Factors Associated With Antibiotic Use Without Prescription Among Urban Residents in Senegal
Bassoum et al. conducted a cross-sectional study between November and December 2017 to assess factors of antibiotic use without a prescription among the public of Rufisque, Senegal. They recruited participants from a bus terminal, whom they considered eligible if aged 18 years or older. Among 400 participants, 75% took antibiotics in the previous 12 months, and 75% of these did so without a prescription. Participants with no school education were at 2.7 times the risk of using antibiotics without prescription than were educated participants (confidence interval = 1.5, 4.8; P ≤ .001). Employment and gender were risk factors that did not maintain statistical significance in the multivariate model. Despite study limitations, the results provide insight into the need to increase public awareness of appropriate antibiotic use.
Citation. Bassoum O, Mbacke Lèye MM, Sougou NM, et al. Practices about antibiotic use among urban residents: a cross-sectional survey in Rufisque, Senegal. Cent Afr J Public Health. 2019;5(1):1–12.
New Antiparasitic Drug Molecules
Developing countries suffer a large public health burden of intestinal parasitosis, and current treatments are either inefficient or too expensive. The combination of antiparasitic agents with antioxidants has shown better efficiency in the treatment of parasitosis. Díaz-Carrillo et al. synthesized and purified 13 different hydroxy derivatives of chalcones, chemicals shown to have antiparasitic and antioxidant properties. They determined the effects of the drugs using biological assays, testing for parasitic worm lethality, and they compared results to standard medication. They found 3 of the synthesized chalcones to have high lethality toward parasitic worms and 2 to have a high antioxidation potential. This adds molecules to the repertoire of antiparasitic drugs to test for use in the treatment of human parasitic infections.
Citation. Díaz-Carrillo JT, Díaz-Camacho SP, Delgado-Vargas F, et al. Synthesis of leading chalcones with high antiparasitic, against Hymenolepis nana, and antioxidant activities. Braz J Pharm Sci. 2018;54(3):e17343.
High Electromagnetic Fields Levels in Samsun, Turkey
Electronical devices have become ubiquitous in daily life, increasing exposure to electromagnetic fields. This may lead to increases in adverse health consequences. Engiz used the PMM 8053 electromagnetic fields meter to measure the highest 24-hour maximum and average short electric field strength (E) exposure at 152 locations in İlkadım, Canik, and Atakum—districts of Samsun, Turkey—on April, May, and September 2017. The highest maximum and average E was 4.75 volts per meter and 3.35 volts per meter, respectively. The most populous district, which had the highest concentration of schools, workplaces, and hospitals, had the highest E levels. Populous districts should be the focus of stricter monitoring and E-level regulations.
Citation. Engiz BK. Electric field levels and its evaluation from the view of public health: Samsun city center example. Turk J Public Health. 2018;16(2):146–156.
Connection Between Populism and Vaccine Hesitancy in Western Europe
There may be a connection between populism in Western Europe and vaccine skepticism. In an analysis of national-level data from 14 countries, Kennedy found a strong positive correlation between the proportion of people who voted for populist parties and the percentage of people who believe that vaccinating children is unimportant (R = 0.7923; P ≤ .001) and that vaccines are ineffective (R = 0.7222; P = .004). Both populism and vaccine skepticism are rooted in distrust of perceived elitist systems. Vaccine skepticism is especially high in Western Europe, and effective public health interventions need to consider the sociopolitical context of a region.
Citation. Kennedy J. Populist politics and vaccine hesitancy in Western Europe: an analysis of national-level data. Eur J Public Health. 2019;Epub ahead of print.