Prevalence and determinants of delay in diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis in Darjeeling district of West Bengal.

Background: Delayed diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB) is a significant problem both in individual as well as community level. Different studies around globe revealed that these diagnostic delays are attributed to both patient delay and health system-related delay.

Aims: This study aims to assess the magnitude of delay in diagnosis and the association with sociodemographic profile among new sputum-positive pulmonary TB patients in Darjeeling district.

A study on determinants of occurrence of complications and fatality among diphtheria cases admitted to ID & BG Hospital of Kolkata.

This was a hospital-based case series study of diphtheria patients admitted to ID & BG Hospital of Kolkata from May 2004 to April 2005. A total of 107 patients were included in the study. Report of follow up of admitted patients and interview of family members were done.

A medico-social appraisal of commercial sex workers in a metropolitan city from eastern India.

This cross-sectional study of 146 commercial sex workers (CSWs) selected by stratified sampling, in a red light area of Kolkata, showed that 25.3% were teenagers and 37.0% were forced into the profession due to poverty.