Rural Community Of Bangladesh Research Articles

A Low-Cost, Community Knowledge Approach to Estimate Maternal and Jaundice-Associated Mortality in Rural Bangladesh.

In the absence of a civil registration system, a house-to-house survey is often used to estimate cause-specific mortality in low- and middle-income countries. However, house-to-house surveys are resource and time intensive. We applied a low-cost community knowledge approach to identify maternal deaths from any cause and jaundice-associated deaths among persons aged ≥ 14 years, and stillbirths and neonatal deaths in mothers with jaundice during pregnancy in five rural communities in Bangladesh. We estimated the method's sensitivity and cost savings compared with a house-to-house survey. In the five communities with a total of 125,570 population, we identified 13 maternal deaths, 60 deaths among persons aged ≥ 14 years associated with jaundice, five neonatal deaths, and four stillbirths born to a mother with jaundice during pregnancy over the 3-year period before the survey using the community knowledge approach. The sensitivity of community knowledge method in identifying target deaths ranged from 80% for neonatal deaths to 100% for stillbirths and maternal deaths. The community knowledge approach required 36% of the staff time to undertake compared with the house-to-house survey. The community knowledge approach was less expensive but highly sensitive in identifying maternal and jaundice-associated mortality, as well as all-cause adult mortality in rural settings in Bangladesh. This method can be applied in rural settings of other low- and middle-income countries and, in conjunction with hospital-based hepatitis diagnoses, used to monitor the impact of programs to reduce the burden of cause-specific hepatitis mortality, a current World Health Organization priority.

Attitude of Health Care Providers on Snake Bite in Rural Community of Bangladesh

Background: Health care providers have different attitude and practice about the snake bite in rural community of Bangladesh.Objective: The purpose of the present study was to know the attitude and practice about the snake bite in rural community of Bangladesh.Methodolgoy: The findings from survey study on snake bite have been elicited from face to face interview with 243 number of medical professionals/health service providers consisting of 113 number of MBBS doctors, 86 number of nurses and 46 number of other health practitioners. The study area consisted of 5 zillasadar hospitals and 15 upazilla health complexes. This study aims to assess the Attitude and Practice of snakebite in rural community and effective management of snake bite through community engagement and using health care system of Bangladesh approach for prevention of snakebite in rural community and effective management of snake bite for the rural Bangladeshi people. It uses the methodological triangulation qualitative and quantitative approach as well as a case study design in analyzing data, whereby the exploratory-descriptive design is followed.Result: We purposively select the 243 sample (Doctors, Nurses, Paramedics ,Others) from the selected districts and its consisting random upazillas from the govt. sector hospitals keeping in mind gender balance (Male-Female) as a primary total target population. So in total, 5 division and its consisting random upazilas hospital including union health complex hospital personnel (From District, Upazilla& Community Hospitals)will be interviewed throughout mention areas of Bangladesh. The findings show that 60.1% of doctors, 50.0% of nurses and 56.8% of practitioners have a notion that the snake bite victims would go to Ozha followed by 11.5% of doctors, 4.7% of nurses and 11.4% of practitioners have a notion that they would go to the local healers and that of 26.5% of doctors, 41.9% of nurses and 32.9% of practitioners mentioned that the snake bite victims would go to doctors. The findings show that 69.0% of doctors, 64.0% of nurses and 56.8% of practitioners will recommend not to apply ‘ tight bandage’ to victim’s snake bite spot and 67.3% of doctors, 65.1% of nurses and 13.6% of practitioners will recommend not to apply ‘Suction by mouth or chick’ to victim’s snake bite spot. The findings show that 82.3% of doctors, 90.7% of nurses and 70.5% of practitioners applied first aid to the snake bite victim as their common practice.Conclusion: Majority of health professionals are well informed regarding harmful traditions and measuresJournal of National Institute of Neurosciences Bangladesh, 2018;4(1): 28-32

The challenges of geographical inclusive education in rural Bangladesh

ABSTRACTThis paper considers the challenges of promoting inclusive education in geographically isolated rural communities in Bangladesh. Inclusion is explored from both government and non-government (NGO) providers, and identifies challenges and opportunities for implementing inclusive practices. Challenges for implementing inclusion are linked to poverty, gender inequality, ethnicity, remoteness, language barriers, issues for children with disabilities, and the negative impact of climate (e.g. monsoonal flooding, landslides, and other natural calamities that beset Bangladesh on a regular basis) as well as the current humanitarian crisis with the Rohingya children now in Bangladesh. While there is sometimes a mismatch between government policy and the literature on inclusion in relation to practical implementation at the local level, opportunities for inclusion come with the dedication and passion of educators who provide teacher training about inclusive education, assistive technologies (Braille materials, hearing aids, etc.), multi-lingual education (MLE) materials, and advocacy by reaching out to parents and community members. Findings indicate that characteristics such as culture, the development of local resources, and the climate of the local context need to be considered in developing relevant inclusive policy to enact effective geographical inclusive practices in rural Bangladeshi communities.

