RESUMO
Malaria morbidity has various presentations and the focus now shifts to uncommon signs and symptoms of malaria infection such as cognitive impairment to address the morbidity when the mortality declines. About 50% of children admitted to hospitals due to malaria experience neurological complications due to factors like low blood sugar, inflammation, elevated pressure, decreased oxygen levels, and excitotoxicity. Malaria during pregnancy negatively also impacts children's cognitive, behavioral, and executive function leading to neurodevelopmental delay due to increased susceptibility which can significantly affect maternal and child health, leading to higher rates of underestimated factors like anxiety, depression, and PTSD. Despite having the world's second-largest tribal population, India's indigenous and tribal communities and their mental health are less explored and less understood. Western psychological tools and neurocognitive assessment tools are not universally applicable, thus necessitating the development of tailored tools to investigate psychological or neurocognitive impairment. This paper has illuminated the hidden mental health consequences of malaria infection, emphasizing the prevalence, nature, and implications of psychological distress among affected individuals. The findings underscore the importance of recognizing and addressing these psychological consequences in the holistic management and prevention of malaria and its mental health consequences.
RESUMO
Context: In the absence of any specific treatment available for COVID-19, people started practicing traditional nonpharmacological preventive home remedies such as salt water gargling and steam inhalation. The available research evidence on some of these measures opines that steam inhalation, saline gargling, and povidone-iodine gargling does have virucidal properties and do provide symptomatic relief. Aims: The aim is to test this hypothesis, and the present trial was undertaken with an objective to assess the effect of steam inhalation, saline gargling, and povidone-iodine gargling among the COVID-19-positive patients with respect to early test negativity and clinical recovery. Methodology: Open-labeled, parallel, randomized controlled trial was conducted among asymptomatic or mild COVID-19-positive patients in Bangalore from September 2020 to February 2021. In each group of steam inhalation, saline gargling, povidone-iodine gargling, and control, twenty participants were allocated. Daily follow-up was done for 21 days to assess early test negativity and clinical recovery. Trial Registry Number: Clinical Trial Registry India/2020/09/027687. Results: Among 80 participants recruited, 65 (81.3%) were symptomatic. Early test negativity was seen in povidone-iodine gargling group of 6 days (KaplanMeier survival curve, BreslowGeneralized Wilcoxon test P = 0.7 as per the intention-to-treat and as per-protocol P = 0.8). Significant clinical recovery was seen in saline gargling group (4 days, P = 0.01). Conclusion: Povidone-iodine gargling was effective in providing early test negativity, whereas saline gargling was effective in early clinical recovery.