OBJECTIVE: Access to family planning services is a human right that plays an essential role in society's health, particularly women's health. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected all aspects of human life including access to family planning services. Accordingly, the main goal of this study was to explore the experiences of women and service providers from the main challenges and obstacles of access to family planning services and abortion services in Bangladesh, Iran, and the Netherlands during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: In this qualitative study, the data were collected through online, telephone, or in-person semi-structured interviews with key informants. Participants selected by purposive sampling method. The participants included women aged 15 to 49 (n = 63) and service providers (n = 54) in the 3 abovementioned countries. These individuals were included from October 2020 until December 2020. Conventional thematic analysis was employed to analyze the collected data. RESULTS: The main extracted themes were challenges (reduction of referral; disruption of access to services; insufficient knowledge; worries among staff; rising prices; and unavailability of some contraceptives), measures (time extension and visit scheduling; telephone, online, and door to door services; and support of the media) and recommendations (health facility improvements; free, online, and closer services; and ongoing trainings and awareness campaigns). CONCLUSION: The COVID-19 pandemic has affected family planning and reproductive health services in different ways and has uncovered existing inequalities in access to these services. However, in Iran, the reported challenges were also rooted in new population policies that have further limited access to family planning and abortion services.
- MeSH
- COVID-19 * epidemiologie MeSH
- indukovaný potrat * MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- pandemie MeSH
- služby plánování rodičovství metody MeSH
- těhotenství MeSH
- Check Tag
- lidé MeSH
- těhotenství MeSH
- ženské pohlaví MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
- Geografické názvy
- Bangladéš MeSH
- Írán MeSH
- Nizozemsko MeSH
S rozvolněním protiepidemických opatření, která lze očekávat v jarních a letních měsících, a předpokládaným opětovným nárůstem cestování považujeme za přínosné shrnout aktuální informace o současné situaci výskytu cholery ve světě. Cholera je endemická v řadě zemí světa, zejména v Asii a Africe. V souvislosti s pandemií covid-19 a zhoršující se socioekonomickou situací se její výskyt v některých oblastech významně zvýšil. V zemích Evropské Unie a Evropského hospodářského prostoru se vyskytují jen ojedinělé případy onemocnění cholerou, jedná se především o importy ze zemí s výskytem cholery.
With the relaxation of anti-epidemic measures expected in the spring and summer months and the anticipated resurgence of travel, we find it useful to summarize the current situation of cholera. Cholera is endemic in many countries of the world, particularly in Asia and Africa. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and the worsening socioeconomic situation, its incidence has increased significantly in some areas. Only sporadic cases of cholera have been reported in the European Union and European Economic Area countries, which are mainly imports from endemic countries.
- MeSH
- cholera * dějiny epidemiologie přenos MeSH
- cholerové vakcíny terapeutické užití MeSH
- gastroenteritida mikrobiologie MeSH
- hlášení nemocí MeSH
- hodnocení rizik MeSH
- kontrola infekčních nemocí MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- přenos infekční nemoci MeSH
- Check Tag
- lidé MeSH
- Geografické názvy
- Afghánistán MeSH
- Bangladéš MeSH
- Benin MeSH
- Haiti MeSH
- Indie MeSH
- Jemen MeSH
- Kamerun MeSH
- Keňa MeSH
- Mali MeSH
- Mosambik MeSH
- Nepál MeSH
- Niger MeSH
- Nigérie MeSH
- Tanzanie MeSH
Flood early warning (FEW) is a vital component of disaster risk management and is particularly important for saving lives, developing a sustainable agro-based economy, economic stability, and the overall development of the people of Bangladesh as well as others. This study was conducted in a northern, flood-prone area of Bangladesh to investigate the potential of incorporating volunteers of the community to the Union Councils (UCs) to disseminate FEW alongside the top-down approach. Several studies have found that despite having a sophisticated flood forecasting technology, local communities are not reaping the benefits of it, as the existing dissemination system is inaccessible to most local people. Since risk communication takes place in a social context, this study investigated and thereby proposed that volunteerism, as a form of social capital or communal virtue, can potentially assist the community-based disaster management (CBDM) institutions in enhancing their capacity to reach the maximum population at times of flood risk. Therefore, it was confirmed that the trained volunteers need to be integrated into and endorsed by the national policy. In addition, this study also provides a number of recommendations connecting literature with policy documents of Bangladesh.
