Background: Immunization is one of the most cost-effective measures in public health to date, preventing at an approximately 2--3 million fatalities in young children every year. Despite their public health benet, vaccination programs face obstacles. Objectives: The objectives of the study were to determine the vaccination coverage among the children in urban slums in Muzaffarpur and to determine the factors associated with partial immunization. Methodology: A community based cross-sectional study was conducted from November 2020 to October 2021 on children aged 12 to 23 months old of Muzaffarpur, Bihar, the urban slums area under Department of Community Medicine, Sri Krishna Medical College, using 30-cluster survey method. Information regarding immunization status, socio demographic and personal details was collected using pretested semi structured questionnaire after obtaining the consent. RESULTS: Among 240 children, Male children constituted 53.7%. and female children to 46.3%. Full immunization coverage was 82.9% and Partial immunization coverage was 17.1%. The relation between socio demographic variables like religion, type of family, total number of children in family, birth order, place of delivery, father's and mother's educational status, socio economic status and immunization status was found to be statistically signicant. Conclusion: The overall Immunization coverage factors found in this study are illiterate father, illiterate mother, low socio economic status, no exclusive breast feeding and non-availability of immunization card were determinants of partial immunization.

The diagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is one of the foremost barriers in the control of this disease, as demonstration of the parasite by splenic/bone marrow aspiration is relatively difficult and requires expertise and laboratory support. The aim of the present study was to find a noninvasive diagnostic approach using the existing recombinant kinesine-39 (rK-39) immunochromatographic nitrocellulose strips test (ICT) with a human sweat specimen for the diagnosis of VL. The investigation was carried out on specimens (blood, sweat, and urine) collected from 58 confirmed VL, 50 confirmed post kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL), 36 healthy control, and 35 patients from other diseases. The data obtained from this study reveal that 96.6% clinically confirmed active VL participants were found to be positive when tested against a sweat specimen. Interestingly, the scenario was similar when tested against a blood specimen (96.6% positive by rK-39). Moreover, a test of both sweats and blood specimens from 50 PKDL participants resulted in 100% positivity, whereas no healthy control participants were found to be rK-39 positive. The sensitivity of the rK-39 ICT in sweat specimen was 94.7%, whereas the specificity was 100% in healthy controls from endemic, nonendemic, and other infectious diseases, respectively. No difference was observed in sweat specimen of VL and PKDL cases which signifies its reliability. However, further evaluation of this method on a larger scale could enhance the reliability of the proposed model so that it could be used efficiently in VL management and eradication.

The rK39 strip test is a simple, non-invasive, sensitive and specific test for screening of Visceral Leishmaniasis (VL). Clinically VL-HIV and co-infected 50 parasitological confirm patients enrolled forms RMRIMS, Patna Bihar. The objective behind highlighting this co-infection is for awareness of treating physician to take care of the patients suffering with fever and hepato spleenomegaly might be co-infected with HIV. Other control arm HIV positive patients taken from ART centre RMRIMS Patna and relative of Visceral Leishmaniasis patients who are living with VL-HIV co-infected blood sample has been taken. The sensitivity & specificity of rK39 test in parasitological confirmed VL-HIV co-infected patients was 100% positive and other group in control arm rK39 showed negative result. These results suggest that rK39 strip test shows highly sensitivity & specificity in case of VL-HIV co infection.