First Week Of April Research Articles

COVID – 19: Desafios do cotidiano e estratégias de enfrentamento frente ao isolamento social

A pandemia por Covid-19 representa um dos maiores desafios sanitários em escala mundial deste século. Na primeira semana do mês de abril, poucos meses depois do início da epidemia na China, em dezembro de 2019, já foram reportados mais de 1,5 milhão de casos e 85 mil mortes no mundo, e espera-se que um número ainda maior de casos e óbitos venha a ocorrer nos próximos meses. No Brasil, até o dia oito de abril de 2020, foram registrados 15.927 casos confirmados e 800 mortes pelo Covid-19. Trata-se de uma revisão narrativa de literatura, que objetivou em descrever os principais efeitos desse isolamento social, observando os fatores que podem contribuir ou atrapalhar nesse processo, mas também correlacionar possíveis estratégias de enfrentamento frente a necessidade do isolamento social. A amostra final foi composta apenas por 15 referências, incluindo apenas as de maior relevância para este estudo. Posterior à leitura reflexiva emergiram duas categorias: Principais efeitos do isolamento social no cotidiano do indivíduo frente a pandemia do covid-19 e Estratégias de enfrentamento dos efeitos do isolamento social no cotidiano do indivíduo frente a pandemia do covid-19. Conclui-se os efeitos causados pelo Covid-19 se estenderão ao longo do tempo, de forma social, física e psíquica. Além disso, a paralisação de muitos serviços acarretou um maior índice de desemprego e impacto econômico, afetando grandes e pequenas empresas. Foi preciso se reinventar e adaptar-se aos recursos disponíveis no momento, tornando possível de alguma forma dar continuidade às atividades e manter a fonte de renda e acima de tudo, a saúde mental.

Coronavirus Disease-19: Quarantine Framework for Travelers Entering Korea.

South Korea is operating a flexible quarantine management system which is based on the results of epidemiological investigations of patients arriving from overseas with coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19), and closely monitoring COVID-19 outbreaks. South Korea has designated countries with a localized, high prevalence of infection as “quarantine inspection required areas” and has reinforced quarantine measures by applying special immigration procedures for people entering South Korea. Furthermore, South Korea also provides information on international travel history of entrants (who are South Korean citizens and foreign nationals) to all medical institutions, through the smart quarantine information system. On March 11th 2020, the World Health Organization characterized COVID-19 as a pandemic. Inevitably, the number of patients from overseas with COVID-19 (based on 10,000 people entering South Korea), increased to 10 cases in the second week of March, 37 cases in the third week, and 67.7 cases in the fourth week. However, after enforcing quarantine strengthening measures, and with a decrease in the number of people entering the country, the number of cases decreased to 52.0 in the first week of April.

Modelling of reproduction number for COVID-19 in India and high incidence states

BackgroundSince the onset of the COVID-19 in China, forecasting and projections of the epidemic based on epidemiological models have been in the centre stage. Researchers have used various models to predict the maximum extent of the number of cases and the time of peak. This yielded varying numbers. This paper aims to estimate the effective reproduction number (R) for COVID-19 over time using incident number of cases that are reported by the government. MethodsExponential Growth method to estimate basic reproduction rate R0, and Time dependent method to calculate the effective reproduction number (dynamic) were used. “R0” package in R software was used to estimate these statistics. ResultsThe basic reproduction number (R0) for India was estimated at 1.379 (95% CI: 1.375, 1.384). This was 1.450 (1.441, 1.460) for Maharashtra, 1.444 (1.430, 1.460) for Gujarat, 1.297 (1.284, 1.310) for Delhi and 1.405 (1.389, 1.421) for Tamil Nadu. In India, the R at the first week from March 2–8, 2020 was 3.2. It remained around 2 units for three weeks, from March 9–29, 2020. After March 2020, it started declining and reached around 1.3 in the following week suggesting a stabilisation of the transmissibility rate. ConclusionThe study estimated a baseline R0 of 1.379 for India. It also showed that the R was getting stabilised from first week of April (with an average R of 1.29), despite the increase in March. This suggested that in due course there will be a reversal of epidemic. However, these analyses should be revised periodically.

