Browsing by Author "Umakanthan, Srikanth"

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    COVID-19 pandemic containment in the Caribbean Region: A review of case-management and public health strategies
    (AIMS Public Health, 2021) Umakanthan, Srikanth; Chauhan, Anuradha; Gupta, Madan Mohan; Sahu, Pradeep Kumar; Bukelo, Maryann M; Chattu, Vijay Kumar
    COVID-19 emerged initially from Wuhan, Hubei province, China, in late December 2019, and since then, it has spread globally to be declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization. The Caribbean region started reporting COVID-19 cases in early March 2020, triggering new regional public health crises. The initial suspects and confirmed cases across the Caribbean countries were mainly imported cases and from cruise ships. The clinical manifestations varied from fever, cough, and malaise in mild cases to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and shock in severe cases. The Caribbean Public Health Agency has provided frequent updates on the preventive strategies and quarantine measures across the Caribbean member states. COVID-19 has had a serious impact on the Caribbean region’s health system, economy, and psychology. This review presents the Caribbean perspective of COVID-19, detailing the epidemiology, clinical manifestations, diagnosis, management, and preventive and surveillance measures. Vaccine hesitancy was found to be a major challenge that needs appropriate health education strategies to address the public. Strong leadership and regional collaboration among the Caribbean member states are necessary to provide optimal real-time data to the public and implement appropriate and effective guidelines in the island states
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    Global epidemiology, risk factors, and histological types of ovarian cancers in Trinidad
    (Journal of Family Medicine and Primary, 2019) Umakanthan, Srikanth; Chattu, Vijay Kumar; Kalloo, Sherene
    Ovarian cancer is the seventh most common cancer in women in the world and Trinidad and Tobago is ranked 18th in the world with respect to the rate of occurrence. About 68% cases are diagnosed at a late stage, resulting in low survival rates. Since there is very scanty literature available on the epidemiology of ovarian cancer in the Caribbean region, this study was undertaken to assess the most common risk factors, presenting symptoms and common histological varieties in Trinidad. Methods: A hospital‑based, cross‑sectional study was designed, and all the 23 diagnosed ovarian cancer cases registered during 2015–2017 were considered. Information on sociodemographics, presenting symptoms, and histological type of cancers were collected after getting the ethical approval. Of the total 23 cases, 17 cases were included in this study after ensuring completeness of data as detailed analysis of patient data was done using Microsoft Excel. Results: The common risk factors identified were previous pregnancies, previous surgeries, and irregularities in the menstrual cycle. The commonest histological variety was granulosa tumors and the most common associated symptoms were irregular menses and abdominal pain in premenstrual women, and abdominal distention in postmenopausal women. Conclusions: It would greatly enhance the detection rate if screening and testing for the CA‑125 gene were a mandatory practice, for any patient found with more than three risk factors. The public health authorities should identify the modifiable risk factors and implement cancer reduction and health promotion activities to reduce the mortality related to ovarian cancers