Rabies in Southeast Asia: a systematic review of its incidence, risk factors and mortality.

OBJECTIVE: Rabies is a neglected zoonotic disease that can infect all mammals, including humans. We aimed to summarise the current knowledge of the incidence, risk factors and mortality of rabies in Southeast Asia. DESIGN: Systematic review based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses 2020. DATA SOURCES: Scopus, Web of Science and PubMed were searched from 1 January 2012 to 21 February 2023. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: Original English language articles published between 2012 and 2023 were included. DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS: Nine independent reviewers extracted data and assessed the risk of bias. The quality appraisal of included articles was carried out using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. RESULTS: A total of eight articles were included in this analysis. In Vietnam, the incidence of rabies ranged from 1.7 to 117.2 per 100 000 population. The cumulative incidence in Sarawak was estimated at 1.7 per 100 000 population. In Indonesia, 104 human rabies cases were reported from 2008 to 2010, while in Thailand, a total of 46 rabies cases were reported in Thailand from 2010 to 2015. In the Philippines, the incidence of rabies ranged from 0.1 to 0.3 per 100 000 population. An increased risk of rabies virus infection was associated with a high population density, illiteracy, seasonal patterns and dog butchers. The case fatality rate was 100%. CONCLUSION: This study included research from Southeast Asia, which may not represent rabies infection in other regions or continents. In addition, the role of publication bias should be acknowledged as grey literature was not included. The occurrence of rabies in Southeast Asia is due to the high number of unvaccinated stray and pet dogs, working hazards (dog butchers in Vietnam), the unavailability of the rabies vaccine in rural regions and misinformation about the significance of seeking treatment after dog bites. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42022311654.

Prevalence and Associated Factors of E-Cigarette Use among Adolescents in Southeast Asia: A Systematic Review.

The use of e-cigarettes in adolescents remains a major public health concern. Like other tobacco products, e-cigarettes pose health risks to adolescents. Understanding the magnitude of this problem and identification of its associated factors will serve as a guide for development of preventive interventions. This systematic review aims to identify and discuss current epidemiological data on the prevalence and associated factors of e-cigarette use among adolescents in Southeast Asia. The reporting of this systematic review is in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020 statement. We carried out a literature search through three databases (Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science) and targeted original English-language articles published between 2012 and 2021. A total of 10 studies were included in this review. The prevalence of current e-cigarette uses ranges from 3.3% to 11.8%. Several associated factors of e-cigarette use were identified, including sociodemographic factors, traumatic childhood experience, peer and parental influence, knowledge and perception, substance use, and accessibility of e-cigarettes. These factors should be addressed though multifaceted interventions which simultaneously target multiple factors. Laws, policies, programs, and interventions must be strengthened and tailored to the needs of adolescents at risk of using e-cigarettes.

Prevalence and determinants of unmet needs for hypertension care among the older population in Selangor: cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Hypertension is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Although multiple studies have assessed the prevalence of hypertension among older people, no study has examined the unmet need for hypertension care among older people in Malaysia. This study uses the hypertension care cascade to identify the prevalence of unmet needs for hypertension care and their determinants among the older population in Selangor. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study involving a total of 1204 participants recruited from different areas in Selangor. A face-to-face interview was conducted using the Bahasa Malaysia version of the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study questionnaire. The inclusion criteria were Malaysians aged ≥ 60 years who could converse in Bahasa Malaysia. RESULTS: Among the 637 participants with hypertension, 18% (117) had not been previously screened but were found to have BP ≥ 140/90 mmHg, 21% (136) were undiagnosed, 3% (17) were untreated, 42% (267) were treated with antihypertensive medication but still had high blood pressure, and 16% (100) had hypertension that was controlled with medication. The hypertension care cascade demonstrates that 18% (117) of those with hypertension had never been screened for hypertension; 26% (136/520) of those who were screened never received a diagnosis; 4% (17/384) of those who were diagnosed did not receive treatment; and 73% (267/367) of those who were treated did not reach the threshold for control. The prevalence of total unmet needs was 84% (537/637). Statistically significant determinants of having any unmet need for hypertension care were smoking status and medical history, with adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) in the multivariate analysis of 0.5 (95% CI: 0.3-0.9) for being a smoker, 2.8 (95% CI: 1.1-6.9) for having a history of stroke and 1.6 (95% CI: 1.0-2.5) for having a history of diabetes mellitus. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of unmet need for hypertension care among the older population in Selangor is 84% (537/637), which is alarmingly high. This study highlights where and how much of the loss of care for hypertension happens in the care cascade and provides insight into the efforts required to improve effective service coverage to manage the increasing burden of hypertension associated with population ageing.

Factors Associated with the Acceptability of Mass Drug Administration for Filariasis: A Systematic Review.

Mass drug administration (MDA) has been implemented as a tool to eliminate lymphatic filariasis. Acceptability among susceptible populations is crucial to achieving MDA effective coverage. This systematic review aims to present and systematically determine the factors associated with the acceptability of MDA. Articles related to factors associated with acceptability were collected electronically from three different databases (Scopus, Web of Science, and PubMed). Four pairs of independent reviewers screened the titles and abstracts of the collected data, stored in EndnoteX7, against the inclusion criteria. Afterwards, the included articles have been critically appraised to assess the quality of the studies using the Mixed Method Appraisal Tool (MMAT). Of the 68 articles identified, 11 were included in the final review. Knowledge, awareness, attitude and perceptions, communications, delivery and accessibility of MDA, gender, and age are the factors associated with MDA acceptability. Community acceptance remains a challenge in the implementation of MDA. To expand MDA coverage in all endemic countries, there is a strong need to address the factors influencing community acceptance of MDA.