Clinical description and treatment outcomes of Paederus dermatitis in Phuentsholing, Bhutan in 2021: A cross-sectional study.

An increasing number of beetle population and outbreaks of irritant contact dermatitis are reported from newer geographic locations. Bhutan is one such country that witnessed an outbreak of Paederus dermatitis (PD) in Phuentsholing sub-district in 2021. This study describes the clinical symptoms, skin lesions and treatment outcomes of PD in Bhutan. This was a descriptive cross-sectional study of an outbreak of Paederus-related contact dermatitis in Phuentsholing, Bhutan. Clinical symptoms, skin lesions, duration of illness, recovery time and response to treatment were recorded. Of the 81 patients with PD, the males constituted 54% (44) and the mean age was 22 years (range: 1-51 years). The commonly affected groups were those aged 11-20 years (40.7%) and school or college students (50.6%). The common symptoms were pain, itching, redness, tenderness and blister formation. The lesions were erythematovesicular (70%), linear (54.3%) and kissing lesions (28.4%). All patients received some form of topical or oral steroid therapy and recovery was 100%. The mean duration from the onset till the recovery of the skin rash was 13 days (SD ± 8.3 days). PD outbreak is a self-limiting form of contact dermatitis. This is the first report of PD in the sub-Himalayan region and may be linked to climate change. There is a need for active surveillance and monitoring of such emerging weather/climate-related agents for appropriate health system response in disease prevention and treatment.

Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice towards COVID-19 among Patients Attending Phuentsholing Hospital, Bhutan: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Bhutan is one of the few countries in the world to take unprecedented steps to control the spread of COVID-19 in the country. This study aimed to investigate knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) and their associated covariates among patients attending Phuentsholing Hospital, Bhutan. Therefore, a cross-sectional study was conducted among patients attending Phuentsholing Hospital in Bhutan between March 17 and April 9, 2021, using an interview-administered questionnaire. The multivariable logistic regression was used to identify statistically significant covariates of good KAP. Further, the association between levels of KAP scores was assessed using Pearson's correlation coefficient. Of the 441 participants, 54.6% (241) were female. Knowledge, attitude, and practice score were reported by 55.3%, 51.8%, and 83.7% of participants, respectively. Higher education, secondary education, monastic education, and non-formal education were 9 [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 9.23; 95% confidence interval (CI) 3.438, 24.797], 3.5 (AOR = 3.5; 95% CI 1.425, 8.619), and 4 (AOR = 3.8; 95% CI 1.199, 12.141) times more likely to report good knowledge than illiterates. A positive attitude was associated with higher (AOR = 2.97; 95% CI 1.154, 7.66) and secondary (AOR = 3.53; 95% CI 1.454, 8.55) education compared to illiteracy. The good practice was associated with higher (AOR = 12.31; 95% CI 2.952, 51.318) and secondary (AOR = 11.5; 95% CI 3.439, 38.476) education compared to illiteracy. Participants in the age groups 26-35 years (AOR = 0.11; 95% CI 0.026, 0.484) and >45 years (AOR = 0.12; 95% CI 0.026, 0.588) were less likely to exhibit good practice compared to those aged 18-25 years. Those working in the private or business sectors were 9 (AOR = 8.81; 95% CI 1.165, 41.455) times more likely to have good practice compared to civil servants. There was a weak but positive correlation between knowledge-attitude (r = 0.228), knowledge-practice (r = 0.220), and attitude-practice scores (r = 0.338). The need for health education on COVID-19 to increase knowledge and attitude is highly recommended, and should be focused on the less educated and other vulnerable groups such as farmers and students, as well as those older than 25 years.

Survival Analysis of Symptomatic COVID-19 in Phuentsholing Municipality, Bhutan.

