CONTEXT (BACKGROUND)India accounts for highest number of annual births (25.6 million) and neonatal deaths (0.76 million or 30% global burden). There is paucity of published data on new born health care from our country. We studied the morbidity profile of newborns admitted in our NICU. MATERIAL AND METHODSThis retrospective study on the morbidity profile of newborns was conducted at Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of a tertiary care teaching hospital -King George Hospital, Visakhapatnam between May 2014 and April 2016 (2 years). All neonates admitted in our NICU during the above period were reviewed regarding place of birth, gestational age, birth weight, primary diagnosis at admission and other associated comorbidities. AIMTo study the morbidity profile in our NICU, a tertiary care teaching hospital during 2 years study period. RESULTSIn the present study, the data of 5755 neonates who were admitted in our NICU were analysed. Out of them 2994 (52.02%) were inborn and 2761 were out-born (47.98%). In our study population slight male preponderance, more number of pre-term babies (3513, 61.05%) that too gestational age between 34-37 weeks (2299, 39.95%) occupied the major share. In our study, the major cause of morbidity was RDS 1127 (19.58%) followed by HIE/birth asphyxia 1053 (18.30%), neonatal jaundice 920 (15.99%), sepsis 673 (11.70%) and miscellaneous causes 784 (13.62%) out of 5755. In our study, about 81 babies (1.41%) had major congenital malformations.

BACKGROUNDScrub typhus (Tsutsugamushi fever) is a zoonotic disease among Rickettsial infections, wherein man is an accidental host. Scrub typhus is an important and widespread cause of acute febrile illness in rural areas of Asian and Northern Australia. In the preantibiotic era, the mortality rates as high as 42% were reported. Scrub typhus is very responsive to treatment with timely and appropriate antibiotics. The disease still causes a significant rise of death in rural areas, where effective treatment is unavailable or delayed. Scrub typhus is grossly underdiagnosed, especially in India due to lack of awareness among clinicians and also due to lack of diagnostic tests. In our study, we studied the investigatory profile and treatment outcome in paediatric Scrub typhus patients.

BACKGROUNDScrub typhus is an important cause of acute febrile illness caused by Orientia tsutsugamushi with uncertain pathogenesis, but presents as a systemic vasculitis like infection resulting in wide range of clinical manifestations and complications. Though it is endemic in many parts of India, Scrub typhus is grossly underdiagnosed partly because of lack of awareness among clinicians and partly due to poor availability of standardized diagnostic tests in tropical areas. We studied the clinical and epidemiological profile of paediatric scrub typhus patients.

BACKGROUNDScrub typhus is caused by an organism related to Rickettsia species Orientia tsutsugamushi. It causes a disseminated vasculitis and perivascular inflammatory lesions whose net result is significant vascular leakage and end organ injury, especially brain and lungs. Eschar is the site of inoculation which is painless, non-pruritic and is a useful indicator of the disease. In our study, we included the distribution of eschar in paediatric scrub typhus patients.