Factors related to vaccines for both patients exposed with rabies and dogs

ABSTRACT Introduction: Rabies is a viral disease that can be transmitted from animals to humans. All warm-blooded animals, including humans, can host rabies's virus. Vaccination of dogs is an effective method of preventing rabies in humans. Objectives: To evaluate knowledge, attitudes and practices towards rabies prevention and factors related to vaccines for both patients exposed with rabies and dogs. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study, using the questionnaire on rabies prevention by interviewing 1 484 households. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors related to vaccines for both patients exposed to rabies and dogs. Results: Of all 67.32 % of the people surveyed with high knowledge, only 43.8 % and 31.47 % were assessed as having a good attitude and practice. Interviewees with poor knowledge and practice are independently related to low-rate vaccines provision for pets. Factors associated with low vaccination rates after pet bites were poor attitudes and practices. Conclusion: People with a high level of education, knowledge and practice, the rabies vaccination rate on pets is high. People with good attitudes and practices had a high rate of rabies vaccination after being bitten by an animal.

RESUMEN Introducción: La rabia es una enfermedad viral que puede transmitirse de animales a humanos. Todos los animales de sangre caliente, incluidos los humanos, pueden albergar el virus de la rabia. La vacunación de perros es un método eficaz para prevenir la rabia en humanos. Objetivos: Evaluar conocimientos, actitudes y prácticas de la comunidad hacia la prevención de la rabia y los factores relacionados con las vacunas, tanto para pacientes expuestos como para perros. Métodos: Estudio descriptivo transversal, se utilizó un cuestionario sobre prevención de la rabia, mediante entrevistas en 1 484 hogares. Se realizó un análisis de regresión logística multivariable para identificar los factores relacionados con las vacunas, tanto para pacientes expuestos como para los perros. Resultados: Del 67,32 % de encuestados, con alto conocimiento, solo el 43,8 % y el 31,47 % fueron evaluados como de buena actitud y práctica. Los entrevistados con insuficiente conocimiento y prácticas se relacionan de forma independiente con la baja provisión de vacunas para las mascotas. Las razones de bajas tasas de vacunación después de las mordeduras causadas por mascotas fueron las malas actitudes y prácticas. Conclusión: Las personas con nivel alto de práctica, educación y conocimientos, tienen elevados niveles de vacunación antirrábica de sus mascotas. Después de la mordedura de un animal, las personas con buenas prácticas y actitudes, tienen más altos niveles de vacunación antirrábica.

Identification of Trombiculid Chigger Mites Collected on Rodents from Southern Vietnam and Molecular Detection of Rickettsiaceae Pathogen.

Trombiculid "chigger" mites (Acari) are ectoparasites that feed blood on rodents and another animals. A crosssectional survey was conducted in 7 ecosystems of southern Vietnam from 2015 to 2016. Chigger mites were identified with morphological characteristics and assayed by polymerase chain reaction for detection of rickettsiaceae. Overall chigger infestation among rodents was 23.38%. The chigger index among infested rodents was 19.37 and a mean abundance of 4.61. A total of 2,770 chigger mites were identified belonging to 6 species, 3 genera, and 1 family, and pooled into 141 pools (10-20 chiggers per pool). Two pools (1.4%) of the chiggers were positive for Orientia tsutsugamushi. Ricketsia spp. was not detected in any pools of chiggers. Further studies are needed including a larger number and diverse hosts, and environmental factors to assess scrub typhus.

Cerebral Cysticercosis Presenting With Recurrent Epileptic Seizures.

Cerebral cysticercosis is the most common parasitic disease of the human nervous system. It is endemic to some tropical countries but has rarely been described in Vietnam. We report three cases of neurocysticercosis in patients from north-west Vietnam presenting with recurrent epileptic seizures. Hypereosinophilia and positive immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies to cysticercosis were detected in two patients and three patients, respectively. The brain MRI showed multiple ring-enhancing cerebral lesions with a well-defined border. Scolexes were demonstrated on fluid attenuation inversion recovery (FLAIR) sequence as small images associated with a hyperintense cyst wall. Treatment of cerebral cysticercosis infection with albendazole 15 mg/kg/day x 21 days along with antiepileptic drug therapy usually results in a favorable outcome. These results highlight that cerebral cysticercosis should be suspected in patients from an endemic area who present with headaches and/or epileptic seizures.

Prevalence, species distribution, and risk factors of fungal colonization and infection in patients at a burn intensive care unit in Vietnam.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Burn patients are at a higher risk of infections caused by different organisms. This study aimed to address the prevalence, causative species, and factors related to fungal colonization or infection in patients with acute severe injuries admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) of a burn hospital in northern Vietnam. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This prospective study was conducted on 400 patients in a burn ICU between 2017 and 2019. Clinical samples were weekly collected and screened for fungi, and relevant clinical information was obtained from medical records. RESULTS: According to the results, 90% of the patients were colonized with fungi. Out of this group, 12.75% of the cases had invasive fungal infection (IFI). Eleven yeasts and six mold species were isolated from the patients, with the most common species being Candida tropicalis (45.56%) and C. albicans (41.94%). Among the eleven species causing fungal wound infection (FWI), the most common agents were Candida (66.7% of FWI patients) and Aspergillus (38.5%) species. Three Candida species isolated from blood were C. tropicalis (66.7%), C. albicans (20.0%), and C. parapsilosis (14.3%). No factors were found to expose the patients to a higher risk of fungal colonization. However, hyperglycemia, prolonged ICU stay, and heavy Candida species colonization were found to be independently predictive of IFI. CONCLUSION: Burn patients are at the risk of fungal infection with Candida species (especially C. tropicalis) and Aspergillus as the most frequently responsible agents. Continuous surveillance of fungi and appropriate management of pathophysiological consequences are essential to prevent fungal infection in burn patients.