Unhygienic Conditions Research Articles

An Effectual Smart Waste Assortment using Metallic sensors

Quick expansion in populace has prompted inappropriate waste administration in metro urban communities and metropolitan regions. It makes unhygienic conditions for the residents in the environmental factors, prompting spread of infections and disease. To stay away from this issue, IoT based waste assortment and removal, is the best arrangement. This framework identifies the appearance of garbage utilizing an IR sensor and checks the substance of metal by utilizing metallic sensor. Moreover, the waste is grouped into dry and wet waste build-up with the assistance of capacitive finder. It comprises of ultrasonic sensors which quantifies the degree of trash, and shows the level in LCD screen just as message to clean in the event that it is full.. It is normal that this framework brings about establishing greener climate by observing and arranging the assortment of waste shrewdly through IoT.

Comparative genomics and physiological investigation supported safety, cold adaptation, efficient hydrolytic and plant growth-promoting potential of psychrotrophic Glutamicibacter arilaitensis LJH19, isolated from night-soil compost

BackgroundNight-soil compost (NSC) has traditionally been conserving water and a source of organic manure in northwestern Himalaya. Lately, this traditional method is declining due to modernization, its unhygienic conditions, and social apprehensions. Reduction in the age-old traditional practice has led to excessive chemical fertilizers and water shortage in the eco-sensitive region. In the current study, a bacterium has been analyzed for its safety, cold-adaptation, efficient degradation, and plant growth-promoting (PGP) attributes for its possible application as a safe bioinoculant in psychrotrophic bacterial consortia for improved night-soil composting.ResultsGlutamicibacter arilaitensis LJH19, a psychrotrophic bacterium, was isolated from the NSC of Lahaul valley in northwestern Himalaya. The strain exhibited amylase (186.76 ± 19.28 U/mg), cellulase (21.85 ± 0.7 U/mg), and xylanase (11.31 ± 0.51 U/mg) activities at 10 °C. Possessing efficient hydrolytic activities at low-temperature garners the capability of efficient composting to LJH19. Additionally, the strain possessed multiple PGP traits such as indole acetic acid production (166.11 ± 5.7 μg/ml), siderophore production (85.72 ± 1.06% psu), and phosphate solubilization (44.76 ± 1.5 μg/ml). Enhanced germination index and germination rate of pea seeds under the LJH19 inoculation further supported the bacterium’s PGP potential. Whole-genome sequencing (3,602,821 bps) and genome mining endorsed the cold adaptation, degradation of polysaccharides, and PGP traits of LJH19. Biosynthetic gene clusters for type III polyketide synthase (PKS), terpene, and siderophore supplemented the endorsement of LJH19 as a potential PGP bacterium. Comparative genomics within the genus revealed 217 unique genes specific to hydrolytic and PGP activity.ConclusionThe physiological and genomic evidence promotes LJH19 as a potentially safe bio-inoculant to formulate psychrotrophic bacterial consortia for accelerated degradation and improved night-soil compost.

The microbiological quality of various foods dried by applying different drying methods: a review.

With the drying process, the water activity and moisture content of the foods are reduced, so the growth of microorganisms in the foods is largely prevented/postponed. But low-aw foods should not be considered sterile they can be contaminated by fungi and other contaminants during the drying process under unhygienic conditions. If drying is not done to a sufficient degree of moisture during food processing and storage, where dried foods are processed, sometimes the minimum value is reached for the growth of microorganisms. In dry foods, some pathogens, yeast and molds can continue to grow during storage, transport and transportation until the sale and they causing spoilage. They can even cause health problems if enough pathogen or spore cells remain viable. Considering this situation today, it is attempted to obtain high-quality dried foods with good microbiologically and chemically properties. For this purpose, various drying methods have been developed. Most studies suggest that when foods are pre-treated with the ascorbic acid or sodium metabisulfite or applied with various combined methods such as UV irradiation, supercritical carbon dioxide (SCO2), low-pressure superheated steam drying (LPSSD), and infrared (IR) drying, they can be effective on inactivation of microorganisms. We have reviewed in this study how these methods made dried products efficient of microbial inactivation and microbiologically safe.