- MeSH
- dobrovolní pracovníci MeSH
- ekonomická stabilita MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- plánování postupu v případě katastrof * MeSH
- záplavy * MeSH
- Check Tag
- lidé MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
- Geografické názvy
- Bangladéš MeSH
Phlebotomus argentipes is a predominant vector of Leishmania donovani, the protozoan parasite causing visceral leishmaniasis in the Indian subcontinent. In hosts bitten by P. argentipes, sand fly saliva elicits the production of specific anti-salivary protein antibodies. Here, we have utilised these antibodies as markers of human exposure to P. argentipes in a visceral leishmaniasis endemic area in Pabna district, Bangladesh. The use of whole salivary gland homogenate as an antigen to detect these antibodies has several limitations, therefore it is being superseded by the use of specific recombinant salivary proteins. We have identified three major P. argentipes salivary antigenic proteins recognised by sera of bitten humans, expressed them in a recombinant form (rPagSP04, rPagSP05 and rPagSP06) and tested their applicability in ELISA and immunoblot. One of them, PpSP32-like protein rPagSP06, was identified as the most promising antigen, showing highest resemblance and correlation with the IgG response to P. argentipes salivary gland homogenate. Furthermore, we have validated the applicability of rPagSP06 in a large cohort of 585 individuals and obtained a high correlation coefficient for anti-rPagSP06 and anti-P. argentipes saliva IgG responses. The anti-rPagSP06 and anti-P. argentipes salivary gland homogenate IgG responses followed a similar right-skewed distribution. This is the first report of screening human sera for anti-P. argentipes saliva antibodies using recombinant salivary protein. The rPagSP06 was proven to be a valid antigen for screening human sera for exposure to P. argentipes bites in a visceral leishmaniasis endemic area.
- MeSH
- Leishmania donovani * MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- Phlebotomus * MeSH
- slinné proteiny a peptidy MeSH
- sliny MeSH
- zvířata MeSH
- Check Tag
- lidé MeSH
- zvířata MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
- Geografické názvy
- Bangladéš MeSH
Human activity has had severe effects on the changes in climate over the last decades affecting, as a consequence, human security overall. The importance of changes in climate and their consequent effects have been long overlooked to the point that nowadays human health is being threatened by sea rise, extreme weather events, lack of adequate basic resources, and the spread of numerous diseases, to name some. This article aims to demonstrate how these variations have promoted the spread of vector-borne diseases (VBD). More specifically, it follows the developments of Dengue fever (DENV) as a result of higher temperatures and abundant precipitations, with a particular focus on the effects of humidity and a warm environment on the proliferation of VBD. To provide evidence of these climate consequences, two empirical cases are analysed and explained, one in Bangladesh and another in Ecuador. Overall, the analysis shows a positive correlation between the increase in temperatures and the changes in the weather and the proliferation of DENV in the above-mentioned territories. This article concludes that the increased temperatures, together with the evolution of extreme weather events have facilitated the reproduction of mosquitoes carrying DENV, and have enlarged the geographic and temporal distribution in which they inhabit. On this basis, the importance of climate change and its effects on human health should be tagged as a primary concern when facing challenges over human security.
