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Paederus dermatitis, a kind of irritant contact dermatitis by Staphylinid beetle, is more prevalent in Asia-Pacific countries with the attributes of tropical climate. Brushing, pressing, or crushing of the beetle against the skin releases the pederin toxin (pederin) that can produce urticarial, vesicular, and bullous lesions. We conducted a 1-year retrospective study of 84 patients with Paederus dermatitis attending our hospital to study the clinical patterns of dermatitis and epidemiological prevalence. It mostly affects the hostel students residing within the campus near the paddy fields. Itching was most common symptom, involving mainly the neck and arms. Linear erythematous lesions were the common sign involving the extremities (40.1%), neck (36.4%) and trunk (32.1%). Vesicles and pustule formation was seen in (51.19%) of the patients, respectively. The most striking feature of Paederus dermatitis, the Kissing lesions were seen in (2.4%) of the patients. Periorbital involvement was seen in (17.4%) of the cases. Paederus beetles were frequently seen in the campus attracted by incandescent and fluorescent lights. Simple preventive measures such as use of insecticide like pyrethroid, clearing of excess vegetation would check the Paederus infection. Clinical education and awareness regarding this condition will prevent misdiagnosis. [Med-Science 2013; 2(3.000): 764-9]

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic declared as a global health emergency by World Health Organisation on March 24 2020, had many impacts on the health of the people especially mental health of children. Objectives: To find the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on mental health and to determine the associated factors among children studying in various schools of Kanyakumari District of Tamil Nadu. Material and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 400 school children selected through convenient sampling studying in selected schools of Kanyakumari District. A questionnaire covering 4 different domains with minimum score as 0 and maximum as 41, grouped as normal (> 30), borderline (15-30) and abnormal (<15) was used for data collection. The data collected was entered into MS excel and was analysed using SPSS version 26.0. Results: Among the study participants 14 % of adolescents had abnormal mental health status, which was more among girls (15.7%) and around 67.5% of the adolescents had Borderline mental health status, which was more among boys (70.45%) and this association was found to be statistically significant (p < 0.001).Physical health factors domain was the most affected among girls (20.56%) and educational factors were affected the most among boys (19.54%) and these associations were found to be statistically significant. Conclusion: Effective mental health promotion strategies that are tailored to the needs of boys and girls has to be in place starting from schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: School education is an important part of child's overall growth. But, during the process of attaining school education, children are burdened with heavy back packs which can cause serious health issues. Objectives: The objectives of the study were to assess the knowledge and attitude of school teachers about the ill effects of carrying heavy back packs in children. Materials and Methods: A school based cross sectional study was done among 264 school teachers teaching 6th to 8th standard selected through multistage stratified random sampling technique from selected schools of Kanyakumari district from May 2022 to May 2023. Data collected using a predesigned pre tested and self-administered questionnaire was entered into MS Excel and was analysed using SPSS version 26.0. Results: The results revealed that only 31.8 % of the school teachers knew that the ideal proportion of back packs, 56.4 % knew that the heavy bag packs can cause headache, neck pain and leg pain, 49.2 % knew that it causes shoulder pain and 43.6% knew that it causes back pain in students. For questions on attitude, 20.5 % and 42% of them agreed that heavy back packs can be a reason for tiredness and that it can cause mental stress, respectively. Conclusion: While only half of the participants were knowledgeable about the physical effects of heavy back packs in students, less than half of them were of the attitude that it can have mental and emotional effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Needle stick injuries (NSIs) pose a significant occupational hazard, exposing healthcare workers to the risk of blood borne infections and other associated health complications. Understanding the prevalence and identifying the contributing risk factors is crucial for developing targeted interventions and enhancing safety protocols to mitigate the incidence of such injuries. Aims & Objectives: •To estimate the prevalence of needle stick injuries among healthcare workers of a tertiary care hospital. •To describe the risk factors associated with occurence of Needle Stick Injury. Materials and Methods: The hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted at Kanyakumari Government Medical College & Hospital for a period of 2 months (August -- September 2022). The study population comprised 301 individuals, including consultants, postgraduates, interns, nursing students, staff nurses, paramedical workers, technicians, and cleaning staff. Simple random sampling was employed as the sample technique by using Random number table. Informed consent was obtained from the study participants in the regional language after explaining the purpose of study. Institutional Ethical Committee clearance was obtained before data collection. Data was collected using a pre-tested and semi-structured questionnaire, details about devices involved in recent injuries, factors associated with needle stick injuries, types of injuries, duty timings, time of reporting, and actions taken after injuries were obtained and data were entered into MS EXCEL and analyzed using SPSS version 22.0. Results: Paramedical Workers and Staff Nurses constitute the highest percentages of NSIs at 27% and 12%, respectively. The locations where NSIs frequently occur include the Emergency Ward (26%) and Intensive Care (27%). Hypodermic needles are identified as the primary cause (39%), with procedures (38%) and recapping (22%) being the leading activities linked to NSIs. Lack of awareness about the reporting process is identified as a significant reason, with 6.38% of participant were not aware of the reporting procedures. Conclusion: The study not only highlights the prevalence and characteristics of NSIs among healthcare workers but also emphasizes the importance of understanding reporting barriers. The findings to be reported targeted interventions to enhance occupational safety, improvement in reporting practices ultimately contribute to a safer working environment for healthcare professionals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]