Satesh Bidaisee

Zoonoses and One Health: A Review of the Literature

Background. One health is a concept that was officially adopted by international organizations and scholarly bodies in 1984. It is the notion of combining human, animal, and environmental components to address global health challenges that have an ecological interconnectedness. Methods. A cross-sectional study of the available literature cited was conducted from January 1984 when the one health concept was adopted till December 2012 to examine the role of the one health approach towards zoonoses. Inclusion criteria included publications, professional presentations, funding allocations, official documentation books, and book chapters, and exclusion criteria included those citations written outside the period of review. Results. A total of 737 resources met the inclusion criteria and were considered in this review. Resources showed a continuous upward trend for the years from 2006 to 2012. The predominant resources were journal publications with environmental health as the significant scope focus for one health. There was also an emphasis on the distribution of the work from developed countries. All categories of years, resources, scopes, and country locale differed from the means (P = 0.000). Year of initiative, scope, and country locale showed a dependent relationship (P = 0.022, P = 0.003, and P = 0.021, resp.). Conclusion. Our findings demonstrate the rapid growth in embracing the concept of one health, particularly in developed countries over the past six years. The advantages and benefits of this approach in tackling zoonoses are manifold, yet they are still not seemingly being embraced in developing countries where zoonoses have the greatest impact.

Environmental Harms in Distant Polar Regions and Small Island Developing States

The Polar Regions (PR) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are distant and relatively undeveloped. They differ in cultures, socioeconomics, geographies, flora and fauna, and annual average temperatures. Despite their differences, they are similar in having small percentages of global population, limited economic and political influence, growing reliance on imported food and goods, and producing relatively small amounts of greenhouse gas emissions. The Arctic encompasses about four million people and 30 different Indigenous Peoples. There, warming has increased exposure to infectious, vector-borne, and mental illnesses; reduced food and water security; and displaced communities through scarcity, rising sea levels, and melting permafrost that damages infrastructure. Combined, the Small Island Developing States (SIDS) have over 60 million people. Their extensive and low lying coastal areas make them particularly vulnerable to sea level rise and extreme weather. Changes in temperatures and precipitation patterns in Caribbean SIDs contributed to outbreaks of infectious diseases including cholera in Haiti, malaria in Jamaica, and H1N1 influenza virus in Barbados. Previously confined to SIDS of the Indian Ocean, Chikungunya (CHIKV) appeared across Caribbean SIDS in 2013, causing significant morbidity. We review health impacts of climate change in the PR and SIDS, contrast the environmental contexts in which these are occurring, and discuss regional and global causes and consequences.

Clinical, Serological, and Molecular Observations from a Case Series Study during the Asian Lineage Zika Virus Outbreak in Grenada during 2016

This paper describes the spatial and temporal distribution of cases, demographic characteristics of patients, and clinical manifestations of Zika virus (ZIKV) during the 2016 outbreak in Grenada. The first reported case was recorded in St. Andrew Parish in April, and the last reported case was seen in November, with peak transmission occurring in the last week of June, based on test results. Data were collected from a total of 514 patients, of whom 207 (40%) tested positive for ZIKV. No evidence was found that testing positive for ZIKV infection was related to age, gender, or pregnancy status. Clinical presentation with rash (OR = 2.4, 95% CI = 1.5 to 3.7) or with lymphadenopathy (OR = 1.7, 95% CI = 1.0 to 2.9) were the only reported symptoms consistent with testing positive for ZIKV infection. During the Zika outbreak, the infection rate was 20 clinical cases per 10,000 in the population compared to 41 cases per 10,000 during the chikungunya outbreak in Grenada in 2014 and 17 cases per 10,000 during the dengue outbreak in 2001-2002. Even though the country has employed vector control programs, with no apparent decrease in infection rates, it appears that new abatement approaches are needed to minimize morbidity in future arbovirus outbreaks.