- MeSH
- dengue epidemiologie přenos MeSH
- klimatické změny * MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- nemoci přenášené vektory * epidemiologie přenos MeSH
- virus dengue MeSH
- Check Tag
- lidé MeSH
- Geografické názvy
- Bangladéš MeSH
- Ekvádor MeSH
INTRODUCTION: Only international studies can provide the full variability of built environments and accurately estimate effect sizes of relations between contrasting environments and health-related outcomes. The aims of the International Physical Activity and Environment Study of Adolescents (IPEN Adolescent) are to estimate the strength, shape and generalisability of associations of the community environment (geographic information systems (GIS)-based and self-reported) with physical activity and sedentary behaviour (accelerometer-measured and self-reported) and weight status (normal/overweight/obese). METHODS AND ANALYSIS: The IPEN Adolescent observational, cross-sectional, multicountry study involves recruiting adolescent participants (ages 11-19 years) and one parent/guardian from neighbourhoods selected to ensure wide variations in walkability and socioeconomic status using common protocols and measures. Fifteen geographically, economically and culturally diverse countries, from six continents, participated: Australia, Bangladesh, Belgium, Brazil, Czech Republic, Denmark, Hong Kong SAR, India, Israel, Malaysia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Portugal, Spain and USA. Countries provided survey and accelerometer data (15 countries), GIS data (11), global positioning system data (10), and pedestrian environment audit data (8). A sample of n=6950 (52.6% female; mean age=14.5, SD=1.7) adolescents provided survey data, n=4852 had 4 or more 8+ hours valid days of accelerometer data, and n=5473 had GIS measures. Physical activity and sedentary behaviour were measured by waist-worn ActiGraph accelerometers and self-reports, and body mass index was used to categorise weight status. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethical approval was received from each study site's Institutional Review Board for their in-country studies. Informed assent by adolescents and consent by parents was obtained for all participants. No personally identifiable information was transferred to the IPEN coordinating centre for pooled datasets. Results will be communicated through standard scientific channels and findings used to advance the science of environmental correlates of physical activity, sedentary behaviour and weight status, with the ultimate goal to stimulate and guide actions to create more activity-supportive environments internationally.
- MeSH
- charakteristiky bydlení MeSH
- chůze * MeSH
- cvičení * MeSH
- dítě MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mladiství MeSH
- mladý dospělý MeSH
- průřezové studie MeSH
- vytvořené prostředí * MeSH
- životní prostředí - projekt MeSH
- Check Tag
- dítě MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mladiství MeSH
- mladý dospělý MeSH
- mužské pohlaví MeSH
- ženské pohlaví MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- multicentrická studie MeSH
- pozorovací studie MeSH
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
- Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural MeSH
- Geografické názvy
- Austrálie MeSH
- Bangladéš MeSH
- Belgie MeSH
- Brazílie MeSH
- Česká republika MeSH
- Hongkong MeSH
- Indie MeSH
- Izrael MeSH
- Malajsie MeSH
- Nigérie MeSH
- Nový Zéland MeSH
- Portugalsko MeSH
- Španělsko MeSH
High concentrations of naturally-occurring and man-accentuated boron in groundwater possess a potential threat to the health and well-being of humans worldwide. In Bangladesh, only a few studies focused on the health risks of boron-containing groundwater. Therefore, the present study investigated the spatiotemporal distribution of boron concentrations in groundwater and its associated health risks in the coastal districts of Bangladesh. A total of 268 samples from the shallow and deep wells during the wet and dry season (137 and 131 samples, respectively) were collected to determine the level of boron concentrations and health risk status. The groundwater boron concentrations ranged from 0 to 4.10 mg/L with an average concentration of 0.68 mg/L, which was much lower than the WHO and the values of Bangladesh drinking water standard guideline. The boron concentrations in the shallow wells override the deep ones with insignificant seasonal variation. Boron contamination affected 10% of the shallow wells in the wet season and only 6% of them in the dry season, whereas only 1% of deep wells exceeds the WHO guideline values of 2.40 mg/L during the wet and dry season, respectively. The human health risk of boron was determined by computing estimated daily intake (EDI) and hazard quotient (HQ) values for infants, children, teenagers, and adults. The average HQ value delimitated that children have high risk followed by teenagers, adults, and infants. About 90-95% of the studied samples were free from boron contamination because of having HQ values < 1 and the rest of the samples possess a high risk for children. For the overall study area, the deep wells were found safer than the shallow wells, which were more susceptible to boron contamination aided by localized freshwater inputs.
