Showing 5 results for Aedes
Seyed Hassan Nikookar, Mahmoud Fazeli-Dinan, Maryam Khazaee-Pool, Mahmood Moosazadeh, Morteza Zaim, Ahmadali Enayati,
Volume 32, Issue 213 (10-2022)
Abstract
Background and purpose: The knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of healthcare workers are important to reduce the transmission and burden of dengue. There is no standard tool to assess KAP of healthcare workers about dengue in Mazandaran Province, Iran, so this study was conducted to design and assess the validity and reliability of a questionnaire in Persian assessing KAP of healthcare workers about these mosquito-borne viral disease.
Materials and methods: In this descriptive analytical study, a preliminary questionnaire containing 81 questions was designed after reviewing articles and interviews with experts. To determine the validity of the scale, quantitative-qualitative face and content validity were measured, and Cronbach's alpha coefficient was used to assess the reliability.
Results: In the study of face validity and qualitative content, experts' opinions were applied to the items as minor changes. The Impact Score (IS) of all items were higher than 1.5 (1.5-5) which provided supports for items importance. Content validity, based on the Lawshe table, optimal value of content validity ratio (CVR), and content validity index (CVI) were 0.6 and higher than 0.8, respectively. All items except one that was removed, obtained the desired score and were retained in the scale. Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.79 which showed that all items had an acceptable correlation.
Conclusion: This study provided a reliable and valid tool in Persian to assess KAP of healthcare workers about dengue in Mazandaran Province, north of Iran and can be used for measuring dengue KAP by Iranian researchers.
Seyed Hassan Nikookar, Mahmoud Fazeli-Dinan, Morteza Zaim, Ahmadali Enayati,
Volume 33, Issue 1 (11-2023)
Abstract
Background and purpose: Dengue fever has become a major public health problem in many regions of the world due to increased trade and travel and problems in controlling Aedes vectors. The purpose of this policy brief is to review, analyze and present evidence-based policies for dengue prevention and control.
Materials and methods: The present research is a systematic review in order to compile a policy brief in Iran, which was carried out in 3 stages according to its methodology. In the first stage, the justification and description of the problem was done in a systematic manner and by examining scientific documents through searching in national and international scientific databases, websites, guidelines and books. In the second stage, a draft of the priority elements related to the policy framework was prepared by the first author and discussed with the other authors. In the third stage, the draft questions were categorized and summarized, and then the policies were compiled in close discussion with all authors.
Results: According to the recommendations of the best available evidence in the literature, five policy options were presented for the prevention and control of dengue fever, including 1- development of basic, applied and innovative research 2- Strengthening the capacity and capability of the human, infrastructural and health system in all relevant sectors for the surveillance, control, monitoring and evaluation 3- strengthening inter- and intra-sectoral coordination and collaboration 4- community engagement and mobilization 5- scaling up of functions and integrating tools.
Conclusion: In order to increase the long-term impact of policies, it is recommended to use an integrated approach with the continuous support of all stakeholders (local, national, regional).
Samaneh Dehghan, Fatemeh Mortezazadeh, Mohammad Roshani-Sefidkoohi,
Volume 33, Issue 226 (11-2023)
Abstract
Background and purpose: Considering the effects of dengue fever on the health of people in the society and the role of climatic and environmental factors on the spread of this disease, this review study has investigated the climatic and environmental factors affecting the prevalence of dengue fever.
Materials and methods: In this review, the academic papers, in English and persian languages, published until the beginning of August 2022 were investigated. These articles were searched in scientific databasese of Scopus, ScienceDirect, PubMed, Web of Science and Google Scholar, using keywords such as "dengue fever", "dengue vector", "vector mosquito", "Aedes mosquito", "environmental factors", and "weather factors". Endnote X8 software was also used to organize, and study titles and abstracts of the articles.
Results: Considering the impacts of environmental changes on mosquito population and its subsequent effect on the occurrence of dengue fever, the present study showed that changes in climatic factors including air temperature, rainfall, and humidity affect the frequency of dengue disease vectors. Land use and land cover change can affect mosquito population and dengue transmission by changing local ecology. Household waste and its accumulation around residential houses can also hold a significant amount of water as environmental pollutants and can be considered as a habitat for mosquito larvae such as Aedes species.
Conclusion: The analysis of climatic and environmental factors has shown that environmental factors and weather changes can affect the occurrence of dengue fever.
