Manasi Chakraborty

Evaluation of the prevention of parent to child transmission program in a rural tertiary care hospital of West Bengal, India

Background: In India, 67,500 infants acquire HIV infection yearly due to mother to child transmission. Objective: The objective was to assess the operational aspect of the Prevention of Parent to Child Transmission (PPTCT) program in a tertiary care hospital and explore its bottleneck. Materials and Methods: A 5-year (2004-2008) prospective evaluation study was conducted among the pregnant women attending Obstetrics Department of a rural tertiary care hospital, since the year of implementation. Indicators were used according to UNAIDS/WHO guideline. Results: Out of 40,140 registered pregnant women, 23,812 were counseled of which 19,794 were agreed to undergo HIV testing and 111 were found HIV positive with a prevalence of 0.56%. Overall HIV counseling and testing rates were 59.32% and 83.13%, respectively. The nevirapine (NVP) dispensing rate of the mother and newborn were 29.72% and 85.4%, respectively. At 18 months of age, 85% babies were found HIV negative in the mother baby pair who received NVP with absolutely formula feeding but it was 42.8% without such intervention. Conclusion: Majority of the pregnant women who came to the labor room directly were deprived of the program (PPTCT) coverage. Although the HIV testing rate reached the WHO target which was excellent, but the NVP dispensing rate lagged far behind.

Factors affecting the healthcare-seeking behavior of mothers regarding their children in a rural community of Darjeeling district, West Bengal

Background : An ailing, unresponsive health system and the existing social complexities, with considerable contextual differences, are all pervasive in India. In health, these are manifested as differences in morbidity and mortality, severely affecting child health and survival. Objectives: To find out the possible factors affecting the health-seeking behavior of mothers with regard to their children, in a rural community of Darjeeling district, and the reasons for not seeking curative care for perceived sick children. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional, community-based study among the mothers of the Naxalbari Block was undertaken, using a multistage random sampling technique, from June to August 2011, by using the questionnaire method. A total of 256 mothers (sample size) were studied. Results: Joint family structure, mass media exposure, literacy status, socioeconomic status of mothers, and gender differences among children were found to be significantly associated with the healthcare-seeking behavior of the mothers. Conclusion: Increasing maternal education, intensified awareness generation through the mass media approach, implementing gender-sensitive interventions, and counseling, may have positive implications in future, leading to better health outcomes and favorable health indicators.

Physical injury: A profile among the municipal primary school children of Siliguri, Darjeeling District

A cross sectional study was conducted from February - May 2009 with the objectives to find out profile of injuries among municipal primary school children in Siliguri, West Bengal and to identify the related factor associated with injury. 20% of total primary schools under municipal corporation of the town were selected and a pre-designed, pre-tested schedule was used to assess the profile of injury and associated factors. The Chi square test was usedto determine statistical significance at the 0.05 significance level. Out of 956 participants, a significantly higher injury was observed among males (68%). Open wound injuries were commonest (59.6%) occurring mainly at the extremities. Falls were mainly responsible for overall injuries. Injury at home (41.8%) was also found to be more. Mother education, number of siblings and presence of caregiver were significant related factors to injury.

A community based pilot study on prevalence of hemoglobinopathies among the antenatal women in a rural area of Darjeeling district, West Bengal.

Background: Hemoglobinopathies comprising of thalassemias and various hemoglobin (Hb) variants continue to plague the health system of India. Aims: To find out the prevalence of various hemoglobinopathies in the study population and to identify any association with the various ethnic groups residing in rural community of Darjeeling district, West Bengal. Materials and Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in Naxalbari block of Darjeeling district, West Bengal from June 2011 to August 2011, involving hemoglobin variant screening by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method of 188 antenatal women, selected through multistage random sampling technique. Results: 26.6% of mothers had abnormal hemoglobin, the commonest being the Hemoglobin E (Hb E) trait (15.42%). The prevalence of homozygous HbE, HbE βthalassemia, β-thalassemia trait and hemoglobin S-trait in the studied population was 6.91%, 0.53%, 2.12% and 1.06% respectively. There was a single case of the rare hemoglobin J Meerut. Among those having abnormal hemoglobin, 66% belonged to one ethnic group, Rajbanshis. A statistically significant association was noted between Hb E syndrome (comprising of HbE trait, homozygous HbE, HbE-betathalassemia) and Rajbanshis ( P Conclusion: Findings suggest a high prevalence of hemoglobinopathies particularly Hb E in the studied population, especially Rajbanshis and warrant the need of wider community-based initiative for carrier detection and awareness generation.

Assessment of knowledge and attitude regarding intrauterine devices among auxiliary nurse midwife in two districts of North Bengal

Intrauterine devices (IUDs) are long-acting methods of family planning, which are cost-effective and viable ways of reducing unmet need and unintended pregnancy, especially in low income countries. They are safe, convenient and highly efficacious, and their use is advocated as an ideal option for all women, including nulliparous women. In 1952, India was the first country in the world to have launched a National Programme for Family Planning, but still the proportion of women using any modern method of contraception is far from satisfactory. The two most commonly used reversible contraceptives in India: the oral contraceptive pills and condoms, are highly userdependent. Despite requiring less motivation and offering cost-effective long-term protection, the latest NFHS 4 reports suggest that only 1.5% women use IUDs as preferred method of contraception. ABSTRACT