Meenu Mariya James

Over the past decade, dengue incidence has been steadily increasing across the different climatic zones of India. The role of climatic variability in the spatial and temporal distribution of dengue at the district level across India is to be determined. District-level dengue incidence data from 2010 to 2022 were obtained from the National Centre for Vector-Borne Disease Control. Indian districts were categorized into eleven climatic zones based on the Köppen-Geiger climate classification scheme and subsequently grouped into three significant climatic zones (tropical, temperate and arid). Temporal trends were assessed using the Prais-Winsten regression model that accounted for serial autocorrelation, while climate zonal differences in annual incidence were evaluated using Kruskal-Wallis tests and pairwise comparisons. The global Moran’s I test was used to assess overall spatial autocorrelation, followed by Anselin’s local Moran’s I test to identify clustering and hotspots of dengue incidences at the district level. There is significant heterogeneity in dengue distribution across the districts in India. Prais-Winsten regression analysis shows the strongest upward trend in dengue incidence in polar tundra (ET) zone [AIR = 126.9%; p = 0.01], temperate, no dry season, hot summer (Cfa) zone [AIR: 94.8%; p = 0.01], and cold, no dry season, warm summer (Dfb) zone [AIR = 85.1%; p < 0.001], indicating a substantial intensification of dengue transmission even in cooler climatic regions. Kruskal-Wallis tests confirmed persistent and significant disparities between tropical, temperate, and arid regions. Spatial analysis revealed clustering (Global Moran’s I = 0.06, p < 0.001), with 31 high-incidence clusters concentrated primarily in the semi-arid regions of Punjab and Haryana, and humid regions of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Overall, the identified clustering of high-incidence districts in semi-arid and humid regions, along with the upward trends in multiple climatic zones, highlights an urgent need to embed climate-sensitive planning, early warning systems, and geographically targeted vector-control measures into India’s dengue prevention framework.

Malaria is endemic in several tribal-dominated districts in India. Partnering and educating the tribal communities are key to malaria elimination efforts. A Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices (KAP) study was undertaken at Kandhamal, a tribal-dominated malaria endemic district in the state of Odisha, to assess the gaps in malaria awareness in this community for focused public health interventions. To assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices on malaria in the tribal-dominated regions of Kandhamal district, Odisha. A descriptive KAP survey was carried out in the Kandhamal district at the household level. Three hundred households/respondents from 6 blocks distributed in 44 villages were selected through convenient sampling. Statistical analysis was carried out using SPSS (version 24), and ArcGIS software was used for GIS mapping. The respondents had good knowledge on the major malaria symptoms. Witchcraft, contaminated food/water, and contact with a malaria case were thought to transmit malaria by 5.3%, 14.3%, and 9.7% of respondents, respectively, and these clusters have been mapped by GIS. Logistic regression identified reduced level of education and open source of water supply to have a strong association with the misconceptions regarding malaria among the respondents. Knowledge and attitude regarding malaria were found to be associated with residence in a hilly area and an open source of water supply, respectively. Overall, the participants in Kandhamal had good KAP on malaria. The clusters with poor knowledge could be the target of focused public health interventions

From infancy through to old age, the microbiome plays an important role in modulating the host-immune system. As we age, our immune system and our gut microbiota change significantly in composition and function, which is linked to an increased vulnerability to infectious diseases and a decrease in vaccine responses. Our microbiome remains largely stable throughout adulthood; however, aging causes a major shift in the composition and function of the gut microbiome, as well as a decrease in diversity. Considering the critical role of the gut microbiome in the host-immune system, it is important to address, prevent, and ameliorate age-related dysbiosis, which could be an effective strategy for preventing/restoring functional deficits in immune responses as we grow older. Several factors, such as the host’s genetics and nutritional state, along with the gut microbiome, can influence vaccine efficacy or reaction. Emerging evidence suggests that the microbiome could be a significant determinant of vaccine immunity. Physiological mechanisms such as senescence, or the steady loss of cellular functions, which affect the aging process and vaccination responses, have yet to be comprehended. Recent studies on several COVID-19 vaccines worldwide have provided a considerable amount of data to support the hypothesis that aging plays a crucial role in modulating COVID-19 vaccination efficacy across different populations.

Contamination of drinking water with endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) raises concerns over the security and long-term sustainability of clean water supplies as well as human exposure via daily water intake. In this study, the seasonal disparity and occurrence of six phthalates and bisphenol-A in the drinking water supply system and associated health-risk were examined. The detection frequencies of the ∑6PAEs ranged from 24 to 100% in the winter whereas; in summer it is below the detection limit up to 100%. DEHP was the most prevalent phthalate congener ranging from 1.14 to 8351.85 µg/L (winter) and 0.552 to 410.29 µg/L (summer) surpassing the permissible limit. However, BPA concentrations were found under the permissible limit. The results suggested that PAEs concentration displayed significant seasonal variations with the highest in winter and the lowest in summer. The exposure to PAEs and BPA from drinking water was assessed, indicating a possible health risk to humans with a hazard quotient (HQ) > 1 for DEHP only. The findings necessitate an immediate scrutiny of these EDCs in drinking water supply system and are critical for implementing effective technologies at the WTP scale to ensure the quality and safety of drinking water to ascertain human and environmental health.

Blood feeding is an important behavior of Aedes aegypti, a dominant arboviral disease vector, as it can establish and transmit viruses to humans. Bacteria associated with the mosquito gut can modulate the biological characteristics and behavior of disease vectors. In this study, we characterized the gut microbiota composition of human-blood-fed (HF), non-human-blood-fed (NHF) and non-fed (NF) field-collected Ae. aegypti mosquitoes, using a 16S metagenomic approach, to assess any association of bacterial taxa with the blood-feeding behavior of Ae. aegypti. A significant difference in the microbiota composition between the HF and NF mosquito group was observed. A significant association was observed in the relative abundance of families Rhodobacteraceae, Neisseriaceae and Dermacoccaceae in the HF group in contrast to NF and NHF Ae. aegypti mosquitoes, respectively. At the class level, two classes (Rhodobacterales and Neisseriales) were found to be in higher abundance in the HF mosquitoes compared to a single class of bacteria (Caulobacterales) in the NF mosquitoes. These results show that human-blood feeding may change the gut microbiota in wild Ae. aegypti populations. More research is needed to determine how changes in the midgut bacterial communities in response to human-blood-feeding affect the vectorial capacity of Ae. aegypti.