COVID-19 in city and municipal area: socio-economic analysis in Khulna, Bangladesh

Purpose: In Bangladesh (a middle-income and densely populated country) where socio-economic factors act badly on human activities during COVID-19. This research mainly focused on observing the socio-economic aspects of the Pandemic on human life between city and municipal areas. Design/methodology/approach: This research relied on Khulna City Corporation (KCC) and Paikgacha Municipality of Bangladesh. A random sampling technique was adopted for choosing 622 stakeholders (318 in the city and 304 in the municipal area). Here, the socio-economic factors have been fixed based on the literature review and expert opinion. This study explored two mainstream social and economic issues affected by the Pandemic. Several statistical tests were performed to find the relationship among Socio-economic factors. Findings: The study shows that the Pandemic caused great harm to city areas rather than municipal areas. The city is faced with tremendous pressure on the economic aspect as well. Besides, the pandemic affects savings, education sectors, food habits and other factors in both areas. The trip distribution also differs between the study areas and the mobility pattern shows that people migrated to rural areas from city space during the Pandemic. Originality/value: This research will assist in focusing on a micro-level perspective in the future to analyze socio-economic changes. Moreover, it can help to point out the administrative prospects in the future. © 2023, Emerald Publishing Limited.

Multidisciplinary approaches to coping with neurodegenerative disorders amid COVID-19 pandemic

Neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, are the leading causes of dementia in the elderly. In the coming days, an alarming upsurge of dementia patients is expected with increasing life expectancy. This is the scenario not only in the developed world but also in the developing world, where older people live in vulnerable situations. Even in the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease-19) pandemic, the situation has worsened. Due to the limitations of conventional therapeutic strategies, it is necessary to explore integrated approaches consisting of both pharmacological and non-pharmaceutical interventions. As existing anti-dementia drugs pose many adverse effects on patients, pharmacological intervention through naturally occurring agents should be employed to explore targeted therapy. Alongside, non-pharmacological interventions such as cognitive and motor rehabilitation, occupational therapy, and psychological therapy need to be explored. From this perspective, multidisciplinary approaches need to be employed in order to develop a sustainable patient-friendly treatment strategy for the management of these emerging health issues with tremendous social burdens. © 2022, Bangladesh Society for Microbiology, Immunology and Advanced Biotechnology. All rights reserved.