ABSTRACT
Background Vector-borne diseases continue to significantly contribute to mortality and morbidity, especially in developing nations. Vector management is a key pillar in combating these diseases, and long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) are cost-effective tools. The Government of India, under the National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP), has distributed LLINs for free to increase coverage and utilization. This study aims to estimate the coverage and utilization of LLINs in Burla town. Method This cross-sectional study was conducted from October to December 2022 in Burla town of Sambalpur in Odisha, India. The estimated sample size was 510 households, assuming 50% coverage. Multi-stage cluster sampling was adopted to select the Anganwadi centers and households. A pretested questionnaire was utilized for data collection by trained personnel through Epicollect5 (Centre for Genomic Pathogen Surveillance, Oxford, UK). Logistic regression was used to identify predictors for LLIN usage. Results The survey covered 516 households with 2,541 individuals and 1,165 nets. Household-level coverage was 94.2%, and regular utilization was 45.74%. Skin reactions (35.7%) were the most common reason for non-usage, followed by low mosquito density (12%). Logistic regression showed that the number of rooms (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 0.663, p = 0.012), number of bed nets (AOR = 2.757, p < 0.001), knowledge of malaria (AOR = 2.92, p = 0.04), adopting other measures for mosquito control (AOR = 0.295, p < 0.001), and washing the net (AOR = 1.92, p = 0.028) significantly predicted sleeping under mosquito net. Conclusion Our study has depicted high coverage of LLINs in Burla town, but utilization needs further improvement. Counseling regarding proper use can decrease the skin reactions responsible for non-usage. Regular health education programs are required to emphasize the benefits of LLIN use, along with regular monitoring and supervision.
ABSTRACT
Introduction Suicide is the act of deliberately killing oneself. It is a leading cause of mortality worldwide. Each year, more than seven lakh people end their lives globally. India is the worst-affected country in Southeast Asia. Both the genders and all age groups are affected. The COVID pandemic has led to the disruption of routine life and business. The proportion of deaths due to suicide was 9.4% among all deaths reported for autopsies by a study in the same mortuary over a seven-year period. Increased stress and anxiety have been postulated to lead to suicide. Our study objective is to describe the epidemiology of suicide during the early COVID pandemic (lockdown period). Methods This is a record-based cross-sectional study. We have analyzed the post-mortem reports for six months starting from April 1, 2020. Descriptive analysis was performed with Epi Info version 7 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC, Atlanta, GA, USA). Results During the study period, 340 cases were classified as deaths due to suicide, out of a total of 891 mortalities. The median age for females was 26.5 and for males, it was 30. The male to female ratio was 1.8:1. Most of the deceased (39.8%) were in their third decade, followed by the fourth decade (18.9%), second decade (15%), and fifth decade (12.98%), respectively. Poisoning was the leading method used for suicide, accounting for 238 (70.1%) deaths, followed by hanging (11.8%), burns (6.8%), jumping from a height (6.5%), and jumping in front of the train (4.13%). Self-immolation (burning) was a common mode of suicide for females. Most of the suicides (71.4%) took place from the evening to midnight. Conclusion There was a fourfold rise in suicides during the period compared to previous data. Productive age groups are affected more. A large-scale multi-centric study in community settings for estimation of the true burden is the need of the hour. A multi-sectorial public health approach is needed to prevent untimely death due to suicide.