Evaluation of the Grenada Sports for Health Program

Objective: The study served to measure basic health outcome measures to help guide the continued implementation of the community exercise component of the Grenada Sports for Health program. Design & Methods: The study population consisted of Grenadian citizens enrolled in three different community exercise programs as part of the Royal Grenada Police Force, Point Saline and La Sagesse, Grenville, Gouyave and Tanteen community exercise program. Initial data collection for this prospective cohort study began during March of 2011 and continued data collection through quarterly assessments was continued to June/ July 2014 and June/July 2016. The health indicators for the Sports for Health program were designed to monitor and analyse program participants’ physical health indicators, such as Body Mass Index (BMI), Waist to Hip ratio over time to determine if their participation in the community training program was promoting health benefits by reducing risk factors for non-communicable chronic diseases. Results: During the baseline evaluation period in March, 2011, complete data sets were obtained for 427 participants. During the evaluation period of March 2014, 337 complete data sets were collected from participants from 2011 and during June/July 2016 evaluation, 264 complete data sets were obtained. The BMI, Waist, hip, and waist: hip ratio is presented in Table 1. BMI and Waist: Hip ratio using a Student’s T-test (α=0.05) demonstrated a significant difference between 2011 and 2016 measures (Table 1). Conclusions: Participants have demonstrated a significant and positive difference in physical health indicators over three years of participation in the Sports for Health program. Biomedical Journal of Scientific & Technical Research (BJSTR) Open Access Introduction Over the past few decades, a rise in non-communicable diseases globally and especially in the developing nations has occurred. This may be due to socioeconomic disparities[1] and more so the increasing income inequality [2], as well as the westernization of diets, combined with a decrease in physical activity. Based on WHO report, non-communicable diseases (NCD) are responsible for 63% of deaths globally, with nearly 80% of NCD deaths occurring in low and middleincome nations[3].The greatest risk factors for NCD are tobacco use, physical inactivity, alcohol abuse and unhealthy diet. Physical activity is a critical component for decreasing overall mortality and incidence of NCD[3-5].Furthermore, exercise improves cognition in older adults[6-9].Studies show communitybased programs to be effective in managing and improving the outcomes of non-communicable diseases, especially cardiovascular disease, hypertension and obesity[10,11]. Community based programs also show an increase in participation and a decrease in health care costs[12]. The use of community based approaches to health improvement is not new and serves as a mutli-pronged approach to create a positive change. A community approach not only engages in healthy behaviours, but also empowers members of the community to make lasting and effective changes[13].The community exercise program in Grenada provides community based exercise opportunities to help reduce the burden of NCDs. The program is run by the Royal Grenadian Police Force at fivesites around the island of Grenada. The program is focused on engaging adults in a more active lifestyle by delivering different exercise activities to a group five days a week. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of the sports for health program for improving health outcomes using a community based intervention. Design and Methods The study population consisted of Grenadian citizens enrolled in five different community exercise programs as part of the Royal Grenada Police Force, Fitness Club in Point Saline and La Sagesse, Grenville, Gouyave and Tanteen. The community exercise programs offered aerobic exercises, ranging from dancing, fast track, jogging, running, and strength training.Initial data collection for this prospective cohort study began during March of 2011 and continued data collection through quarterly assessments was carriedthrough June/July 2016. The Sports for Health program was designed to monitor and analyse program participants’ physical health indicators, such as Body Mass Index (BMI), Waist to Hip ratio over Biomedical Journal of Scientific & Technical Research Volume 6Issue 4: 2018 Cite this article: Satesh B, Calum M. Evaluation of the Grenada Sports for Health Program. Biomed J Sci&Tech Res 6(4)2018. BJSTR. MS.ID.001388. DOI: 10.26717/ BJSTR.2018.06.001388. 2/3 time, to determine if their participation in the community training program was improving health indicators.The measurements for hip and waist were collected using a tape measure. The weight was collected using a standard mechanical scale. Data were recorded on survey forms at the fitness centres. Results During the baseline evaluation period in March, 2011, complete data sets were obtained for 427 participants. During the evaluation period of March 2014, 337 complete data sets were collected from participant’s from2011 and 264 complete data sets in 2016. The BMI, Waist, hip, and waist: hip ratio is presented in Table 1. BMI and Waist: Hip ratio using a Student’s T-test (α=0.05) demonstrated a significant difference for both measures between 2011 and 2014. There was no demonstrated difference between 2014 and 2016. The number of participants available for the study in 2011, 2014 and 2016 decreased over time. In 2014 there was a loss of 90 participants and a further loss of 73 participants in 2016, resulting in an overall loss of 40% of initial participants.Overall changes in participant measures of waist, hip and weight measurements reported a decrease in all measurements in 2014 with maintenance in 2016. The change in BMI measurement between the group in 2011 and 2014 showed a decrease of 4.9, then maintenance in 2016. The waist to hip ratio reduction of 0.04 was observed between 2011 and 2014 and also maintained in 2016 see Figure 1.The comparison measures of BMI and waist to hip ratio between 2011 and 2014 were significant and had a pvalue <0.05, with no observable difference between 2014 and 2016. Table 1: Comparing physical health indicators between 2011, 2014 and 2016. Measured physical health indicators between 2011, 2014 and 2016

Parasitic botfly infection of a child in central Virginia

Fig 2. Botfly maggot at early instar. INTRODUCTION Myiasis has largely been considered a rare, exotic condition in the United States. This perception often delays diagnosis, resulting in unnecessary pain and frustration for patients. Here we describe the unusual case of an 11-year-old girl who was parasitized by a cuterebrid botfly after a day trip in August of 2016 to Smith Mountain Lake, Virginia.

Occupational exposure and respiratory health problems among nutmeg production workers in Grenada, the Caribbean.

Abstract Background: The nutmeg industry is a major contributor to the Grenadian economy. However, workers in the industry face many environmental and occupational health risks. Objectives: The goal of this study was to investigate respiratory health problems and possible related occupational exposures among nutmeg production workers. Methods: A questionnaire, spirometry and allergen skin-prick test was given to 92 nutmeg workers. Samples for measurement of airborne dust, mold, and phosphine were also collected from work environments. Results: Approximately half of the workers with lower respiratory symptoms such as dry cough (49.4%) and shortness of breath (42.9%) reported that their symptoms were work related. Spirometry results showed that 18.8% of workers had obstruction. Area geometric mean (GM) inhalable dust concentrations, GM personal concentrations, and total mold spores during work activities were found to be high. Conclusions: High prevalence of respiratory symptoms among workers in this facility was consistent with measured levels of dust and mold, and was widespread over all work areas.