Patient pathways and perceptions of hypertension treatment, management, and control in rural Bangladesh: a qualitative study.

PurposeHypertension is an increasing threat to global public health, a leading cause of premature death, and an important modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease. Despite evidence on the efficacy of antihypertensive medication for blood-pressure control and mortality prevention, a large proportion of individuals are undiagnosed and untreated, especially in resource-constrained settings. This qualitative study explored patient pathways to care, as well as knowledge of and adherence to hypertension care.MethodsWe conducted in-depth interviews with 20 hypertensive patients in two rural districts in Bangladesh. Interviews were conducted and transcribed in Bangla and translated to English. QSR NVivo 10 software was used for analyses. We mapped patient pathways and report here on patient experiences accessing care from local pharmacies, the government, and private clinics.ResultsOverall, most patients reported hypertension awareness prior to diagnosis and were conscious about consequences of hypertension. However, patients had little knowledge about prevention and treatment strategies. Most patients considered hypertension an important disease, albeit reporting taking medication only when symptomatic. Patients were aware of dietary advice; however, they were largely sedentary. Qualified doctors in both private and government settings diagnosed hypertension in the majority of the patients, and some were diagnosed by an informal provider and a few reported self-care at home. Patients followed three pathways: specialized hospitals for acute care, private hospitals/local pharmacy for nonacute symptoms, and incidental hypertension identification while being treated for another condition.ConclusionWe identify barriers to access to hypertension prevention and care that prevented patients from seeking and receiving treatment from government facilities. Challenges included a lack of support to enable community screening by government health workers, long waiting times, and inadequate supplies for hypertension treatment. Expanding community-health workers’ scope in the dissemination of chronic-disease information may improve patient pathways to hypertension care in rural communities in Bangladesh.

Regional Variations of Fertility Control Behavior among Rural Reproductive Women in Bangladesh: A Hierarchical Analysis.

Women’s fertility decision is quite difficult in male-dominant rural culture due to their poor reproductive autonomy. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in rural community of Bangladesh between November 2017 and February 2018 among 1285 respondents selected by multi-stage stratified sampling to explore regional variations of rural women’s fertility control behavior and its determinants using hierarchical and other inferential statistics. Data collection was done by face-to-face interview using questionnaire. Average parity was 2.5 per woman and 41% respondents had three or more children. About 60% of them used modern contraceptives (MCs) and oral contraceptive pill (OCP) was their first choice. Male participation in contraceptive use was less than 5%. Regional variation, women’s empowerment, fertility control knowledge, family planning (FP) attitude, social influence, perceived behavioral control (PBC) and fertility intention were significant predictors of fertility control behavior (p < 0.05). Significant regional variations were determined in fertility control behavior of rural women (p < 0.05). Almost all of its predictors explained by Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) also showed significant regional variations (p < 0.05). Current fertility control policy should be strengthened more not only to improve fertility behavior of rural women but also to establish regional equity in fertility control by improving their reproductive decision-making in a rational way.

Exploring perceptions of common practices immediately following burn injuries in rural communities of Bangladesh

BackgroundBurns can be the most devastating injuries in the world, they constitute a global public health problem and cause widespread public health concern. Every year in Bangladesh more than 365,000 people are injured by electrical, thermal and other causes of burn injuries. Among them 27,000 need hospital admission and over 5600 people die. Immediate treatment and medication has been found to be significant in the success of recovering from a burn. However, common practices used in the treatment of burn injuries in the community is not well documented in Bangladesh. This study was designed to explore the perception of local communities in Bangladesh the common practices used and health-seeking behaviors sought immediately after a burn injury has occurred.MethodsA qualitative study was conducted using Focus Group Discussions (FGD) as the data collection method. Six unions of three districts in rural Bangladesh were randomly selected and FGDs were conducted in these districts with six burn survivors and their relatives and neighbours. Data were analyzed manually, codes were identified and the grouped into themes.ResultsThe participants stated that burn injuries are common during the winter in Bangladesh. Inhabitants in the rural areas said that it was common practice, and correct, to apply the following to the injured area immediately after a burn: egg albumin, salty water, toothpaste, kerosene, coconut oil, cow dung or soil. Some also believed that applying water is harmful to a burn injury. Most participants did not know about any referral system for burn patients. They expressed their dissatisfaction about the lack of available health service facilities at the recommended health care centers at both the district level and above.ConclusionsIn rural Bangladesh, the current first-aid practices for burn injuries are incorrect; there is a widely held belief that using water on burns is harmful.

Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease: Prevalence and ItsRisk Factors in Rural Bangladesh

Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) is a global disease, and evidence suggests that its prevalence is increasing. Prevalence estimates show considerable geographic variation.According to WHO, prevalence of GERD in far EastAsia currently consistently lower than 10%,which is 8-20% in India. No such population based dataare available in Bangladesh. Thus, the studywas designed to determine the prevalence of GERD and its risk factors inrural community of Bangladesh.This descriptive, cross-sectional study was carried outfrom January to June 2015 by using validated questionnaire through door to door interview among randomly selected 2000 participants in a rural communityof Bangladesh. A cutoff point 3 was chosen as a valid and reliable scale to confirm GERD. Among the study participants, 1212 were male and 788 were female.Their average age range was 18 to 60 years. A total of 136 participants were found to have GERD symptoms and among them 43 were men and 93 were women. Thus, the prevalence of GERD in the study was 6.8%. GERD was highly associated with higher age group, women, Muslims, and participants withdiabetes mellitus, asthma and overweight.Prevalence of GERD in rural community of Bangladesh is lower than that of the western world.For a better understanding on GERD, it is important that a study should be carried in a representative samples across Bangladesh.Bangladesh Med Res Counc Bull 2018; 44(1):45-51

Pattern of morbidities of under-5 year children and health seeking behaviour of their mother in rural community of Bangladesh

Background Bangladesh is one of the densely populated countries in the world. The children constitute a larger proportion of the total population in Bangladesh. Objectives The objective of this study was to detect the morbidity pattern of under-five children and health-seeking behavior of their mother in the rural community of Bangladesh. Methods It was a descriptive type of cross-sectional study, carried at Taltola in the rural area of Dhamrai Upazilla. It was conducted from January 2017- June 2017 and study subjects were 360. Results The mean age of the respondents with SD 21.36 ± 5.86 years. Less than one-third of the respondents were Illiterate. The mean family income was BDT 10,750 (SD±4929). More than two-thirds (81.23%) of the respondent had only one under-five child. Maximum of the children were completely vaccinated (67.22%). Most of the children suffered from common cold (48.3%), then Diarrhea (19.95%). More than fifty percent children were female (52.5%). The majority of the respondents took advice from pharmacy man (45.51%) and less than five percent (2.09%) did not take any advice. Conclusion Under five-year-old children are mostly affected by the common cold. Majority of the respondents took their children to Pharmacy man for treatment purpose. Keywords: Under-5 Children, Health-seeking behaviour, Childhood Morbidity, Education, Income

Epidemiology of stroke: findings from a community-based survey in rural Bangladesh

ObjectivesThis study was designed to determine the epidemiology of stroke in a rural population of Bangladesh. Study designIn a cross-sectional study, we surveyed stroke patients. MethodsThe survey was conducted in a rural community of Bangladesh from January 2016 to June 2016. All community members 15 years and older in a surveillance system were included in this study. The Questionnaire for Verifying Stroke-Free Status was used to screen stroke cases at household level which were again examined by the neurologist for confirmatory diagnosis. ResultsThe prevalence of stroke was 1.96 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.69–2.26) per 1000 population. The highest prevalence was 9.65 (95% CI 7.42–12.33) per 1000 population, identified among patients aged 65–79 years. Males had higher prevalence (2.38 per 1000 population) than females (1.55 per 1000 population). Of the 24% of patients who had radiological examination (magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography scan) reports, 17.2% of stroke cases were ischemic, 4.8% were intracerebral, and about 1.1% were subarachnoid. The ratio of infarction to hemorrhage was 2.91. Approximately 67% of patients were diagnosed as hypertensive, and 37% of patients had elevated blood glucose level. While 15% of patients were found to be overweight or obese, 45% of patients had raised blood cholesterol level. More than 10% of patients reported that they had heart disease before the occurrence of stroke. About 40% of patients had the history of tobacco consumption. ConclusionsThe prevalence of stroke is higher among elderly and male populations. A significant proportion of patients presented with hypertension and/or diabetes.

Prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) among the children aged 18-36 months in a rural community of Bangladesh: A cross sectional study

Background: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) refers to a group of complex neurodevelopment disorders characterized by repetitive and characteristic patterns of behavior and difficulties with social communication and interaction. In Bangladesh, autism in children is a significant burden of disease. Early identification of ASD could improve quality of life. The study has explored at the prevalence of ASD among rural community children aged between 18-36 months. Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted among the 5286 children aged between 18-36 months in a rural community. Household level data was collected using screening tool MCHAT. Primarily screening positive 66 children were invited for final diagnosis in a health camp. Diagnosis was made by different staging started from primary screening, followed by validation using MCHAT and flash card. Final diagnosis was made by the paediatric neurologists, child clinical psychologists and development therapist using diagnostic tools (DSM-IV & ADOS). Results: 04 children were diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Prevalence of the ASD in rural community was found 0.75/1000 children. Among the four ASD cases three were boys and one was girl and age range was between 20- 30 months. Whereas, the highest prevalence rate found was for the cerebral palsy which was 5.6/1000 children and Developmental delay (2.6/1000) was the next to that. Conclusions: Age specific autism (18-36 months) in children is found higher in rural community of Bangladesh. In order to get more comprehensive information on autism in other age groups of children in rural community, further study is required. Early detection in rural community could help the policy makers to decentralization of health services among the ASD children in rural community.

Knowledge of Snake Bite Management among Health Service Providers at a Rural Community of Bangladesh

Background: Snake bile is a very common incidence among the rural people.Objective: This study was aimed to assess the pattern of snakebite in rural community through community engagement.Methodology: It uses the methodological triangulation qualitative and quantitative approach as well as a case study design in analyzing data, whereby the exploratory-descriptive design is followed. The findings from survey study on snake bite have been elicited from face to face interview with 243 number of medical professionals/health service providers consisting of 113 number of MBBS doctors, 86 number of nurses and 46 number of other health practitioners. The study area consisted of 5 zilla sadar hospitals and 15 upazilla health complexes. We purposively select the 243 sample(Doctors, Nurses, Paramedics ,Others) from the selected districts and its consisting random upazillas from the govt. sector hospitals keeping in mind gender balance (Male -Female) as a primary total target population. So in total, 5division and itsconsisting random upazilas hospital including union health complex hospital personnel will be interviewed throughout mention areas of Bangladesh. Result: Most of the health professionals (93.8%) stated that the existence of facilities in their respective hospitals is not adequate to manage the treatment of snake bite victims. Of the total number of medical personnel - around 30.0% of the health professionals had the opportunity to manage snake bite in their respective span of service (50.4% of MBBS docs + 11.6% of nurses + 11.4% of other practitioners).The findings show that majority of 87.6% of doctors, 85.0% of nurses and 95.5% of other practitioners mentioned rainy season as the most prevalent time for occurrence of snake bite in rural areas of Bangladesh. As for whether all snake bites are poisonous- around 17.0% of doctors followed by 18.6% of nurses and 16.0% of other practitioners are found to have wrong notion about mentioning that all snake bites are poisonous but in reality this is not true.Conclusion: There is insufficient knowledge, skill and experience of how to treat snake bite victims. Journal of Current and Advance Medical Research 2017;4(1):17-22

Prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) among the children aged 18-36 months in a rural community of Bangladesh: A cross sectional study.

Background: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) refers to a group of complex neurodevelopment disorders characterized by repetitive and characteristic patterns of behavior and difficulties with social communication and interaction. In Bangladesh, autism in children is a significant burden of disease. Early identification of ASD could improve quality of life. The study has explored at the prevalence of ASD among rural community children aged between 18-36 months. Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted among the 5286 children aged between 18-36 months in a rural community. Household level data was collected using screening tool MCHAT. Primarily screening positive 66 children were invited for final diagnosis in a health camp. Diagnosis was made by different staging started from primary screening, followed by validation using MCHAT and flash card. Final diagnosis was made by the paediatric neurologists, child clinical psychologists and development therapist using diagnostic tools(DSM-IV & ADOS). Results: 04 children were diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Prevalence of the ASD in rural community was found 0.75/1000 children. Among the four ASD cases three were boys and one was girl and age range was between 20- 30 months. Whereas, the highest prevalence rate found was for the cerebral palsy which was 5.6/1000 children and Developmental delay (2.6/1000) was the next to that. Conclusions: Age specific autism (18-36 months) in children is found higher in rural community of Bangladesh.In order to get more comprehensive information on autism in other age groups of children in rural community, further study is required. Early detection in rural community could help the policy makers to decentralization of health services among the ASD children in rural community.