Mahmoud Fazeli-Dinan, Seyed Hassan Nikookar, Mostafa Azarnoosh, Ali Jafari, Erfan Daneshpour, Ahmadali Enayati, Morteza Zaim,
Volume 34, Issue 232 (4-2024)
Abstract
Background and purpose: Aedes mosquitoes, especially Aedes aegypti and A. albopictus, due to their special biological and ecological characteristics, have high adaptability and establishment power in different weather conditions, including Iran, and for this reason, they are called invasive mosquitoes. These mosquitoes, which are known as a serious problem for human health, are very important in terms of transmission of very important arboviral diseases such as dengue fever, chikungunya, Zika virus, and yellow fever. Considering the importance of these diseases on the health system and human health, as well as numerous reports of the spread of arboviral diseases through Aedes mosquitoes in different countries, various programs have been proposed to control Aedes mosquitoes. As a result, introducing suitable methods to control Aedes mosquitoes can play a significant role in reducing the transmission of these diseases and maintaining human health. Therefore, in this review, we evaluate the use of each of the Aedes mosquito control methods.
Materials and methods: This article is a narrative review of the introduction and effectiveness of different methods of controlling Aedes mosquitoes. Collecting information about control methods of A. aegypti and A. albopictus has been compiled without time and language restrictions from international scientific databases including Pub Med, Web of Science, Google Scholar, (ScienceDirect, Scopus, Elsevier, Lilacs) and Internal databases including, Scientific Information Database(SID), Iranian Medical Library(MedLib), Magiran, Civilica. The information collected based on the performance of each of the mentioned methods was extracted, categorized, analyzed, and used in compiling this article. Finally, out of a total of 10202 extracted articles, 123 articles were used in this research considering the inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Results: In general, the goals related to the use of different methods of controlling Aedes mosquitoes are different depending on the country, epidemiological conditions, resources, and local priorities. But overall, disease prevention, reduction of mosquito population, stopping of disease transmission, prevention of mosquito establishment, disease spread, reduction of nuisances and finally identification of new invasive species are prioritized. The most appropriate methods of controlling Aedes are divided into five categories: 1. Environmental methods that include reducing the habitats and growth resources of mosquitoes 2. Chemical methods that are based on the use of various insecticides chemicals and insect growth regulators 3. Mechanical methods that include the use of various traps 4. Biological methods that include the use of natural enemies 5. Genetic methods include genetic engineering and mosquito sterilization techniques. It should be noted that each of these methods can play a significant role in the establishment of Aedes mosquitoes and the spread of arboviral diseases, and as a result, reducing the number of cases of infection and death in the health system.
Conclusion: Considering the introduction of different control methods for A. aegypti and A. albopictus and the priority of each of the control methods presented; it is important to mention that the method of controlling Aedes depends a lot on the environmental conditions of the region, the stage of mosquito establishment, the population phase of mosquitoes and diseases caused by it. Therefore implementation of Aedes mosquito control programs through integrated vector management strategy is recommended, which requires the effective collaboration and coordination of national and local authorities and the general public for cost-effective control and lasting effects.
Zeynab Irandegani , Ismaeil Alizadeh, Ali Khalooei , Mohammad Amin Gorouhi , Abedin Iranpour , Abbas Aghaei Afshar,
Volume 35, Issue 244 (5-2025)
Abstract
Background and purpose: Dengue fever is one of the most common mosquito-borne diseases worldwide. The aim of this study was to investigate the knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) of health center employees in Kerman, Iran, regarding dengue fever.
Materials and methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among the employees of health centers in Kerman using a standardized four-part questionnaire in 2022. The first part of the questionnaire focused on demographics, the second on knowledge, the third on attitudes, and the fourth on personnel practices regarding dengue fever. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and SPSS software.
Results: A total of 301 individuals participated in the present study. According to the results, 10.1% of the participants were physicians, 62.5% were healthcare employees, 14.5% were environmental and occupational health employees, and 12.8% were managers working in the health centers. The mean knowledge score of the study population was 6.56 ± 2.61. A positive correlation was found between the knowledge score, attitude score, and practice score (P = 0.001). The mean attitude score of the study population was 7.23 ± 1.14, which was positively correlated with age, work experience, knowledge score, and practice score (P < 0.05). The mean practice score of the study population was 6.05 ± 1.74, which showed no significant relationship with demographic variables; however, a positive correlation was observed between the practice score and age, work experience, knowledge score, and attitude score.
Conclusion: The results indicated that the knowledge, attitude, and practice scores of health center employees in Kerman were at an average level. It is recommended that education and re-education on dengue fever be implemented among health center employees, as they are the first line of education and disease prevention.
