Suchergebnisse

This study reveals the current status of road communication development, socio-economic and environmental impacts of Chalan Beel region, and the largest wetland of Bangladesh. Despite being the most socio-economically and biologically important wetland of the country, Chalan Beel is under great environmental challenges as well. Previous works have failed to address the current status of road communication development and socio-economic impact of this legendary wetland. This study explored those issues and related them with its environmental quality and challenges. Household questionnaire survey, observation method in the field has been done to complete this research. This study found that Chalan Beel is a remarkable wetland with its large number of road communication development and socio-economic impacts, provisional, regulating, cultural and supporting services to the locality but day by day this wetland is falling under severe environmental challenges which lowering its ecosystem services. This is why this wetland deserves more attention by both government and private investors to conserve its road communication development and socio-economic impact and ensure better life of the beel dwellers. Revolutionary changes have taken place in the region with the improvement of road communication system. The study found that the government or the local administration has taken proper initiatives to boost the socio-economic conditions of Tarash areas. If proper agricultural training to farmers and high-quality seeds, fertilizers and pesticides are provided to farmers on time their socio-economic conditions would be higher. They need both public and private sectors for breeding agricultural products and fish market.

Introduction: Elimination of kala-azar is planned for South Asia requiring good surveillance along with other strategies. We assessed surveillance in Gaffargaon upazila (a subdistrict of 13 unions) of Mymensingh district, Bangladesh highly endemic for kala-azar. Methods: In 4703 randomly sampled households, within nine randomly sampled villages, drawn from three randomly sampled unions, we actively searched for kala-azar cases that had occurred between January 2010 and December 2011. We then searched for medical records of these cases in the patient registers of Gaffargaon upazila health complex (UHC). We investigated factors associated with the medical recording by interviewing the cases and their families. We also did a general observation of UHC recording systems and interviewed health staff responsible for the monthly reports of kala-azar cases. Results: Our active case finding detected 58 cases, but 29 were not recorded in the Gaffargaon UHC. Thus, only 50% (95% CI: 37%–63%) of kala-azar cases were reported via the government passive surveillance system. Interviews with health staff based in the study UHC revealed the heavy reporting burden for multiple diseases, variation in staff experience, high demands on the staff time and considerable complexity in the recording system. After adjusting for kala-azar treatment drug, recording was found more likely for those aged 18 years or more, males, receiving supply and administration of drug at the UHC, and more recent treatment. Discussion: Fifty percent of kala-azar cases occurring in one highly endemic area of Bangladesh were recorded in registers that were the source for monthly reports to the national surveillance system. Recording was influenced by patient, treatment, staff and system factors. Our findings have policy implications for the national surveillance system. Future studies involving larger samples and including interviews with health authorities at more central level and surveillance experts at the national level will generate more precise and representative evidence on the performance of kala-azar surveillance in Bangladesh.