Knowledge, Attitude and Practices (KAP) Regarding the Prevention against COVID-19 Infection at the Outset of Outbreak in Pakistan Amongst Smart Phone Users

<p><strong>Background and Objective:</strong> At the outset of outbreak of Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) infection in Pakistan, there had been a lot of confusion regarding the preventive measures in general public. The objective of current study was to determine the knowledge, attitude and practices regarding the home preventive measures against COVID-19 infection amongst smart phone users at the outset of outbreak in Pakistan. <strong>Methods:</strong> It was a cross-sectional online survey to determine the knowledge, attitude and practice amongst the smart phone users regarding the preventive measures against Corona infection. Total 388 questionnaires were submitted in one week in first week of April 2020. The data was collected through online questionnaire which were disseminated through WhatsApp groups. The completed questionnaires were compiled and analysed by using SPSS software version 21. Frequencies of responses were calculated. <strong>Results:</strong> A total of 196 (50.5%) participant were in the age category of 17–25 years with female predominance. Three hundred and 66 (94.3%) preferred washing hands with soap and water for 20 or more seconds, two thirds of the participants also agreed on the role of sanitizers. Only 159 (41%) knew what social distancing meant. Regarding the disinfection of eatable and non-eatable, almost half of the participants agreed to use soap and water. Considering the most effective disinfectant, 225 (43.8%) preferred Dettol. Surgical mask and N-95 masks were considered the effective ways to avoid droplet infections. Regarding the survival of the virus in different media, majority of the responses were completely ignorant. <strong>Conclusion: </strong>There are still gaps in knowledge, attitude and practices regarding prevention against Coronavirus infection at the outset of this out-break in Pakistan.</p>

Double-edged sword of limiting healthcare provision for children in times of COVID-19: the hidden price we pay

In the first week of the UK lock-down, a 2-year-old boy was referred to be evaluated for very-early-onset inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) at the Department of Paediatric Gastroenterology at a...

Modeling and Short-Term Forecasts of Indicators for COVID-19 Outbreak in 25 Countries at the end of March

Objective: The coronavirus, which originated in Wuhan, causing the disease called COVID-19, spread more than 200 countries and continents end of the March. In this study, it was aimed to model the outbreak with different time series models and also predict the indicators.
 Materials and Methods: The data was collected from 25 countries which have different process at least 20 days. ARIMA(p,d,q), Simple Exponential Smoothing, Holt’s Two Parameter, Brown’s Double Exponential Smoothing Models were used. The prediction and forecasting values were obtained for the countries. Trends and seasonal effects were also evaluated.
 Results and Discussion: China has almost under control according to forecasting. The cumulative death prevalence in Italy and Spain will be the highest, followed by the Netherlands, France, England, China, Denmark, Belgium, Brazil and Sweden respectively as of the first week of April. The highest daily case prevalence was observed in Belgium, America, Canada, Poland, Ireland, Netherlands, France and Israel between 10% and 12%.The lowest rate was observed in China and South Korea. Turkey was one of the leading countries in terms of ranking these criteria. The prevalence of the new case and the recovered were higher in Spain than Italy.
 Conclusion: More accurate predictions for the future can be obtained using time series models with a wide range of data from different countries by modelling real time and retrospective data.
 Bangladesh Journal of Medical Science Vol.19(0) 2020 p.06-20

Effect of Field Duration on Yield and Yield Attributes of Tossa Jute Varieties at Different Agroecological Zones

The experiment was conducted at Jute Agriculture Experimental Station (JAES), Manikganj; Jute Research Regional Station (JRRS), Rangpur and Jute Research Sub Station (JRSS), Jessore in 2017 to determine optimum field duration on yield and yield attributes of different tossa jute varieties. The experiment was laid-out in RCBD with three replications. Tossa jute varieties O-9897, BJRI Tossa Pat-5 and JRO-524 were used as planting materials. Crops were sown on last week of March to First week of April. The crops were harvested at different field durations (90 days, 100 days and 110 days after sowing) regarded as treatment. All crops were attained recommended cultural practices. Result showed that BJRI Tossa Pat-5 gave higher fibre production in 90 days at Manikganj and Rangpur (2.69 tha-1and 2.34tha-1 respectively)and 100 days field duration which was followed by JRO -524 (2.36 tha-1 and 2.24 tha-1 respectively)and O- 9897(2.21 tha-1and 4.54 tha-1, respectively), however at 110 days JRO-524 (3.40 tha-1; 3.34 tha-1and 3.16 tha-1 respectively) gave the higher fibre yield compare other two varieties BJRI Tossa Pat-5 (3.20 tha-1; 3.14 tha-1and 3.12 tha-1 respectively) and O- 9897 (3.05 tha-1; 2.99 tha-1and 2.99 tha-1 respectively) at Manikganj , Rangpur and Jessore.
 Bangladesh Agron. J. 2019, 22(2): 77-82

Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Gynecological Oncology Care: Glimpse into Association of Gynecological Oncologists of India (AGOI) Perspective.

