriage at a Tertiary Care Hospital","authors":"S. Ashraf, Arooj Fatimah Khosa, J. Malik","doi":"10.32413/pjph.v12i4.1016","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.32413/pjph.v12i4.1016","url":null,"abstract":"Background: The study aimed to determine the frequency of maternal morbidity in terms of uterine perforation, peritonitis, and mortality in women presenting with septic miscarriage.\u0000Methods: This Descriptive cross-sectional was conducted at the Obstetrics & Gynaecology department of Nishtar Hospital, Multan-Pakistan, from 1st September 2019 to 31st March 2020. A total of 240 females presenting with septic miscarriage having parity < 5 were included in the study. A pelvic ultrasound was done to find any retained products of conception and to see uterine perforation and any free fluid in the peritoneal cavity. Where uterine perforation was found, laparotomy was performed. Retained products of conception were evacuated by dilatation and curettage. Data regarding maternal morbidity (uterine perforation and peritonitis) and mortality was recorded.\u0000Results: In this study, the mean time of miscarriage to admission was 37.30 ± 9.24 hours. Regarding parity, 83.8% of females were with parity of 0-2, and 16.3% of women had a parity of 3-4. Around 38.8% of females had a medical termination of pregnancy, and 61.7% underwent surgical evacuation. Peritonitis and uterine perforation were seen in 25% and 13.3% of the patients. However, death was recorded in 7.5% of patients.\u0000Conclusion: It is concluded that septic miscarriage is a frequently encountered gynecological complication, necessitating hospital admission and treatment. It adversely affects women's health and quality of life, leading to mortality.","PeriodicalId":256876,"journal":{"name":"Pakistan Journal of Public Health","volume":"9 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-12-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"131786225","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"An Insight into the Risk Factors for Cerebral Palsy in Pakistan","authors":"Ammara Rafique","doi":"10.32413/pjph.v12i4.1113","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.32413/pjph.v12i4.1113","url":null,"abstract":"<jats:p>.</jats:p>","PeriodicalId":256876,"journal":{"name":"Pakistan Journal of Public Health","volume":"50 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-12-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"123514708","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Relationship of Clinical Symptoms, Comorbidities and Treatment Options along with Disease Outcomes in Individuals Tested for COVID-19 in Pakistan: A National Survey","authors":"N. Butt, Z. Ahmed, M. Khan, Amtullah Zarreen, A. Basit, N. Iqbal, Marium Soomro, S. Abbasi","doi":"10.32413/pjph.v12i4.738","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.32413/pjph.v12i4.738","url":null,"abstract":"Background: This web-based survey is done to collect and assess data from people tested for COVID-19 with PCR in Pakistan.\u0000Methods: This 3-month study is a cross-sectional online survey, conducted by Pakistan Islamic Medical Association (PIMA), Health Research Advisory Board (HealthRAB) and National Institute of Health (NIH). Data collection was done using Google Forms. People who were tested for COVID-19 using Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) were included in the study. The sample size of the study was 1,537. SPSS version 22 was used for data analysis.\u0000Results: Majority of the respondents belonged to the age group 20 - 39 years. The most common symptoms found were fever 633 (41%), cough 534 (34%), generalized body aches 432 (28%) and sore throat 392 (25%). The mean COVID-19 mental health score was 3.59 (SD: 5.808, range: 0-18). Treatment with antibiotics and painkillers had a strong correlation (p-value < 0.05) with the disease outcomes. The disease outcomes had moderate correlation (p-value < 0.05) with anti-allergy, steroids, plasma and oxygen therapy, and weak correlation (p-value < 0.05) with Antiviral and Antimalarial therapy. Out of the total respondents, 561 (36.1%) were cured from COVID-19, 14 (0.9%) were expired during/after hospitalization, 15 (1%) were still infected and 962 (62%) were not infected.\u0000Conclusion: Pakistani population has a better cure rate than some of its neighboring countries. However, further research in this area is required to draw a definite conclusion.","PeriodicalId":256876,"journal":{"name":"Pakistan Journal of Public Health","volume":"8 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-12-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"124753604","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Covid-19 Vaccine Hesitancy and Its Associated Factors among Health Care Workers of Islamabad","authors":"Ayesha Saghir, Sumiaya Kausar, Faraia Sohail, Arshia Bilal","doi":"10.32413/pjph.v12i4.1115","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.32413/pjph.v12i4.1115","url":null,"abstract":"Background: Covid-19 has been declared a global pandemic by WHO. Health Care Workers (HCWs) being the front-line warriors have been most exposed to the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Vaccine hesitancy against Covid-19 has been seen among HCWs. The main aim of the research was to find the hesitancy rates of vaccine among HCWs and the pulling and pushing factors to get vaccinated.\u0000Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on HCWs. Questionnaires on Google forms were sent to all participants through their WhatsApp number and data was analysed through SPSS version 23.0.\u0000Results: Out of 81 HCWs selected, 51.9% (n=42) were initially hesitant when the vaccine was first introduced. The main pulling factor initially to get vaccinated was to shield loved ones, 38.75% (n=31) and 46.2 % (n=37) of them received a booster dose of vaccine mainly due to employment requirements. Out of the total, 19.75% (n=16) are still hesitant even after vaccination and the most common pushing factors were fear of the side effects and inadequately tested vaccines.