Minimizing Respiratory Diseases using Warning from Hand-Touch-Over-Face Avoidance Based Algorithm on Deep Learning

The most moved parts of a human body are hands. They may get contaminated by touching any surface we are working with. The contaminated hands can intentionally or unintentionally reach the part of our face while eating, sneezing, setting of hair, itching a scratch, biting the nails, soothing down when stressed, etc. The touch of hands in eyes, nose and mouth may result in unhygienic symptoms and may result in various respiratory diseases. We need to minimize our touch to the parts of our face. In the presented work, we propose a system that warns the user each time his/her hand reaches his/her face. We have used CNN to identify the class feature automatically rather than manually. Also, we have used RNN so that the proposed system learns recursively. The use of such system may minimize the subsequent touch on face and will lead to minimizing the respiratory diseases due to unhygienic touch conditions.

DETECTION OF INDICATORS ORGANISMS IN BOILED MILK VENDED IN THE MARKETS OF EL-OBIED CITY-NORTH KORDOFAN STATE - SUDAN

Background: This study was conducted within the markets of Elobeid City- North Kordofan State-Sudan, to detect the presence of indicator organisms (coliform and E.coli bacteria) in boiled milk, during the amount from October 2012 to October 2015. Methodology: The study covered all the places for the boiled milk sale found within the markets of Elobeid City, which are 84 places. Data were collected from all milk handlers who were 87 by observation- checklist. The info were analyzed manually and therefore the results presented in tables and figures showing for the odds. 84 samples of boiled milk were collected from the offering containers of boiled milk, and examined for the presence of coliform bacteria. Results: The coliforms bacteria contaminated most boiled milk samples (77.38%) and 43% of positive milk samples for coliforms was found contaminated by E.coli bacteria. The factors that contributed to the microbial contamination for boiled milk by coliform bacteria are lack of the health licenses for the milk handling (57.14%), and lack of milk covering (47.6%). Conclusion: This study concluded that the milk was marketed under unhygienic conditions and theres no assurance to its safety and wholesomeness. This study recommend the health authorities to require immediate measures for correction of the health violations of milk safety requirements, additionally to the health education for milk handlers about the diseases that are transmitted by contaminated milk, and training about hygienic handling of milk before licensing.

Study of prevalence and determinants associated with scabies in rural area of Bareilly

Background: Scabies, a contagious skin infestation by the mite Sarcoptes scabieii. It has no gender differences and infects all age group. This skin disease affects more than 300 million people per year worldwide, resulting in considerable morbidity, especially in resource-limited countries. Aims and Objectives: To find out prevalence and risk factor of scabies in rural population and to recommend measures for prevention and control of scabies. Material and Methods: A prospective cross sectional study was carried out over a period of 4 months from 1 Dec 2019 to 31 March 2020 in dermatology OPD at Rural health training centre( RHTC) of a medical college in Dhaura Tanda region of Uttar Pradesh. Total 310 patient including male and female of all age group were included in the study . Results: Majority of participants were females (58.1%).The prevalence of scabies was 24.2% in population. The mean age at presentation was 28.819 ± 10.198 years. The most common affected age group was 12-24 years (28.4%). Conclusion: Scabies is a common skin disease in underdeveloped and developing countries. Poor living conditions such as inadequate housing, overcrowding, illiteracy, having animals in the house, unhygienic condition presence of family history and sharing clothes with others are important risk factors for transmission of scabies.

City Dwellers’ Perception on Environmental Hazards and Risks in Dhaka City

This paper examines the social perceptions against the existing overall environmental hazards and pollutions of different residential areas of Dhaka Metropolitan area. The empirical data have been collected through a semi-structured questionnaire from 180 households. The findings reveal that more than 60% people of in residential areas are at high risk for environmental hazards due to the vast density of population and unplanned high-rise buildings. Furthermore, on average more than 53% of respondents have uttered various pollutions emphatically air, dust, and noise pollution which are now common environmental phenomena of residential areas for unruly behaviors of dwellers and mismanagement of respective authorities. Lack of open space is a burning question for the city dwellers, which causes a ventilation crisis through accelerating indoor pollution claimed by 95% of slum dwellers. After all, slum dwellers are more deprived of overall urban facilities, and abiding in unhygienic conditions made them more prone to fire hazards and severe health disorders. So, the study suggests that policymakers and city corporation authorities should be more concerned and taken proper initiatives to eradicate multifaceted issues to fabricate a sustainable environment for city dwellers.

