Burden and Pattern of Infectious Diseases among Tribal and Non-Tribal Peoples of North Bengal, India
Abstract
Background: This study was conducted to ascertain the types and patterns of infectious diseases among the diverse tribal and non-tribal populations living in tea gardens in North Bengal, India.
Methods: Present study was conducted in five Blocks in two districts of West Bengal, India. 71609 patients visited our mobile medical clinics (MMCs) between April 2021 and March 2022. Descriptive statistics were used to draw our inference. To analyse association between demographic factors and illness category through multinomial logistic regression model.
Results: Overall, 14981 patients with infectious diseases belonged to 62.1% (9296) tribal and 37.9% (5685) non-tribal populations. Females were more prone to RTI, digestive infections, and oral health-related diseases than males. We observed significant gender and ethnicity disparities in the presenting complaints (p-value= <0.001). Blockwise, Dhupguri block shows more than four times the risk of gastrointestinal problems (AOR=4.01; 95% CI: 3.01-5.34), more than twenty-nine times the risk of RTI/UTI (AOR= 29.95; 95% CI: 18.35-48.87), more than ten times the risk of ENT and eye problems (AOR= 10.22; 95% CI: 4.39-23.78) and more than three times the risk of oral problems (AOR= 3.73; 95% CI: 2.37-5.85) than the other blocks. Kalchini and Jalpaiguri block shows more than eleven and six times the risk of skin problems (AOR=11.39; 95% CI: 9.83-13.19) (AOR = 6.64; 95% CI: 5.70–7.74) than the other illnesses, respectively.
Conclusion: For better treatment of infectious diseases, mobile medical clinics are useful for reaching tribal and nontribal people living in underserved areas.
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