- MeSH
- bor MeSH
- chemické látky znečišťující vodu * analýza MeSH
- dítě MeSH
- dospělí MeSH
- hodnocení rizik MeSH
- kojenec MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mladiství MeSH
- monitorování životního prostředí MeSH
- podzemní voda * MeSH
- Check Tag
- dítě MeSH
- dospělí MeSH
- kojenec MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mladiství MeSH
- mužské pohlaví MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- Geografické názvy
- Bangladéš MeSH
The present study is the first attempt to investigate the occurrence and distribution pattern of microplastics (MPs) in the beach sediments covering a 36 km long beach at Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy was used to identify the MP particles (>300 μm). The mean abundance of plastics in this study site was 8.1 ± 2.9 particles kg-1. The abundance of MPs in the sediments was found in the following order: Fragments>Fibers>Foams>Beads>Films. The most abundant polymer types were Polypropylene (PP) (47%) and Polyethylene (PE) (23%). Most of the PP was atactic, while the low-density and high-density PE were in the balance. A higher abundance of MPs was observed in the wrack line compared to the other zones across the shore. The designated public tourist spots corresponding to few sampling sites showed significantly (P < 0.05) higher MPs than the sites with no tourist activity.
- MeSH
- chemické látky znečišťující vodu * analýza MeSH
- geologické sedimenty MeSH
- mikroplasty MeSH
- monitorování životního prostředí MeSH
- plastické hmoty * MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- Geografické názvy
- Bangladéš MeSH
BACKGROUND: Smoking cessation is important in patients with tuberculosis because it can reduce the high rates of treatment failure and mortality. We aimed to assess the effectiveness and safety of cystine as a smoking cessation aid in patients with tuberculosis in Bangladesh and Pakistan. METHODS: We did a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, trial at 32 health centres in Bangladesh and Pakistan. Eligible patients were adults (aged >18 years in Bangladesh; aged >15 years in Pakistan) with pulmonary tuberculosis diagnosed in the previous 4 weeks, who smoked tobacco on a daily basis and were willing to stop smoking. Patients were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive behavioural support plus either oral cytisine (9 mg on day 0, which was gradually reduced to 1·5 mg by day 25) or placebo for 25 days. Randomisation was done using pregenerated block randomisation lists, stratified by trial sites. Investigators, clinicians, and patients were masked to treatment allocation. The primary outcome was continuous abstinence at 6 months, defined as self-report (of not having used more than five cigarettes, bidis, a water pipe, or smokeless tobacco products since the quit date), confirmed biochemically by a breath carbon monoxide reading of less than 10 parts per million. Primary and safety analysis were done in the intention-to-treat population. This trial is registered with the International Standard Randomised Clinical Trial Registry, ISRCTN43811467, and enrolment is complete. FINDINGS: Between June 6, 2017, and April 30, 2018, 2472 patients (1527 patients from Bangladesh; 945 patients from Pakistan) were enrolled and randomly assigned to receive cytisine (n=1239) or placebo (n=1233). At 6 months, 401 (32·4%) participants in the cytisine group and 366 (29·7%) participants in the placebo group had achieved continuous abstinence (risk difference 2·68%, 95% CI -0·96 to 6·33; relative risk 1·09, 95% CI 0·97 to 1·23, p=0·114). 53 (4·3%) of 1239 participants in the cytisine group and 46 (3·7%) of 1233 participants in the placebo group reported serious adverse events (94 events in the cytisine group and 90 events in the placebo group), which included 91 deaths (49 in the cytisine group and 42 in the placebo group). None of the adverse events were attributed to the study medication. INTERPRETATION: Our findings do not support the addition of cytisine to brief behavioural support for the treatment of tobacco dependence in patients with tuberculosis. FUNDING: European Union Horizon 2020 and Health Data Research UK. TRANSLATIONS: For the Bengali and Urdu translations of the abstract see Supplementary Materials section.
- MeSH
- alkaloidy terapeutické užití MeSH
- azociny terapeutické užití MeSH
- chinoliziny terapeutické užití MeSH
- dospělí MeSH
- dvojitá slepá metoda MeSH
- lidé středního věku MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- odvykání kouření metody MeSH
- poruchy vyvolané užíváním tabáku psychologie terapie MeSH
- psychoterapie krátká MeSH
- tuberkulóza epidemiologie MeSH
- výsledek terapie MeSH
- Check Tag
- dospělí MeSH
- lidé středního věku MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mužské pohlaví MeSH
- ženské pohlaví MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- klinické zkoušky, fáze III MeSH
- multicentrická studie MeSH
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
- randomizované kontrolované studie MeSH
- Geografické názvy
- Bangladéš MeSH
- Pákistán MeSH