Molecular Detection of Staphylococcal Enterotoxins and mecA Genes Products in Selected Food Samples Collected from Different Areas in Khartoum State.

Staphylococcal food poisoning is an intoxication that results from the consumption of improperly prepared or stored foods containing sufficient amounts of one or more preformed S. aureus enterotoxins. Nowadays, many researchers worldwide noted an emergence of resistant strains such as Staphylococci particularly for the antibiotic methicillin. Therefore, this study was aimed to determine the existence of Staphylococcus aureus and its enterotoxins, mecA genes, in selected food samples. A total of 400 selected food samples were collected from different areas in Khartoum State. The selected foods included cheese, meat products, fish, and raw milk. One hundred samples from each type of food were cultivated, and the resultant growth yielded 137 (34.25%) S. aureus, 126 (31.5%) bacteria other than S. aureus, and 137 (34.25%) yielded no growth. Eighty-four of the 137 S. aureus isolates were randomly selected and tested for the presence of mecA and enterotoxin genes. The oxacillin sensitivity test showed that 15 (11%) of 137 S. aureus isolates were oxacillin resistant. The PCR assay showed that the mecA gene was detected in 15 of 84 (17%) S. aureus isolates. Simultaneously, only 2 (2.385%) out of 84 S. aureus isolates showed an enterotoxin B gene product. There was a relatively moderate prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus with very low frequency of enterotoxin B gene in different kinds of selected food samples collected from Khartoum State. These findings elucidate the increased risk on public in Khartoum being affected by Staphylococcal food poisoning upon consumption of dairy or meat products prepared in unhygienic conditions that could lead to intoxication by Staphylococcus aureus enterotoxins.

Identification of pathogenic bacteria from food handling surfaces (tabletops) from different areas with demonstration of their drug resistance properties

Foodborne illness is generally caused after consumption of food contaminated with pathogenic microorganisms. Food contamination often caused by contact with tabletops or food handling surfaces where the pathogenic microbes are present due to unhygienic condition of people working there and the overall environment of the food serving area. In current study, four areas (local restaurants, fast food shops, university canteens and hospital canteens) were selected for collection of swab sample (per cm2 area) from the tabletops. Five samples from each area were taken for further studies. After microbiological analysis we found ten different types of bacteria (Esherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumonia, Klebsiella oxytoca, Corynebacterium xerosis, Staphylococcus aures, Salmonella spp., Proteus mirabilis, Enterobacter aerogenes, pseudomonas aeruginosa and Alcaligenes fecalis) which are already considered to be pathogenic bacteria causing different health issues in immune-compromised and also in healthy consumers. These bacteria were then subjected to antibiotic sensitivity test using ten antibiotics-Vancomycin (30 µg), Cotrimoxazol (30 µg), Azithromycin (15 µg), Gentamicin (10 µg), Amoxycillin (10 µg), Cephradine (30 µg), Ceftriaxone (30 µg), Cefuroxime (30 µg), Cefoxitin (30 µg) and Tetracycline (30 µg). Bacterial isolates collected from university and hospital canteens showed most resistance towards these antibiotics. Strict maintenance of proper sanitation and hygiene starting from personal aspects to the overall environment of food handling service should be maintained to reduce the food contamination and foodborne disease.