PurposeThe notorious COVID 19 pandemic has caused rapid and drastic changes in cancer care worldwide in 2020. This online survey aims to assess the extent to which the pandemic has affected cancer care in gynecological oncology amongst members of the Association of Gynecological Oncologists of India (AGOI), a registered professional society founded in 1991.MethodsWe developed and administered a cross-sectional, flash survey to members of AGOI in the first week of April 2020. Data were analyzed using Microsoft Office Excel 2016. Results were expressed as percentages of total responses excluding blank or unattended response. Overall theme-specific responses were described as a spectrum of findings, and related inferences were drawn.ResultsAmong approached practitioners, 90 responded to the survey, more than 80% were practicing consultants, and more than 50% from academic institutions. The results of the study showed that the ongoing pandemic had severely affected gynecological oncology practice and care amongst all respondents. There were modifications in diagnostic pathways, interventions, and follow-ups across all organ sites. There was a near-unanimous opinion on the use of general safety measures to combat the virus and to use complete PPEs in a high-risk situation. There were mixed responses to alternative educational activities, especially using electronic technology and distant learning methods. There was optimism among respondents with regards to the current situation normalizing in 3–6 months.ConclusionThis study documents the pandemic affected scenario of gynecological cancer care and perceptions of Gynecological Oncologists in India. A significant effect on all aspects of cancer care was observed. Technological learning methods, both for patient care and educational activities, were being adopted by many respondents.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1007/s40944-020-00421-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Oral vesiculobullous lesions associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Oral vesiculobullous lesions associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19): angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, angiotensin II receptor blockers and cardiovascular disease.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19): angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, angiotensin II receptor blockers and cardiovascular disease.

COVID-19 Pandemic: Looking After the Mental Health of Our Healthcare Workers.

COVID-19 Pandemic: Looking After the Mental Health of Our Healthcare Workers.

SARS CoV-2. The New Pandemic: Review of Present Literature

A novel Corona virus discovered during a pneumonia outbreak in Wuhan city, China has raised a global public health concern. This virus spread across the world affecting various countries and was declared a pandemic by World Health Organization(WHO). The outbreak started in December 2019 and by first week of April 2020, 212 countries were affected with more than 1million confirmed cases with a death roll of 79,235 worldwide. This disease was named as COVID-19 and the causative agent was named as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Corona Virus -2 (SARS-CoV-2) due to its genetic similarity with SARS virus. SARS-CoV-2 is transmitted by respiratory droplets and by contact. Clinical symptoms include high fever, sore throat, cough, breathlessness, progress to pneumonia, acute respiratory distress and multisystem dysfunction. Infectivity rate is high with SARSCoV2 , as a result many countries are affected. Control measures like are quarantine, lockdown, regular handwashing, social distancing have been indicated by WHO and being followed by various countries. Due unavailability of an effective vaccine and specific antiviral medication against the virus, only symptomatic treatment along with the isolation of the patient is being done

Population-Predicted MHCII-Epitope Presentation of SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein Correlates to the Case Fatality Rates of COVID-19 in Different Countries

