Biomedical subjects

Vikas Bhatia

Publications and source records attributed to Vikas Bhatia.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2004

Immunization status in children.

OBJECTIVE: Recent studies and surveys are observing a declining trend of routine immunization coverage and fully immunized children in India are reported to be 38%. A rapid assessment technique was used on National Immunization Day (PPI) to assess the immunization status among children in the age group of 12-23 months covering urban, rural and slum areas in UT, Chandigarh. METHODS: The study covered 796 children in proportion of their distribution in urban, rural and slum areas. RESULTS: Evaluation recorded fully immunized children as 72.23%, partially immunized as 22.99% and unimmunized as 4.64%. Only 58.66% children in urban slums were fully immunized. The overall coverage for various vaccines was BCG: 93.09%, DPT1/OPV1: 93.97%, DPT2/OPV2: 90.57%, DPT3/OPV3: 85.92% and measles: 76%. No sex-wise difference was noticed in the study. CONCLUSION: Efforts must be made to strengthen routine immunization programme especially in the underprivileged groups and areas such as slum in cities so that target of universal coverage can be achieved as envisaged at national level.

Female↗

PubMed2004

Outbreak of measles amongst vaccinated children in a slum of Chandigarh.

BACKGROUND: An outbreak of measles was reported from a slum, UT, Chandigarh in April 2003. Similar outbreak was also reported in less than three years from the same and adjoining areas. The present study was conducted to investigate and assess various epidemiological features associated with measles outbreak. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Three cases of measles were admitted in Dept. of Paediatrics, Govt. Medical College & Hospital, Chandigarh and were reported to the Dept. of Community Medicine for an outbreak investigation. A trained team investigated the slum having a population of 25,000 and studied various features associated with epidemic between the period of April 22 to May 10, 2003. RESULTS: The study covered 484 houses having 1130 children. Among the children who developed measles 32.76% were vaccinated ones. In them attack rate was 3%. Attack rate in vaccinated children went on increasing as age increased. An overall attack rate of 5.13% (Peak incidence 6% in 1-4 years age group) was recorded. Among measles cases, one-fifth had post measles complications. As much as 32.76% children with measles had received measles vaccination in the past. Therefore something more than immunization by single dose of vaccine is required. Measles was reported to be higher amongst the children without Vitamin A supplementation (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: There is need to store vaccine properly and to strengthen routine immunization coverage, Vitamin A supplementation and health infrastructure in underprivileged population. Serological studies among vaccinated children against measles should be undertaken to explore the possibility of second dose of measles in older children.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2003

Social and functional status of older persons in a north Indian community.

With increase in life expectancy, the geriatric population is growing in developing countries. The Union Territory of Chandigarh has a population of about 0.9 million with nearly 90% in urban and 10% in rural areas. This cross-sectional, descriptive study was conducted in Chandigarh over a period of one year; 1998-99 among 362 subjects 65 years or more of age covering a population of 7937 family members in 1882 houses. The sampling was done by random sampling technique covering urban and rural population. The proportion of older persons in Chandigarh comprised 5.47% of the population. Most of the respondents were living with their spouses. More than one-fifth of urban and two third of rural older persons were illiterate. About 86% were living with their families and only 3.6% were living alone. Major modes of recreation were visiting religious places by two-thirds followed by going to parks and gardens by nearly one-fourth. Among 203 older persons having living partners in the study, one in every fifth older persons had indulged in sexual intercourse in the past six months. Nearly 2% of older persons needed assistance (partial or full) in activities of daily living like bathing, dressing, toileting, feeding, continence etc. The study also observed rural and urban variation in the use of aids and appliances by older persons. On the basis of very few having functional limitations, there is a need to include components of recreational facilities, activities of daily living, and not just assistance and aids and appliances, while developing a comprehensive geriatric health care programme in developing countries.

Activities of Daily Living↗