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A comprehensive study was conducted to investigate the factors contributing to the proliferation of dengue in the Faisalabad district of Pakistan. The research focused on analyzing demographic parameters through an examination of dengue hotspot areas and assessing the impact of climatic factors on the spread of dengue infection. To establish the relationship between dengue infection and climatic factors, various data extraction approaches, statistical analyses, and GIS mapping techniques were employed. The study covered the epidemic period from 2013 to 2019. Pearson correlation coefficients for temperature, relative humidity, and precipitation were calculated to understand the correlation between climatic factors and dengue cases. The analysis revealed that the highest number of dengue cases occurred in Tehsil Faisalabad city during the post-monsoon season, specifically from September to November, with the peak in October reaching 63 cases. This finding indicated a direct correlation between dengue-infected cases and population density. The correlation coefficients between dengue-infected cases and climatic factors (temperature, rainfall, and relative humidity) in district Faisalabad from 2014 to 2019 were 0.58, -0.421, and -0.364, respectively. These values demonstrated a 58% positive correlation between dengue cases and temperature, a negative 43% correlation between rainfall and dengue cases, and a 36% negative correlation between relative humidity and the number of dengue cases. The relationship between climatic variables and dengue cases was found to be complex. While an increase in temperature was associated with higher dengue transmission, the other two variables (rainfall and relative humidity) showed a decrease in dengue transmission potential. This complexity explains the inconsistent statistical correlation between climate and dengue. This research provides valuable insights and future projections for analyzing the climatic influence and conducting epidemiological analyses of dengue infection in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) that led to an unprecedented crisis with significant health, social, and economic repercussions presented more serious concerns for those living with some chronic conditions such as epilepsy. This study was aimed to find out impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on management of epilepsy. A cross-sectional study was conducted through telephone interviews, targeting 213 caregivers of pediatric patients with epilepsy, belonging to underserved areas of Faisalabad, Punjab, Pakistan. A simple questionnaire was designed to record the responses of participants relevant to the direct and indirect effects of COVID-19 pandemic and their knowledge about possible ways that can be accessed for the management of epilepsy during an ongoing pandemic. The current study, which holds 77% of the respondents from rural areas and 23% from urban settings, showed that partial measures of lockdown taken to stop or slow the spread of COVID-19 resulted in adverse economic and health outcomes in the said population including cancelation of follow-up visits, worsening of seizures, job loss, burden of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) costs, and discontinuation of medicines. Furthermore, knowledge about alternative ways to access health facilities was found very poor among caregivers. Income sources of poor people disrupted by lockdown can lead to unintentional nonadherence to medication, which is a clear picture of inequitable distribution of resources. This study highlights the major issues faced by the caregivers during this ongoing pandemic of COVID-19. • This study highlights the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the management of epilepsy in resource-limited areas • Majority of the caregivers of pediatric epilepsy patients were not familiar with the concept of telemedicine • Potential adverse effect of dreadful pandemic was treatment discontinuation linked to disruption of income sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]