The Politics of Refugee Protection in a (Post)COVID-19 World

The COVID-19 pandemic is not a “great equaliser” as some have claimed, but rather an amplifier of existing inequalities, including those associated with migration. Perhaps not surprisingly, it is refugees, often the most marginalised of all migrants, who have had the most to lose. Refugees and displaced populations living in crowded and unhygienic conditions have often been unable to protect themselves from the virus, face increasing economic precarity and often find themselves excluded from measures to alleviate poverty and hunger. The threat to refugees comes not only from material (in)security, but from increasing exclusion and exceptionalism associated with the politics of protection. Evidence from the first nine months of the pandemic suggests that some governments, in Europe and US but also the Global South, are using COVID-19 as an excuse to double-down on border closures and/or dip into their migration policy toolboxes to demonstrate the robustness of their response to it. Refugees are increasingly prevented from accessing the international protection to which they are potentially entitled or used (alongside migrants more generally) as scapegoats by populist leaders exploiting the pandemic for political mileage. Some states have used the pandemic to push through controversial policies that further limit access to protection and/or institutionalize the marginalization of refugees. In this context, it seems likely that COVID-19 will accelerate the course of history in relation to refugee protection, rather than changing its direction.

WITHDRAWN: Design and development of smart dustbin

The biggest pollution concern today is the overflow of garbage. This creates unhygienic conditions for individuals and creates a bad smell in the environment which in turn leads to the spreading of deadly viruses and human diseases. In order to avoid such issues, smart dustbin control is carried out and implemented with the help of various sensors. Various sensors are used in this system to monitor the level and specific IDs will be given for each dustbin in the cities so that it is easy to recognize which waste bin is complete. The GSM module is used to send a message forupdating the status of the bin to the respective authorities. When the bin level exceeds the threshold limit; the system transmits the reading with the given unique ID. After that, the dustbin will automatically close the door. Once the bins are complete, the user will not be able to access the bins. The status of the bin will be indicated on the LCD display and it will send a message with the help of GSM to the concerned authorities from their venues. So in order to clean the over flowing bins, the concern authority will take immediate action. The rain sensor is used to track rain. The door will automatically gets closed when the rain is detected in order to prevent the water entering inside the bin.

Investigation of Groundwater Contamination from Septic Tank Siting in Umungasi/Abayi, Abia State

The investigation of groundwater contamination from septic tank siting was done in Umungasi/Abayi, Abia State. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of siting septic systems on the quality of groundwater in Umungasi, Abayi, Aba. Twenty (20) water samples were randomly collected from boreholes located less than 30 m away from septic systems in Umungasi, Abayi Aba, Nigeria to determine their physico-chemical and heavy metals characteristics. While three (3) water samples at distances ranging from 60 m from the nearest septic system were sampled for analyses as controls. Standard analytical techniques were employed in the investigation. The result showed that most of the physicochemical parameters analysed in the borehole water samples were within the WHO/SON/NAFDAC recommended limits except for pH in BH4 and BH7 which had values of 6.3 respectively and were not within the WHO/SON/NAFDAC standard limit of 6.5-8.5. Some of the heavy metals analysed during the period of study were within the permissible limits except for iron in BH5 (0.443 mg/L), BH7 (0.367 mg/L), BH8 (0.511 mg/L), BH9 (0.31 mg/L), BH15 (0.41 mg/L), BH16 (0.327 mg/L), BH17 (0.337 mg/L) and BH18 (0.315 mg/L) that were above the permissible limits of WHO standards of 0.3 mg/l. There was no influence of septic tank siting to the boreholes on groundwater quality during the period of study even though the distance of septic tanks from boreholes in the areas investigated did not conform with that recommended by WHO of 30 – 40 m. The contamination is from the general unhygienic condition of the environment.

Knowledge and attitude of dental postgraduate students towards oral and peri-oral piercing in Davanagere city: A cross-sectional survey

