Low full immunization coverage rate in AP as reported by NFHS-3, in all likelihood cannot be totally attributed to poor performance of the immunization programme. Probable reasons are issues related to methodological and logistic processes in NFHS, which include collection of data from a wider age group, differences in data collection methods, commitment levels and skill sets of investigator, fatigue factor and low percentage of cards seen by investigator.

Background: Corneal opacification due to keratitis is a leading cause of blindness, with fungal pathogens being important causative agents. Thus, a prospective study was designed to identify the etiological agents; and assess the epidemiological features and risk factors for infective keratitis in India with particular reference to fungal keratitis.Methods: Corneal scrapings were collected from 151 patients and subjected to direct microscopic examination by gram’s stain, KOH wet mount, followed by fungal culture in sabouraud’s dextrose agar and bacterial culture in MacConkey’s agar and blood agar. Identification of fungal growth was done by colony morphology, slide culture and lacto phenol cotton blue wet mount preparation.Results: Out of the 151 cases of keratitis, 65 (43.0%) showed fungal elements on KOH smear. By culture methods, microbial etiology (fungal/ bacterial) was established in 68 (45.0%) patients. Aspergillus spp. (57.7%) was the most frequently isolated fungus, followed by Fusarium (15.4%), Penicillium (7.7%), Curvularia (9.6%), Alternaria (5.8%) and Candida albicans (1.9%). History of trauma with vegetative and non-vegetative material and prior ophthalmologic intervention were the major identifiable risk factors.Conclusions: Thus, aspergillus spp. is the most common cause for fungal keratitis in India, with A. fumigatus and A. flavus being the most familiar species, followed by Fusarium. Bacterial isolates were responsible for considerably fewer cases of keratitis.

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