SARS-CoV-2 virus causes severe respiratory syndrome COVID-19. It has turned from an epidemic in the Wuhan region of China into a pandemic. We present here current data from the ongoing analysis of this virus including epidemiological and immunological analysis. We calculated correlative data of infection spread for different countries based on public data from the beginning of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic until the first week of April 2020. We observe clear differences in SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID19-related lethality for different countries. To investigate, whether the observed differences – besides different approaches in infection control in different countries - might also be related to differences in the predicted immune response against SARS-CoV-2 in different populations, we scanned the viral proteins for predicted linear B- and T-cell epitopes using the TepiTool and Bepipred Software tools and determined population-related differences in predicted epitope presentation using the population coverage tool of IEDB. We observed substantial differences in predicted MHCII epitope presentation of SARS-CoV-2 proteins for different populations but only minor differences in predicted MHCI epitope presentation. A comparison of this predicted epitope MHC-coverage revealed a significant negative correlation with the case fatality rate observed in different populations for MHCII-presentation of the viral spike protein (p = 0.0095, R2 = 0.4154 for linear regression) and the membrane protein (p = 0.0242, R2 = 0.3334 for linear regression), indicating that the high case fatality rates of COVID-19 observed in some countries might be related with poor MHCII-presentation and hence weak humoral immune response against the envelope proteins of SARS-CoV-2.Our results highlight the importance of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein in immunological control and should encourage further studies on MHCII-alleles as potential risk factors in CoViD19-disease. Funding Statement: Land Bavaria to DFG project number 324392634–TRR 221/INF. Declaration of Interests: All authors (CL, EB, ES, PN, CS, TD) declare that they have no conflict of interest (neither financial nor relationships with other people or organisations or other matters conflicting).

Malaria Outbreak Facilitated by Appearance of Vector-Breeding Sites after Heavy Rainfall and Inadequate Preventive Measures: Nwoya District, Northern Uganda, February-May 2018.

Background Malaria is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in Uganda. In April 2018, malaria cases surged in Nwoya District, Northern Uganda, exceeding expected limits and thereby requiring epidemic response. We investigated this outbreak to estimate its magnitude, identify exposure factors for transmission, and recommend evidence-based control measures. Methods We defined a malaria case as onset of fever in a resident of Anaka subcounty, Koch Goma subcounty, and Nwoya Town Council, Nwoya District, with a positive rapid diagnostic test or microscopy for malaria from 1 February to 25 May 2018. We reviewed medical records in all health facilities of affected subcounties to find cases. In a case-control study, we compared exposure factors between case-persons and asymptomatic controls matched by age and village. We also conducted entomological assessments on vector density and behavior. Results We identified 3,879 case-persons (attack rate [AR] = 6.5%) and two deaths (case-fatality rate = 5.2/10,000). Females (AR = 8.1%) were more affected than males (AR = 4.7%) (p < 0.0001). Of all age groups, 5–18 years (AR = 8.4%) were most affected. Heavy rain started in early March 2018, and a propagated outbreak followed in the first week of April 2018. In the case-control study, 55% (59/107) of case-persons and 18% (19/107) of controls had stagnant water around households for several days following rainfall (ORM-H = 5.6, 95% CI = 3.0–11); 25% (27/107) of case-persons and 51% (55/107) of controls wore full extremity covering clothes during evening hours (ORM-H = 0.30, 95% CI = 0.20–0.60); 71% (76/107) of case-persons and 85% (91/107) of controls slept under a long-lasting insecticide-treated net (LLIN) 14 days before symptom onset (ORM-H = 0.43, 95% CI = 0.22–0.85); 37% (40/107) of case-persons and 52% (56/107) of controls had access to at least one LLIN per 2 household members (ORM-H = 0.54, 95% CI = 0.30–0.97). Entomological assessment indicated active breeding sites in the entire study area; Anopheles gambiae sensu lato species were the predominant vector. Conclusion Increased vector-breeding sites after heavy rainfall and inadequate malaria preventive measures were found to have contributed to this outbreak. We recommended increasing coverage for LLINs and larviciding breeding sites in the area.

Nepal's Response to Contain COVID-19 Infection.

Nepal is a landlocked country bordering two most populous countries, India and China. Nepal shares open border with India from three sides, east, south and west. And, in north with China, where the novel coronavirus infection (CVOVID-19) began in late December 2019. The first confirmed imported case in Nepal was reported in 2nd week of January 2020. The initial response of Nepal to COVID-19 were comparably slow but country geared efforts after it was declared a 'global pandemic' by WHO on 11 March, 2020. Government of Nepal's steps from 18 March, 2020 led to partial lock down and countrywide lockdown imposed on 24 March, 2020. Government devised comprehensive plan on 27 March, 2020 for quarantine for peoples who arrived in Nepal from COVID-19 affected countries. This article covers summary of global status, South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC) status, and Nepal's response to contain COVID-19 infection discussed under three headings: Steps taken before and after WHO declared COVID-19 a global pandemic and lab services regarding detection of COVID-19. Nepal has documented five confirmed cases of COVID-19 till the end of March 2020, first in second week of 15 January, 2020 and 2nd case 8-weeks thereafter and 3rd case two days later, 4th on 27 March and 5th on 28 March. Four more cases detected during first week of April. Non-Pharmacological interventions like social distancing and excellent personal habits are widely practiced. Country has to enhance testing and strengthen tracing, isolation and quarantine mechanism and care of COVID-19 patients as Nepal is in risk zone because of comparably weak health system and porous borders with India. The time will tell regarding further outbreak and how it will be tackled. Keywords: COVID-19; lockdown; Nepal; pandemic; response.