A study on disaster management practices for vulnerable rural communities in Bangladesh

The current disaster knowledge and practices of disaster affected rural people in Bangladesh were investigated. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected using structured questionnaire from 216 rural households. About 83% of the respondents perceived knowledge that brings about an increase in household income followed by learning new skills that contribute to reduction in disaster vulnerabilities (75%) and knowledge that helps in the decision making process (67%). A total of 91% of respondents, irrespective of literacy, are practicing tacit or oral knowledge sharing in their day to day lives. The sample respondents acquired disaster knowledge from different sources, including neighbors and relatives (82%), social workers (50%), mass media (45%), religious institutions (38%) and the village markets (32%). For those that received their knowledge from the village market, the information is mainly gathered by the literate people (37%) as opposed to those that are illiterate (26%). In updating acquired knowledge, 76% respondents validated through self observations and 58% by consultation and communication with family members or neighbors. Interestingly, more than 74% respondents reported that an inadequate financial resource is an important barrier to gaining improved knowledge on disaster management in rural areas. About 69% of the respondents stated that the early warning messages provided by various agencies are ‘very useful’, whereas 23% believed them to be ‘useful’ and 8% as ‘partially useful’. Posters, booklets and leaflets were identified as the most available and important disaster knowledge materials (82%). The study results suggested that the establishment of the rural information and knowledge centre and an easily understandable forecasting system would be very useful to improve the disaster knowledge for the rural poor.Bangladesh J. Sci. Res. 30(1&amp;2): 55-67, December-2017

Metabolic syndrome in urban and rural communities of Bangladesh

Background: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a rising public health concern. Bangladesh profile need exploration through research.Methods: Socio-epidemiologic factors of 341 urban and 149 rural people were studied with anthropometric examination, blood pressure recording and fasting blood for sugar (FBS), triglyceride (TG) and high density lipoprotein (HDL) analysis. MetS was decided on the basis of National Cholesterol Education Program ATP III criteria.Result: Prevalence of MetS was 38.78% (95% CI: 34.56%-43.16%). Rural prevalence (48.99%; 95% CI: 41.09%-56.94%) was more (p=0.002) than urban (34.31%; 95% CI: 29.47%-39.50%); low HDL cholesterol prevailed around 97% urban and 93% rural respondents; high TG was found among 48% urban and 59% rural respondents (p=0.02), 21% urban and 44% rural respondents were obese (p&lt;0.001); around 15% urban and 22% rural had hypertension (HTN, p=0.04); high FBS was found among 28% urban and 26% rural respondents. Age (OR=1.06, 95% CI: 1.04-1.09) and exercise (OR=2.31, 95% CI: 1.40-3.80) of urban area whereas only males of rural (OR=5.88, 95% CI: 2.52- 13.73) area were significantly associated with MetS.Conclusions: Prevalence of MetS is higher in rural Bangladesh than urban in terms of dyslipidaemia, HTN and obesity. Health education and mass campaign regarding the risk factors including change in lifestyle can modify the condition.International Journal of Human and Health Sciences Vol. 02 No. 02 April’18. Page : 71-77

How do climate change and associated hazards impact on the resilience of riparian rural communities in Bangladesh? Policy implications for livelihood development

Despite the increasing recognition of the need for building resilience among poor farmers in developing countries in the face of changing climate conditions, there is a lack of information on the various factors influencing their resilience capacity. This paper develops an indicator-based Resilience Capacity Index (RCI) aimed at a better understanding of the factors influencing resilience capacity of the most hazard-prone riparian rural households in Bangladesh, as a case study in a developing country. The RCI is a relative measure and the value ranges between 0 and 1, where the higher the value the higher the resilience capacity. The index value of 0.297 for riverine mainland households is significantly higher than that for char (island) households (0.201). However, the lower index values in both locations infers the households’ inability to cope with and adapt to the impacts of climate change and associated hazards due to a lack of adaptation options along with their poor socio-economic conditions. The main drivers of the resilience capacity include livelihood strategies, level of education, and access to food, water and health services. Creating employment opportunities, increasing the level of education, and ensuring access to food, water and health services are potential climate-resilient strategies that are likely to enhance the resilience capacity of most vulnerable riparian households across Bangladesh, with some experiences which may be replicable elsewhere.