Background: Oral and perioral piercing when performed under unhygienic conditions, can cause certain complications. Hence, a study was conducted in dental colleges of Davanagere city among postgraduate students with the aim to assess their knowledge and attitude towards oral and peri-oral piercing.Methods: Across-sectional survey involved 212 dental postgraduate students of dental colleges in Davanagere city who consented to participate. A pretested, validated, self-administered questionnaire containing 15 multiple-choice items assessing the postgraduate students’ knowledge and attitude towards oral and peri-oral piercing practices was used for data collection. Data was presented in the form of frequencies and percentages.Results: Participants had fair knowledge regarding oral and perioral piercing. Majority of participants (75%) felt oral and peri-oral piercing practices as a sign of style /fashion statement. Around 45-50% felt tongue piercing and nose piercing (66%) as most prevalent type among oral and perioral piercing practices and canine was the most preferred tooth for piercing (43%). Majority (55%) felt that piercing practices were performed by unlicensed people. Many (79%) were aware of complications associated with piercing and suggested removal of pierced metal in such conditions (58%). Around 76.7% said they preferred Cosmetic dentist for piercing and 94% felt that dentists with oral and perioral piercing strongly influence the perception of their patients towards oral piercing.Conclusion: Dental postgraduates had fair knowledge regarding oral and peri-oral piercing practice and its possible complications. However, the attitude towards the practice which is highly prevalent in the society was affirmative and positive among postgraduates which is a cause of concern.

Transgender: Are the Invisible and Vulnerable?

Transgender is a universal word applied to various individuals, behavior, and groups involving tendencies to deviate from the normative gender roles. The transgender person was socially disadvantaged, economically deprived, and politically disenfranchised. As the transgender lives in the most unhygienic conditions, they are prone to various diseases. Few transgender studies report that discrimination in access to health care is associated with numerous poor health outcomes, including a higher prevalence of HIV infection, substance use disorder, and suicide attempts too. A close analysis of various reports and discussion with community and stakeholders suggest that transgender are most uneducated or undereducated, become reluctant to continue schooling. They no longer need to beg on roads and go for prostitution. As a majority of them are abandoned by their families and thrown out of their homes, separate nursing homes should be constructed for the transgender community in order to provide the family less transgender individuals with shelter and security during the last days of their lives.

Neonatal Umbilical Myiasis- A Rare Case Report

Myiasis is an infestation of live vertebrates (humans and/or animals) by larvae of dipterous fly. Although, it usually infects domestic and wild animals but humans may be rarely affected if they are reared in unhygienic condition. The index case is a seven-day-old male neonate born by normal vaginal delivery, who presented to the Emergency Department with complaint of passage of worms from umbilicus which do not extend to deeper tissues. On examination, periumbilical erythema was also visible along with white glistening worms. After application of turpentine oil to the umbilical stump, the worms were mechanically removed with the help of forceps. Umbilical myiasis is a very rare presentation indicating poor hygiene and a preventable condition.

Modelling and Simulation of Autonomous Indoor Robotic Wastebin in Webots for Waste Management in Smart Buildings

Waste bins are being used in an indoor environment by every common man for over many decades. Proper disposal of the waste and the waste collection system in an indoor environment is an important aspect of the cleanliness of the environment, the outlook of the environment, and as well as considering the health aspects of the people. An improper waste collection system in an indoor environment leads to a foul smell and unhygienic condition, thus inherently results in environmental pollution. Another crucial challenge is devising a safe navigation methodology for the smart waste bin in the indoor environment and efficiently model and simulate its performance. Therefore, in this paper, Mobile Smart Waste Bin with a smart waste collection system is proposed using the technical advancements in robotic technology with the navigation techniques. A simple line following navigation technique is employed in such a way that, when the waste bin gets filled with trash, the corresponding bin autonomously moves to the common collection point. This is done to analyse the integration of the physical and intrinsic characteristics of the system through simulation studies and the results are reported. The performance of the proposed indoor robotic dustbin bin is modelled with the underlying physics as well as the environment in webots virtual simulator. The effectiveness of the system is analysed through simulation studies in webots simulator and the results are visualized and reported. Thus, the designed mobile smart bin and proposed waste collection system will be a better autonomous solution compared to existing ones in the indoor environment of Smart Buildings.