\u0000Conclusion: Though the majority of the HCWs got vaccinated, vaccine hesitancy is still present among the HCWs and the major reason is uncertainty about the side effects it could cause in the long term.","PeriodicalId":256876,"journal":{"name":"Pakistan Journal of Public Health","volume":"20 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-12-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"131129043","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Vaccination Status, Knowledge, Attitude and Perceptions of Vaccination against Influenza and Pneumococcal Pneumonia in Diabetic Population of Lahore, Pakistan","authors":"Rizwana Kitchle, Sonia Latif, Javed Iqbal, Saba Saif","doi":"10.32413/pjph.v12i4.1130","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.32413/pjph.v12i4.1130","url":null,"abstract":"Background: Diabetes is a clinical condition predisposing individuals to a higher risk of infection. Vaccination can reduce susceptibility to infections. Unfortunately, robust data on the vaccination status of our population with diabetes is lacking though we stand as a country with the third highest cases of diabetes worldwide. Therefore, we intend to identify the vaccination status of our diabetic population and assess people’s awareness and attitude toward vaccination against influenza and Pneumonia.\u0000Methods: This was a cross-sectional survey in which patients with diabetes were asked for relevant information as per a pre-defined questionnaire. The statistical analysis was done using SPSS 22.0 version.\u0000Results: We enrolled 526 patients; the mean age was 58 years (SD±10.9). The majority of participants were females 68 % (362/526), and 52% (274/526) were aware of being increasingly susceptible to influenza and pneumonia. Only 12 % (64/526) were vaccinated against influenza over the last 5 years and 7% (36/526) against pneumococcus. More males were vaccinated against influenza than females and this result was statistically significant (p-value < 0.001). Influenza and pneumococcal vaccination were more common among the more affluent and more educated individuals this comparison was statistically significant (p-value < 0.001). A significant proportion of unvaccinated (374/460, 81%) showed a willingness to get vaccinated.\u0000Conclusion: The uptake of annual influenza every autumn, and one-off pneumococcal vaccines among diabetics in our region is very low. The importance of vaccination needs to be generated through effective awareness campaigns as people with diabetes showed keen interest in receiving relevant vaccination.","PeriodicalId":256876,"journal":{"name":"Pakistan Journal of Public Health","volume":"3 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-12-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"126491686","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Exploring the Barriers Faced by Transgenders for Accessing Healthcare Facilities in the Metropolitan City of Karachi","authors":"Janifer Younus, L. Baig, Zaeema Ahmer, A. Memon, Moyn Aly","doi":"10.32413/pjph.v12i4.1025","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.32413/pjph.v12i4.1025","url":null,"abstract":"Background: Transgender population experience violence and discrimination because of their gender identity and their proposed image in society. In Pakistan being a transgender creates a serious challenge and threat to survival due to difference in societal system, culture, and nature.\u0000Methods: This qualitative phenomenological study analyses the perceptions of accessing healthcare services of 11 transgender individuals who were recruited through snowball sampling after obtaining their written informed consent. Open ended questions regarding experiences of transgenders accessing healthcare facilities in Karachi were asked. Data was collected till the saturation was achieved. The interviews were transcribed and double checked. Coding of the data was done and subsequently themes were generated.\u0000Results: Participants’ mean age was 33 (range 24–65) years. Six themes were identified which revolve around transgenders’ experiences. These were ‘Striving for Life’, ‘Biggest Nightmare! Violence and Harassment’, ‘Shunned by the Society’, ‘Hope for the Better Days’, ‘Transgender as a Pakistani Citizen’ and ‘Attitudes of Healthcare Providers towards transgenders’.\u0000Conclusion: There is still a long way to go before accepting transgender individuals as equal members of our society. Despite efforts to reduce discrimination, transgender individuals still face inequalities not only in the society but also in healthcare facilities. This leads to poor access of healthcare facilities. Antidiscrimination policies are needed with increased gender-affirming healthcare access.","PeriodicalId":256876,"journal":{"name":"Pakistan Journal of Public Health","volume":"40 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-12-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"116463834","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Frequency of Anemia in Hospitalized Children Ages 0-12 Years and Associated Factors: A Cross-Sectional Study","authors":"Hajrah Shahid, Muhammad Haseeb Amjad Butt, Fatima Faheem, Nawal Kaleem, A. Khan","doi":"10.32413/pjph.v12i4.817","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.32413/pjph.v12i4.817","url":null,"abstract":"Background: Anemia affects the psychological and physiologic well-being of children worldwide. In Pakistan, anemia among children and its associated factors is scarcely studied and the available knowledge is not up-to date. This study aims to better understand the anemic burden among pediatric population in our country.\u0000Methods: Cross-sectional study of 1 month was conducted from January to February 2020 comprising 299 children who were hospitalized in a tertiary care hospital with ages from 1 month to 12 years, located in Lahore. Analysis of different demographic data, breast feeding duration, age, nutritional status, gender, iron supplementation, solid food introduction, disease of diagnosis and other background parameters in association with hemoglobin level is done in this article. We performed chi-square analysis and logistic regression to assess anemia with related factors.\u0000Results: Overall percentage of non-anemic and anemic children were 56.9% and 43.1% respectively among whom male children were 62.4% and female were 37.6% anemic. Among anemic patients, 26.7% and 45.5% of children who were admitted suffered from mild and moderate anemia, respectively. The most affected age group was 6-59-month-old. There was a 9 times higher risk of anemia among well-nourished children as compared to over nourished children.\u0000Conclusion: The group mostly affected by anemia is of age between 6 to 59 months. To combat this crisis, certain measures are required as exclusive breast feeding for 6 months, weaning at age of 6 months and iron supplementation if iron requirements are not fulfilled by diet for children.","PeriodicalId":256876,"journal":{"name":"Pakistan Journal of Public Health","volume":"117 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-12-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"115833124","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}