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Background: Soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections often affect the poorest and most deprived communities. In order to generate reliable data for planning a school based deworming program, we conducted a survey among primary school children studying in government schools in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The objectives of our survey were to estimate the prevalence and intensity of STH infections. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey among children studying in 130 primary schools from 9 agroclimatic zones, during May - August 2015. Information about socio-demographic details, defecation and handhygiene practices, and stool samples were collected from the school children. Stool samples were examined using the Kato-Katz method. Results: Stool samples from 6421 school children were examined. The overall weighted prevalence of any STH in the State was 75.6% (95% CI: 71.2-79.5). The prevalence was more than 50% in six of the nine agro-climatic zones. A. lumbricoides was the most prevalent STH (prevalence: 69.6%), followed by hookworm (prevalence: 22.6%) and T. trichura (4.6%). The majority of the STH infections were of low intensity. The practice of open defecation and not washing hands with soap after defecation and residence in kutcha house were significant risk factors of STH infection. Conclusions: STH prevalence among primary school children in Uttar Pradesh was high. Given the WHO guidelines on deworming frequency according to STH prevalence, Govt of Uttar Pradesh needs to implement a school-based deworming program with bi-annual frequency. The findings of our survey would also help monitor the performance of school based deworming programme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In India, preventing mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) remains one of the foremost challenge in community health. Countrywide MTCT of HIV is estimated to be > 10,000 annually. Aims of present study are to find out the prevalence of HIV and correlates of HIV transmission among children given birth by HIV infected mother through systematic review along with meta-analysis.Methods: All avaiable articles are retrieved using MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, Science Direct, EMBASE, Google Scholar and PUBMED following guidelines for Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). Joanna Briggs Institute Meta-Analysis of Statistics Assessment and Review Instrument (JBI-MAStARI) are applied to critically reviewing the selected articles. STATA 13.0 is used to preparation of forest plot for Meta-analysis. For assessment of heterogeneity and publication biases I2 statistics along with Begg and Mazumdar's test and Egger's tests are used. Odds ratio (OR) along with forest plots have been showing with 95% confidence interval (CI).Results: All together 10 studies including 1537 pairs of mothers and new births are assessed in present meta-analysis. Present analysis revealed the prevalence of HIV due to MTCT in India as 8.76% (95% CI; 5.76, 12.31). Analysis of subgroups exhibit a higher pooled prevalence in eastern region of India, 10.83% (95% CI: 5.9, 17.81) and lower in in Western region in India, 6.37% (95% CI: 4.65, 8.49). Status of MTCT before and after initiation of universal ART are 10.23% (95% CI 6.61, 14.55) and 7.93% (95% CI 4.18, 12.76) respectively. Associated factors with MTCT of HIV include absence of maternal prevention of MTCT intervention, OR = 10.82 (95% CI: 5.28, 22.17), lacking in administration of infant ARV (antiretroviral), OR = 8.21 (95% CI: 4.82, 14.0) and absence of medical facility during childbirth OR = 3.73 (95% CI: 1.67, 8.33).Conclusions: In India, pooled HIV prevalence of MTCT as high as 8.78% (95% CI; 5.76, 12.31) among babies born to infected mothers warrants urgent need of focused intervention for providing ART (PMTCT intervention), ensuring proper infant ARV prophylaxis, and avoiding delivery without proper medical facility to pregnant women with HIV for reduction of occurrence in HIV transmission from mothers to children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]