Incidence and characterization of Clostridium perfringens isolates from milk and milk products

The present study was conducted to assess the incidence of Clostridium perfringens and to characterize the isolates from milk & milk products. The study included 250 samples of milk and milk products consisting 50 each of raw milk, pasteurized milk, shrikhand, khoa and lassi. The samples were overnight enriched in alternative thioglycollate broth followed by isolation on tryptose sulphite cycloserine agar. Out of 250 samples, 8.4% (21/250) had C. perfringens. The occurrence in raw milk was 16% (8/50), khoa- 12% (6/50), shrikhand-10% (5/50), lassi- 4% (2/50). Pasteurized milk samples were not positive for C. perfringens. All the isolates of C. perfringens were confirmed with 16S rRNA genes. The molecular study revealed that all the isolates had lecithinase (cpa) gene, while 5 isolates (raw milk-3, shrikhand2) showed the enterotoxin (cpe) gene. The presence of C. perfringens in milk and milk products revealed unhygienic and insanitary (merge in with sanitary) conditions which lead to contamination during production and processing of milk and milk products.

Rate of Soil Contamination by Soil Transmitted Helminths in Relation to the Awareness Status of Pupils in Primary Schools of Penka-Michel, West-Cameroon

Background: Soil transmitted helminth (STH) infections disproportionately affect poor populations in tropical and subtropical parts of the world. They contaminate soil and pupils are mostly at risk of these infections due to their soil related habits. Aims: to assess pupils’ knowledge, attitude and practice in relation to the rate of soil contamination in public primary schools. Methods: Structured questionnaires were administered to 729 consenting participants to obtain information on their awareness status of STH infections. A total of 552 soil samples were collected around toilets, classrooms backyards and playground in 23 public schools randomly selected in Penka-Michel subdivision and examined for the presence of STH eggs using the sucrose flotation method. Results: up to 80% of respondents do not actually know how to avoid getting infected with worms. About 50% of pupils do not actually wash their hands after defecating or wash their fruits/vegetables before eating. Pupil’s nails were mostly untrimmed (74.1%). 77.1% declared they always defecate out of the toilets when they are in school. Out of 552 soil samples examined, 97 (17.6%) were contaminated by Ascaris sp, Trichuris sp, Toxocara sp, Capillaria sp, Cooperia sp, hokworms and Nematodirus sp. Soil from around toilets were significantly more contaminated with Ascaris sp and Trichuris sp eggs. Soil contamination was also significantly associated with absence of water during class hours, unhygienic conditions of toilets, and lack of school perimeter fence. Overall 65% of schools selected showed a low level of hygiene. Conclusion: Pupils of these schools played a major role in the contamination of their environment. Therefore, in order to prevent the STHs transmission cycles in school environment and possibly in pupils, it is necessary to develop specific sustainable intervention programs.

Survey and Correlation of Unhygienic Conditions of Agriculture Markets in Punjab

Survey and Correlation of Unhygienic Conditions of Agriculture Markets in Punjab

A review on the state of abattoirs in Nigeria during COVID-19 pandemic era: Potential threats and public health interventions

The Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) is an emerging zoonotic disease with global impact. Different intervention measures have been rolled out to flatten the curve, however the unhygienic conditions of abattoirs in Nigeria may be a perfect breeding ground for the novel coronavirus, hence could pose a threat to public health. The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) was first reported among individuals who had either visited or had consumed food sold at the wet animal market in Wuhan, megacity of China in late December, 2019. The outbreak compelled China authority to close down all the wet animal markets in the Hubei province in an attempt to curb zoonotic transmission of the virus. Due to the unhygienic conditions of Nigerian abattoirs, butchers are more likely to come in contact with contaminated objects or surfaces and when they do, they may unknowingly infect themselves by touching their noses, mouth, or eyes with contaminated hands. Consequently, the virus could find its way into the respiratory tract to initiates an infection. Worst still, the lack of social distancing in the abattoirs can promote local transmission amongst butchers if some of them are infected and remain asymptomatic. These asymptomatic individuals can constitute a potential reservoir in the propagation and transmission of the virus within the abattoirs and in the community if they are not identified, isolated and treated. The current pandemic poses a threat of zoonotic transmission, hence, there is need for the Federal Government of Nigeria to make concerted effort in restoring sanitary in the abattoirs in order to forestall an outbreak of a virus that may be more deadly than SARS-CoV-2. This review therefore seeks to evaluate the growing concerns of the unhygienic conditions of abattoirs in Nigeria amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the threats it poses to public health and the possible way forward.