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Background Food-borne illnesses have been a recognized hazard for decades. Recent promulgation of Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSA), 2006, indicates the concern of our Govt. for food safety. Research on effectiveness of food safety interventions in our country is remarkably scarce. Hence, the present study was conducted in a tertiary care hospital of north India to create evidence-based results for food safety interventions. Methods The study was before and after intervention trial which was registered with CTRI. Data collection was paperless using a software. All food handlers ( n = 280) working inside the hospital were recruited. Intervention package comprised Self-Instructional Manual in Hindi for food handlers, short film for sensitization of food handlers on food safety titled ‘Gravy Extra’, and a documentary titled ‘Food Safety from farm to Fork’. Chi square test, paired t test, and Wilcoxon sign rank test were used. Results The mean age of food handlers was 35 ± 2 years. Majority (61.7%) of food handlers were educated less than 10th standard. Nearly 60% of them had up to five years of experience. At base line majority (68.9%) had a fair knowledge about food safety issues. There was a significant improvement in food safety knowledge and practice score of food handlers after the intervention ( p < 0.05). Their attitude toward food safety changed in a positive direction ( p < 0.05). Conclusion The intervention package was useful in improving the knowledge, creating a positive attitude and enhancing the food safety practices of food handlers working inside a tertiary care hospital. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Knowledge, sociocultural views, and awareness about organ donation in the general population are important for the success of deceased organ donation. There is an urgent need to gather this information in order to find out the reasons for poor organ donation rates in India. Methods A 30-item questionnaire was designed in the English and Hindi language and was administered to the lay people in order to assess their knowledge, views, and attitude regarding brain death and organ donation. Results Three hundred and fifty-two people (male:female = 202:150; mean age = 30.6 ± 13.9 years) completed the questionnaire. Only 70% of the people were aware that the organs can be donated after brain death and only 44% thought that they understood the meaning of brain death. Media and Internet were the preferred sources for seeking information on brain death and organ donation. The majority of people (81.2%) were willing to donate organs after brain death but only 1.4% had registered for organ donation. Lack of awareness (80.1%), religious beliefs and superstitions (63.4%), and lack of faith in the healthcare system (40.3%) were believed to be the most important reasons for poor deceased organ donation rates in India. The survey also highlighted the importance of the opinion of family members and the religious leaders in making the decision for organ donation. Educational qualification above matriculation was significantly associated with the knowledge of brain death and the willingness for organ donation. Conclusion Lack of awareness appears to be the most important factor for low donation rates in India. Educating people by using media and Internet and conducting awareness programs may help in improving the donation rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dengue is now hyper-endemic in most parts of south and southeast Asia including India. The northern India particularly national capital New Delhi witnessed major Dengue outbreaks with Dengue virus type 1 (DENV-1) as the dominant serotype since last five years. This study was initiated to decipher the complete genome information of recently circulating DENV-1 (2009–2011) along with the prototype Indian DENV-1, isolated in 1956. Further extensive ML phylogenetic and Bayesian phylogeography analysis was carried out to investigate the evolution of this virus and understand its spatiotemporal diffusion across the globe. The complete genome analysis revealed deletion of a unique 21-nucleotide stretch in the 3′ un-translated region of recent Indian DENV-1. The north Indian DENV-1 revealed up to 5.2% nucleotide sequence difference compared to recent isolates from southern India. Selection pressure analysis revealed positive selection in few amino acid sites of both structural and non-structural proteins. The molecular phylogeny classified the Indian DENV-1 into genotype III, which is also known as cosmopolitan genotype. The northern and southern Indian DENV-1 were grouped into distinct clades. The molecular clock analysis estimated a mean evolutionary rate of 7.08 × 10(−4) substitutions/site/year for cosmopolitan genotype. The phylogeography analysis revealed that the cosmopolitan genotype DENV-1 originated ∼1938 in India and subsequently spread globally. The diffusion of virus from India to Caribbean and South America was confirmed through SPREAD analysis. This study also confirmed the temporal displacement of different clades of DENV-1 in India over last five decades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]