Assessment of the Overall Mortality during the COVID-19 Outbreak in the Provinces of Milan and Lodi (Lombardy Region, Northern Italy).

to describe the overall mortality increase in the provinces of Milan and Lodi - area covered by the Agency for Health Protection of Milan - during the COVID-19 epidemic in the first four months of 2020, compare it with the same time period in the years 2016-2019, and evaluate to what extent the mortality can be directly attributed to the outbreak. cohort study. using a new information system developed during the pandemic, we gathered data on the number of daily deaths in the population residing in the provinces of Milan and Lodi by Local Health Unit (ASST) and age groups. To describe the case fatality of COVID-19, we performed a record linkage with a database specially constructed during the epidemic to identify deaths that occurred in confirmed cases. mortality and excess mortality were analysed by comparing the number of observed deaths in the first 4 months of 2020 with the average deaths of the years 2016-2019 in the same calendar period and with expected deaths, estimated using a Poisson model. Furthermore, a measure of relative risk was calculated as observed/expected ratio with a 95% confidence interval. the increase in mortality for all causes occurring in the study population in the first 4 months of 2020 was 48.8%, 30.8% for ages between 60 and 69, 43.9% for ages between 70 and 79, and 56.7% for subjects above 80 years of age. Focusing on the epidemic period, from 1 March to 30 April, the excess is quantifiable as more than 2-fold and mainly concerns the population over 60 years of age. The excess mortality was observed in all local health units (ASSTs). The highest increments were in the province of Lodi and the North-East of Milan (ASST Nord). In the ASSTs of Lodi and Melegnano-Martesana the mortality excess was detectable from March 15th, while for the other ASSTs the increase began in the first week of April. evaluation of overall mortality in the provinces of Milan and Lodi during the first wave of the Covid-19 epidemic showed a significant excess compared to the first 4 months of the years 2016-2019, mainly in the population over 60 years of age. However, this excess cannot be completely attributed directly to COVID-19 itself. This phenomenon was more intense in the Lodi ASST, with daily deaths up to 5 times higher than expected.

Observations on healthcare workers &amp; SARS-CoV-2 infection

Sir, In an interesting case-control study by Chatterjee et al1, the authors suggested the role of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) in the prevention of SARS-CoV-2 infection among healthcare workers. Here are some of our observations that we would like to highlight. In this case-control study, symptomatic healthcare workers (HCWs) testing positive on reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for SARS-CoV-2 were defined as cases, whereas controls were symptomatic HCWs who tested negative on RT-PCR for SARS-CoV-2 under similar considerations. Given the fact that up to 5-80 per cent patients with COVID-19 infection remain asymptomatic23, the major population that may qualify for cases were left from the study. As the ICMR's advisory for the use of HCQ prophylaxis was released on March 22, 20204, assuming that the high-risk workers started prophylaxis from the next day, it was unlikely that the patient pool in this study received six or more doses of HCQ prophylaxis, assuming even distribution of patients being tested between the first week of April and the end of the first week of May 2020. The findings of 56 participants from control group taking six or more doses of HCQ remained unexplained. It was also worthwhile to note whether the question about number of HCQ doses consumed was asked till the diagnosis of COVID-19 or till the time of data collection? Cases and controls seemed to be not matched in this study. Cases had inadequate infection control practices and were more exposed to aerosol-generating procedures like endotracheal intubation, and a greater percentage of cases were in intensive care unit (ICU) having patients on ventilators. In addition, stratification of HCWs was also not mentioned. Probably, HCWs from primary or secondary level healthcare centres were more exposed due to inadequate personal protective equipment or lack of infection prevention control (IPC) training. At the same time, the sample size of this study was inadequate for subgroup analysis leading to unexplained apparently erroneous conclusions such as increased risk of infection in up to three doses of HCQ. We consider that increased risk at lesser number of doses and protection at a greater number of doses do not indicate a dose-response relationship as claimed by the authors, but it rather indicates contradictory and inconclusive finding. The authors also mentioned that the role of HCQ in severe COVID-19 patients was obscure contradictory to the role of HCQ in prophylaxis as concluded by them due to biological possibility of starting the medication before the onset of infection. However, the management guidelines released on March 31, 2020 have suggested that HCQ along with azithromycin may be considered in patients with severe disease and requiring ICU management5. Now, the guidelines released on June 13, 2020 recommended HCQ for mild and moderate COVID-19 cases6. The recent guidelines recommended to avoid it in severe disease. Similarly, one more contradictory finding was HCQ alone and with vitamins and non-allopathic drugs decreasing risk but not with azithromycin combination. There was a possibility that HCWs started taking combination of HCQ and azithromycin based on the results of a study by Gautret et al7 which was available online on March 20, 2020, rather than the recommendations given by the ICMR in its advisory released on March 22, 20204. All that one can conclude from this study is that overall HCQ group is showing a trend towards protection which is not significant (P=0.087). An elucidation from the authors about the results and interpretations taking into account the above observations will benefit the scientific community.

