Seroprevalence of Toxocara at Tra Vinh University Hospital in Vietnam

OBJECTIVE

The study aims to assess the seroprevalence of Toxocariasis and its associated risk factors among individuals attending the outpatient department at Tra Vinh University Hospital, Vietnam, in 2022.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

A cross-sectional survey was conducted among outpatients of Tra Vinh University Hospital. Toxocariasis diagnosis was based on the Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) performed at the hospital's laboratory department. We assessed the seroprevalence of Toxocariasis and evaluated associated risk factors, including demographics and certain behaviors.

RESULTS

Of the 249 participants surveyed, 165 tested positive for Toxocariasis, yielding a seroprevalence of 66.3% (95% CI: 60.4-72.1). Multivariate analysis revealed that age groups up to 30 and 30-60 years had higher odds of Toxocariasis infection, with adjusted odds ratios (aOR) of 2.52 (95% CI: 1.04-6.11) and 3.21 (95% CI: 1.44-7.15) respectively. Additionally, individuals residing in rural areas and those in contact with dogs or cats had increased risks, with aORs of 2.21 (95% CI: 1.21-4.01) and 2.04 (95% CI: 1.10-3.79), respectively. Notably, hand washing before eating emerged as a protective factor against Toxocariasis, presenting an aOR of 0.38 (95% CI: 0.19-0.76).

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings underscore a significant seroprevalence (66.3%) of Toxocara spp. among outpatients at Tra Vinh University Hospital. Proactive measures, including hand hygiene before meals and after pet interactions, are advocated. There is a pronounced need for community-level epidemiological surveillance for human Toxocariasis.

Dataset on the Hanoian suburbanites' perception and mitigation strategies towards air pollution

Although air pollution has become a significant global environmental problem posing many negative impacts on human health and society, there has been a little known about how people think and respond to it, especially in developing and emerging countries. This article presents a dataset on how the suburbanites perceived and reacted with air pollution in Vietnam, an emerging country in Southeast Asia. A stratified random sampling technique and a face-to-face interview method were employed to survey 302 inhabitants living within Hanoi suburban, during November and December 2019. The constructed data contains three groups of information: (1) perspectives on air quality, causes, and impacts of polluted air, (2) respondent's preventative measures to air pollution, and suggested solutions to improve air quality, and (3) demographic information of interviewees. The dataset could be useful for many scholars who want to conduct a further in-depth study and or environmentalists, policymakers who want to keep society informed about the air pollution-related progression, which could help design a desirable policy for mitigating and or controlling air pollution in Vietnam and beyond.