Concern for public health has been growing with the increasing volume of cases of COVID-19 in India. To combat this pandemic, India has implemented nationwide lockdowns, and unlocking phases continue ...with certain restrictions in different parts of the country. The lockdown has required people to adopt social-distance measures to minimize contacts in order to reduce the risks of additional infection. Nevertheless, the lockdown has already impacted economic activities and other dimensions of the health of individuals and society. Although many countries have helped their people through advanced welfare protection networks and numerous support aids, several emerging economies face specific difficulties to adapt to the pandemic due to vulnerable communities and scarce resources. However, certain lower-income countries need more rigorous analysis to implement more effective strategies to combat COVID-19. Accordingly, the current systematic review addresses the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns in India in relation to health and the economy. This work also provides further information on health inequalities, eco-nomic and social disparities in the country due to the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns and also contributes pragmatic suggestions for overcoming these challenges. These observations will be useful to the relevant local and national officials for improving and adopting novel strategies to face lockdown challenges.
Background: Road traffic accidents (RTAs) have emerged as a major public health concern due to the growing number of motorized vehicles all over the world. In India, the burden of road traffic ...accidents is increasing and from 1991 to 2011, the number of fatal deaths has more than doubled. Madurai district is among road accident-prone regions of the state of Tamil Nadu. Objective: This paper aims to examine and understand trends and patterns of RTAs in rural areas of Madurai District between 2014-2018. Methods: The researchers collected RTAs data from Madurai District Crime Records Bureau. we have considered time-series data from 2014 to 2018 and the number and percentage of deaths by the distribution of relevant factors such as timing, gender, road type, and vehicles to understand holistic patterns of RTAs. Results: Totally 9950 road accidents were reported by Madurai District Crime Records Bureau between 2014 and 2018 and on an average over 1990 accidents have occurred every year. Nearly 40 per cent fatal accidents occurred between 15-21 h. Men were the victims in 87 per cent of deaths and men died 6.8 times higher than females during 2014-2018. Over 57 per cent of fatalities have occurred in National Highways. The proportion of two-wheelers contributed to road deaths is 28 per cent and two-wheelers caused maximum road deaths than other vehicles. Conclusion: The study shows a decreasing trend in road accidents and fatalities in Madurai district. However, a significant number of men dying in road accidents highlights the difficulties of their families.
Abstract Road traffic injuries (RTIs) are a pressing public health concern in India, leading to a rise in injury‐related deaths, hospitalizations, and disabilities. India accounts for a significant ...portion of the world's fatal traffic accidents, with two‐wheelers being involved in the majority of these accidents. The impact of non‐fatal injuries on individuals extends beyond the bodily consequences of the injury and includes both the physical and psychological dimensions of the injury. The literature indicates the need for policy cascades and implementation framework for the prevention of road traffic injury. This study aimed to investigate the post‐RTI experiences and challenges faced by college students who experienced road traffic injury during their college life by using a qualitative research approach in Madurai district, Tamil Nadu, India. The study found that college students who experienced RTIs faced a wide range of physical, emotional, and social difficulties. The study highlights the need for a more comprehensive and holistic approach to RTI prevention that takes into account the complex interplay of individual, environmental, and societal factors that contribute to RTIs. The study also underscores the urgent need to improve the quality and availability of healthcare and rehabilitation services for RTI survivors.
The natural and manmade disasters impact a society with loss of assets and human lives. Disasters leavepeople in vulnerable conditions and an overall economic slowdown is observed. The impact of ...disasters is highly complex and multidimensional in nature. It becomes imperative to handle the complexity of issues with comprehensive approach. Managing disasters effectively is one of the important challenges any government faces when it tries to be prepared with appropriate mitigation, rescue, and relief strategies. The unexpected nature and urgency related to Disaster Risk Reduction makes it important and relevant to involvemultistakeholders. This will help to bring down the severity and impact of the disaster on human lives and losses. Disaster Risk Reductionrequires meticulous planning and sharing of the responsibility among multistakeholders through networking so as to bring down the severity and minimize the negative impact of a disaster. Many research studies have suggested the multistakeholder approach in addressing the disasters. There are several gaps such as inefficiency of vertical management to deal the issues, involvement of multiple stakeholders, and lack of local public supportfor disaster. This paper, considering the case of COVID-19 as a pandemic and disaster, discusses the importance of multistakeholder participation. The paper presents an extensive review of the papers on the relevance ofparticipation of multistakeholdersin Disaster Risk Reduction and explores the scope and challenges involved and suggests policies to address the disasters, which utilizes Multistakeholder Participation.