Browsing by Author "Singh, Amarjeet"

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4

Citation - Scopus: 6
Harnessing the Potential of Uploading Health Educational Materials on Medical Institutions' Social Media for Controlling Emerging and Re-Emerging Disease Outbreaks
(Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications, 2020) Bhattacharya, Sudip; Sharma, Neha; Hoedebecke, Kyle; Hossain, Md Mahbub; Gokdemir, Ozden; Singh, Amarjeet
Citation - WoS: 3
Citation - Scopus: 2
Is It the Right Time To Introduce the Hepatitis B Booster Vaccine in National Immunization Schedule? an Analysis From the Available Evidence
(Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications, 2021) Bhattacharya, Sudip; Gokdemir, Ozden; Bashar, Md Abu; Thiyagarajan, Arulmani; Singh, Amarjeet
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a global health concern, and it is considered one of the deadliest infections in the world, having nearly 1.2 million deaths annually. Around 75% of all global HBV carriers live in the Asia-Pacific region. In this regard, India has a prevalence ranging between 2% and 7% with exposure rates of 10%-60%. Hepatitis B is a vaccine-preventable disease. In India, the World Health Organization protocol for hepatitis B vaccination has been followed, and it is given free of cost in public health facilities under the National Immunization Schedule. Despite the free hepatitis vaccination program in India, coverage and awareness are low. Low awareness, followed by low coverage of hepatitis vaccination, can prove dangerous for the Indian population in the long run. A majority of chronic hepatitis cases progress silently to end-stage liver disease without having many signs and symptoms. Once occurred, a complete cure is not possible with currently available drugs. The studies from neighboring countries such as China and Taiwan documented that the impact of single-dose booster for children of 10 years has made a significant difference from the cost-effectiveness perspective. They have also included the booster dose in their national vaccination program. Considering the low level of vaccination awareness, small coverage, high disease burden, and high treatment cost, now, it is high time for India to introduce hepatitis B booster vaccine.
Citation - WoS: 9
Leveraging Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Technology To Improve Public Health Practice: Prospects and Barriers
(Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications, 2020) Bhattacharya, Sudip; Hossain, Md. Mahbub; Hoedebecke, Kyle; Bacorro, Madonna; Gokdemir, Ozden; Singh, Amarjeet
Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is increasingly being used in different sectors, including public health. Common applications of UAVs in public health are delivering logistics in remote areas, transporting biomedical samples, providing community-based health care, and public health surveillance. UAVs have contributed to efficient public health ensuring better health services activities at a lower cost. Across diverse health-care settings, UAVs are used to minimize human labor and physical barriers such as distance or hazards associated with different tasks. This technology has shown notable success in advancing public health in resource-constrained countries. In Rwanda, the use of UAVs has resulted in robust logistic support and improved vaccine coverage. Faster transportation and coordination between points of health services have facilitated the overall health service delivery. Despite these advancements, there are several challenges in using UAVs in public health, which include technical difficulties in operating UAVs, maintenance of devices and systems, regulatory challenges, safety concerns, air traffic congestion, and cost of using UAVs. These challenges should be addressed with empirical research and innovative interventions to leverage UAVs in preventing health-care problems and saving lives around the world.
Citation - WoS: 6
Citation - Scopus: 7
Smiling Depression (an Emerging Threat): Let's Talk
(Indian Assoc Preventive & Social Medicine, 2019) Bhattacharya, Sudip; Hoedebecke, Kyle; Sharma, Neha; Gokdemir, Ozden; Singh, Amarjeet
In today's world of chaos and stressful life dealing with the situations alone with no family, friends or financial support makes people vulnerable to developing depression. It is a worldwide major public health problem and Smiling depression a.k.a. atypical form of depression is on the rising trend. People wear masks to prevent the inner turmoil and the need to overcome it. Mostly, this affects the middle-aged cohort - the working force for any nation. It significantly leads to morbidity, disability, mortality and ultimately, socio-economic loss. Addressing this type of depression at an early stage will not only help in reducing self-harm and suicides but will also improve the quality of life of those affected. Both pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatment can be provided in different settings by people in either health or non-health professionals. Health system strengthening through proper counselling and psychotherapy, appropriate referral mechanisms, and continuity of care is the point of need to tackle this escalating concealed problem.