Effect of community based tobacco cessation intervention in a rural community of Bangladesh

Effect of community based tobacco cessation intervention in a rural community of Bangladesh

Declining trend of tobacco use in a rural community of Bangladesh, 2006-2013

Declining trend of tobacco use in a rural community of Bangladesh, 2006-2013

Diabetes risk score for identifying cardiometabolic risk factors in adult Bangladeshi population

Context: Simple non-invasive tools to identify high-risk individuals would facilitate screening of cardiometabolic diseases as well as diabetes. Aims: (1) To estimate variations in Bangladesh diabetes risk score (BDRS) according to stages of glucose intolerance, (2) to examine the usefulness of BDRS for identifying metabolic syndrome (MS), dyslipidaemia and 10-year risk of coronary artery disease (CAD) in people with normal glucose tolerance (NGT). Subjects and Methods: Data were taken from a randomised cross-sectional study of 2293 patients in a rural community of Bangladesh in 2009, based on questionnaire interviews, anthropometric measurements, fasting blood samples and oral glucose tolerance test. The BDRS includes age, sex, body mass index, waist-hip ratio and hypertension (HTN). Spearman correlation and logistic regression were done to assess the relationship between BDRS and cardiometabolic risk factors. Results: The mean BDRS increased significantly with higher glucose intolerance (P for trend

Healthcare-seeking behavior for infectious diseases in a community in Bangladesh

Background: Healthcare-seeking behavior is associated with the severity of infectious diseases, particularly in low-income countries. We need better understanding about the current healthcare-seeking behavior of rural people in low-resource settings. This study aimed to describe the healthcare-seeking behavior of rural people for infectious diseases and identify the associated factors. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey in a rural community in Bangladesh. We interviewed a total of 450 persons to collect data on demographics, household income, household expenditure, and healthcare-seeking behavior. We performed a descriptive analysis to summarize the demographic characteristics and multivariate logistic regression analysis to identify the association between healthcare-seeking behavior and variables of interest. Results: Among the study participants, 42% went to the health facilities, 30% went to the pharmacy, 14% went to the nonregistered doctors, 1% went to the traditional healers, 1% went to the spiritual healer, and 2% took self-treatment. Proximity of the health-care facilities (prevalence ratio [PR] 1.97, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.55–2.49) and number of clinical symptoms (PR 1.23, 95% CI: 1–1.52) were significantly associated with the care-seeking behavior. Conclusions: Healthcare-seeking behavior for infectious diseases among rural people in Bangladesh was poor. Information obtained from this study could be useful to develop, design, and improve health-care systems in low-resource settings.

Burn Injury of a Pregnant Mother in Rural Bangladesh: A Case Report

Introduction: This paper describes a case of pregnant mother who died of burn injury in order to understand the societal factors related to the event. We reviewed the case in the rural community. Initially, the case was reported as a maternal death to maternal and neonatal death review (MNDR) system being conducted in Bangladesh within exiting health system to explore the medical and social causes of maternal and newborn deaths. However, during the verbal autopsy, it was found that the mother died of bun injury. Therefore, we performed detailed case study. Case Presentation: A woman aged 18 years was nine months pregnant in a rural community in Moheskhali upazila of Cox’s Bazar district. During the wintertime, the mother feels cold and goes near to the oven in the yard to be warm. Suddenly, part of her clothing (Anchal of Sari) catches fire; she does not recognized and starts to walk towards her room. A neighbor notices and starts to shout. The woman scars and tries to run. The neighbors come with a bucket of water. By this time, the fire spreads over whole body and cloths. Immediately after the event, she is transferred to a medical college hospital. Conclusions: Doctors tried to do immediate cesarean section; however, they could not save the life of the baby inside. The mother who was severely burnt also died after 10 days. Rural community in Bangladesh still does not have adequate awareness and knowledge about risk of burn. The scarce knowledge of appropriate steps immediately after burn was explored. Moreover, delays in decision-making and transferring the patient to the facility were identified. Specific interventions need to be taken to increase knowledge and awareness in the community, which could save thousands of lives.