COVID-19 is a disease that is caused by a highly transmissible and pathogenic novel coronavirus: severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). All of the COVID-19 positive cases in Bhutanese travellers returning via the Phuentsholing point of entry, the local population, and Indian nationals were isolated in the Phuentsholing COVID-19 isolation ward, Bhutan. This study aimed to identify the risk factors for developing symptoms among COVID-19 positive patients in this ward. A retrospective cohort study was conducted using the data regarding COVID-19 positive cases in the Phuentsholing COVID-19 isolation ward from 28 May 2020 to 31 May 2021. The Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to identify the risk factors of developing COVID-19 symptoms. There were 521 patients in the study; 368 (70.6%) were males and 153 (29.4%) were females. The mean age was 32 years (with a range of 1-78 years), and 290 (56.0%) reported at least one symptom. The median length of isolation was eight days (with a range of 3-48 days). The common symptoms were: cough (162, 31.0%), fever (135, 26.0%), and headache (101, 19.0%). In the multivariable Cox regression, vaccinated patients were 77.0% (p = 0.047) less likely to develop symptoms compared to those who were not vaccinated. The front line workers and the mini-dry port (MDP) workers were 15 (p = 0.031) and 41 (p < 0.001) times more likely to be symptomatic compared to returning travellers. The young and economically active population group was most commonly affected by COVID-19. The presence of risk factors, such as being front line workers, MDP workers, or not being vaccinated against COVID-19, meant that patients had a higher probability of developing symptoms of COVID-19.

Medical practitioner's knowledge on dengue management and clinical practices in Bhutan.

BACKGROUND: Dengue has emerged as a major public health problem in Bhutan, with increasing incidence and widening geographic spread over recent years. This study aimed to investigate the knowledge and clinical management of dengue among medical practitioners in Bhutan. METHODS: We administered a survey questionnaire to all practitioners currently registered under the Bhutan Medical and Health Council. The questionnaire contained items on four domains including transmission, clinical course and presentation, diagnosis and management, and surveillance and prevention of dengue. Participants were able to respond using an online Qualtrics survey, with the invitation and link distributed via email. RESULTS: A total of 97 respondents were included in the study (response rate: 12.7%), of which 61.86% were Health Assistants/Clinical Officers (HAs/COs) and 38.14% were medical doctors. The afternoon feeding behaviour of Aedes mosquito was correctly identified by only 24.7% of the respondents, and ~66.0% of them failed to identify lethargy as a warning sign for severe dengue. Knowledge on diagnosis using NS1 antigen and the clinical significance of elevated haematocrit for initial fluid replacement was strikingly low at 47.4% and 27.8% respectively. Despite dengue being a nationally notifiable disease, ~60% of respondents were not knowledgeable on the timing and type of cases to be reported. Respondent's median score was higher for the surveillance and reporting domain, followed by their knowledge on transmission of dengue. Statistically significant factors associated with higher knowledge included respondents being a medical doctor, working in a hospital and experience of having diagnosed dengue. CONCLUSION: The study revealed major gaps on knowledge and clinical management practices related to dengue in Bhutan. Physicians and health workers working in Basic Health Units need training and regular supervision to improve their knowledge on the care of dengue patients.

Rational use of paracetamol among out-patients in a Bhutanese district hospital bordering India: a cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVE: Paracetamol or acetaminophen is a weak analgesic commonly used worldwide and in Bhutan. It is available across all levels of Bhutan's health care system and for purchase without prescription. Little is known, however, about patterns of paracetamol use in Bhutan. This study aimed to assess what the Bhutanese population knows about the indications for use of paracetamol, safe use, and common patterns of usage (frequency, dosage). These questions were studied among Bhutanese living in Phuentsholing, a large commercial town at Bhutan-India border. RESULTS: Among 441 participants, most (72.1%) reported having used paracetamol in the past 1 year. The mean knowledge score was 57.6%; only 30 participants (6.8%) had what was characterized as "good knowledge." Level of knowledge was positively associated with level of education (p = 0.031). Less than half (41.3%) had a "good attitude" towards use of paracetamol. In practice, few (4.8%) knew the correct dose, including about one in ten who reported exceeding the recommended therapeutic dose. Most knew about side effects (61.2%) and possible allergic reactions (77.3%). Many participants (47.9%) acknowledged that the self-use of paracetamol may not reduce the number of hospital visits.