Browsing by Author "Perera, S.N."

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    A comprehensive assessment of lymphatic filariasis inSri Lanka six years after cessation of mass drug administration
    (Public Library of Science, 2014) Rao, R.U.; Nagodavithana, K.C.; Samarasekera, S.D.; Wijegunawardana, A.D.; Premakumara, W.D.; Perera, S.N.; Settinayake, S.; Miller, J.P.; Weil, G.J.
    BACKGROUND: The Sri Lankan Anti-Filariasis Campaign conducted 5 rounds of mass drug administration (MDA) with diethycarbamazine plus albendazole between 2002 and 2006. We now report results of a comprehensive surveillance program that assessed the lymphatic filariasis (LF) situation in Sri Lanka 6 years after cessation of MDA. METHODOLOGY AND PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Transmission assessment surveys (TAS) were performed per WHO guidelines in primary school children in 11 evaluation units (EUs) in all 8 formerly endemic districts. All EUs easily satisfied WHO criteria for stopping MDA. Comprehensive surveillance was performed in 19 Public Health Inspector (PHI) areas (subdistrict health administrative units). The surveillance package included cross-sectional community surveys for microfilaremia (Mf) and circulating filarial antigenemia (CFA), school surveys for CFA and anti-filarial antibodies, and collection of Culex mosquitoes with gravid traps for detection of filarial DNA (molecular xenomonitoring, MX). Provisional target rates for interruption of LF transmission were community CFA <2%, antibody in school children <2%, and filarial DNA in mosquitoes <0.25%. Community Mf and CFA prevalence rates ranged from 0-0.9% and 0-3.4%, respectively. Infection rates were significantly higher in males and lower in people who denied prior treatment. Antibody rates in school children exceeded 2% in 10 study sites; the area that had the highest community and school CFA rates also had the highest school antibody rate (6.9%). Filarial DNA rates in mosquitoes exceeded 0.25% in 10 PHI areas. CONCLUSIONS: Comprehensive surveillance is feasible for some national filariasis elimination programs. Low-level persistence of LF was present in all study sites; several sites failed to meet provisional endpoint criteria for LF elimination, and follow-up testing will be needed in these areas. TAS was not sensitive for detecting low-level persistence of filariasis in Sri Lanka. We recommend use of antibody and MX testing as tools to complement TAS for post-MDA surveillance.
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    Latest advancements in information and communication technology for better interactive virtual healthcare medical clinic
    (4th International Research Symposium on Pure and Applied Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2019) Perera, S.N.; Hettiarachchi, N.
    The medical record is a dynamic informational entity that helps to monitor the health condition of a patient, where it collects all the information from the clinical history and treatments to enable continuous monitoring of the health condition of a patient. It allows better information management and flexibility rather than paper records by providing many advantages such as quick access to useful information needed for decision-making at the point of care. There are many systems available only for telemedicine. However, there is no existing system which manages virtual online consultation, a repository for medical information management, decision support for medical advice, telemedicine and recommending medical tips from a central location. The goal of health information management is to manage and utilize information to improve the performance of health care and medical services. Delivering health care to the population is a complex task that is highly dependent on information about the individual patients, the techniques of care, the care provided, the outcome of the care, as well as the performance of the health care provider. With the rapid development of the Information and Communication Technology, virtual care may effectively use to treat common problems such as flu, acne, and urinary tract infections in the medical stream. Virtual Healthcare Medical Clinic is a research-based project designed for consultation among doctors and patients by using smartphones or personal computers which can be used anytime, anywhere with an internet connection. The system provides patient tracking and electronic medical records that include personal data, laboratory and diagnostic data and all clinical data including treatments, medical reports, and medication. This web-based solution facilitates with doctors where they would be able to view patient's past health records easily and can diagnose the disease of the patient by looking at the history of the patient and then the doctor can continue the medical treatments for a specific patient in an effective manner via video doctor consultation. As a trusted medical authority, this is an integral partner and resource for everybody