Background:Cancer of uterine cervix is one of the common carcinoma among females. India accounts for about 20% of cervical cancers. Prevention of cervical cancer, whether primary or secondary requires active participation of the community. For this they need knowledge about the disease & its prevention. Hence a study to assess the knowledge, attitude and practice regarding cervical cancer and its prevention was undertaken. Methods:A cross-sectional observational study was conducted in a panchayat area of Kanyakumari district, South Tamilnadu. A sample of 100 women aged 25-50 years was taken by multistage random sampling. Results:Only 68 women were aware of the existence of cervical cancer & Health workers were the most common source of information (41.2%). Those who were employed had more awareness though the differences were not statistically significant. Only 8 women (11.76%) knew that there is a vaccine to prevent cancer cervix. Among those who were aware of cervical cancer, only 47 (69.1%) knew about the existence of a screening test to detect cancer cervix. Only 8 women had undergone PAP smear. Among those willing to reveal the reason for not undergoing PAP smear, lack of time (15.38%), embarrassment (10.26%) and no facility (2.8%) were the reasons. Women who were employed were more likely to be aware about screening for cervical cancer (75%). Conclusions: The existence of cervical cancer has reached the awareness of majority of the women in our area. But specific knowledge about cervical cancer & its prevention is still lacking.

Introduction:Vector-borne diseases account for over 17% of all infectious diseases. Up to 700 million people are infected and more than a million die each year from mosquito-borne illness. The extent of people's cooperation can determine the success or failure of the entire campaign for Mosquito control. Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was carried out in Kanyakumari district among 180 individuals selected through multi-stage sampling. Data was collected using a semi structured interview schedule. Results: Every one of the study participants knew that mosquitoes spread diseases. Dengue was the most common disease related to Mosquito. Among the respondents, 113(62.7%) answered that coconut shells most common mosquito breeding place. Coconut shells (66%) & Open drainages (61.1%) were reason for water stagnation inside & outside their own compound respectively. 71.1% have seen mosquito larva in stagnant water around their house and among them 75.8% have done something to kill larva. Most common method used was putting bleaching powder in the larva breeding places (39%) followed by source reduction (26.5%). Bleaching powder was also the most common method (57%) used for prevention of mosquito breeding. 78.9% of the households were using personal protective measures, mosquito coil (59.8%), the most commonly used method. Only 38.5% of them said that fogging was done in their area in past 6 months. Conclusion: A good proportion of the households are taking preventive measures, but still so many households lacks practice or found to be doing wrong practices. Therefore, we recommend that community should be empowered with the right & adequate knowledge.

Despite the fact that Kanchipuram district in Tamilnadu is not considered a fluorosis endemic district, this study was under taken as few fluorosis cases reported in our institution. The objectives of the study are: 1.To describe the prevalence of dental fluorosis among children aged 7-15 years. 2. To assess fluoride levels in drinking water supply in the study villages. 3. To assess knowledge and attitude regarding fluorosis among children affected with fluorosis. A cross sectional study was conducted where 348 children of age 7-15 years were examined for fluorosis by a qualified dentist who graded the severity of fluorosis using the Dean's Fluorosis Index. Information on knowledge and attitude regarding fluorosis was collected from children through an interview schedule. Water samples were collected from various drinking water sources and were analyzed for its fluoride levels. The prevalence of dental fluorosis was 19.2%(CI-15.1,23.3). The analysis of drinking water sources showed fluoride levels up to 2.2mg/l of water. Significant correlation between high fluoride levels and occurrence of fluorosis (p<0.0001) found. Positive correlation found between age and severity of fluorosis (r=0.6690, p<0.0001). Dental caries occurrence was found less in children with fluorosis (p <.0001). Only five children with fluorosis knew that the discolouration of their teeth was due to water they consume. It was observed that water was not subjected for quality standards periodically. Few rural pockets of this district have ground water levels high in fluoride. Steps should be taken to find alternate source of water supply and most importantly potable water should be analysed periodically for its quality.

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