Combating corona virus disease 2019 and comorbidities: The Kerala experience for the first 100 days

Kerala, a highly vulnerable state for a virus disease like coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) because of the largest proportion of elderly population in India with an extremely high prevalence of most of the noncommunicable diseases and their risk factors, reported first COVID-19 case in India. Using secondary data available from various search engines and specific websites of Kerala and Government of India, a review was done. Based on the World Health Organization's warning, Kerala anticipated cases from China where the first COVID-19 case was confirmed and was able to detect and isolate the cases as soon as they landed in Kerala. The total number of active cases in Kerala peaked at 262 in the first week of April and then decreased to 16 on May 8, flattening the epidemiological curve within 100 days. The major factors that lead to the success of Kerala in managing COVID-19 are depicted in this review.

Termite trap: A novel technology for eco-friendly management of termites in orchards

Termites are important soil-borne insect-pests of fruit crops that feed on cellulose, particularly the wood. They are social, polyphagous and polymorphic insects, living in large colonies comprising of queen, king, soldiers and workers in nests. The nests are constructed both above and below the ground. Peak activity of termites in Punjab is during April-June and September-October. Trials were carried out during 2016 and 2017 for eco-friendly management of termites at Ludhiana, Punjab. Eco-friendly trapping of termites is affected by burying gul (maize cobs without grains) filled 24-holed earthen pot traps of diameter 33 cm, with lid @ 14 traps per acre in termite infested orchards of pear, ber, peach, grape and amla during first week of April and September. Earthen pot traps should have their neck outside the soil surface. These traps should be removed from soil after 20 days of installation and collected termites should be destroyed by dipping in water containing a few drops of diesel. The termite traps were found very effective in attracting the termites and reducing their population in the orchards under experiment.

Population dynamics of sucking pests and their natural enemies in okra as influenced by weeds

Field experiments were conducted to study the seasonal incidence of major sucking insect pests of okra viz., leafhopper, Amrasca biguttula biguttula Ishida, whitefly, Bemisia tabaci Gennadius, and aphids, Aphis gossypii Glover and their natural enemies viz., coccinellids and spiders of okra at the Agricultural College and Research Institute, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Madurai during rabi and summer seasons of 2015–16. Summer sown okra crop was more susceptible to sucking insect pests with more population of natural enemies than rabi okra crop. In rabi crop, the incidence of leafhopper commenced from third week of November 2015, aphid from third week of December 2015 and there was no whitefly incidence. In summer crop, leafhopper and aphid reached maximum in third week of April 2016, while whitefly during first week of April 2016 itself. Results revealed that leafhopper and whitefly had significant positive relationship with maximum and minimum temperature while sucking pests were negatively correlated with relative humidity and rainfall. Okra crop with partial weeding harboured more sucking insects like leafhopper, whitefly and aphids than the weed free okra plot. In addition, maximum population of natural enemies viz., coccinellids and spiders was found in partially weeded plot.