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Background: Lymphatic filariasis (LF) is an important public health and socio-economic problem in the world and it was identified as one of the six diseases, which could be targeted for elimination /eradication. Annual mass drug administration of DEC with selective vector control could result in the effective elimination of infection by interruption of transmission. The present study aimed to find the coverage and compliance of mass drug administration (MDA) of diethyl-carbamazine (DEC) for elimination of lymphatic filariasis (LF) in Khammam district in November 2009.Methods: Cross-sectional, population-based, house-to-house survey was conducted after the round of MDA with DEC. Multi-stage systematic sampling method was used and four clusters were selected with 30 houses in each. A pretested questionnaire was used to interview the study participants. The data collected was analyzed and coverage rate, compliance rate and effective coverage rate were calculated.Results: The coverage rate was 65.54% with variation across different areas. The compliance with drug ingestion was 71.14%. The effective coverage (46.63%) was much below the target (85%) which has to be targeted by intensive information, education and communication (IEC). Side effects of DEC were minimum, transient and drug-specific.Conclusions: The coverage, compliance, and effective coverage rates were found to be lower than the target, which need to be intensified by extensive IEC.

Background: Breast milk is the best, safest and most nutritious food for infants. Though breast feeding is almost universal, there are yet some myths and false beliefs surrounding the practice due to various cultures and traditions in India. In the present study an attempt was made to understand various aspects of infant feeding practices among the Sugali tribes of Khammam district, Telangana state.Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted among Sugali community in Khammam mandal of Khammam district in Telangana from March to June 2010. In which 314 families with pre-school children were interviewed using a pre–designed semi-structured questionnaire.Results: Nearly 80% (251) of the mothers had said that they initiate breast feeding after one hour of delivery, while only 6% initiated breastfeeding within one hour delivery. About 54% of the mothers were giving colostrum to their newborns, while others (45.86%) were giving pre-lacteal feeding to the infants including jaggery water and honey. It was observed that most (71.65%) of the mothers were continuing to breastfeed their children more than 18 months. Only 11.78% of the mothers started weaning before 6 months of age. Socio-economic status, literacy rate and working status of the mothers were some of the influencing factors.Conclusions: The study identified the practices of infant feeding, their determinants among the sugali tribes and recommendations to improve their practices. False beliefs and difficulties regarding breast feeding need to be addressed through heath education and family support.