Publications by authors named "Delwar Akbar"

Article Synopsis
  • The study focused on understanding COVID-19 outbreaks in aged care facilities (ACFs) after vaccines were rolled out, particularly analyzing vaccine effectiveness (VE) among this vulnerable group.
  • A systematic review and meta-analysis of 38 articles from 12 countries revealed a 28% attack rate among fully vaccinated residents, with unvaccinated healthcare workers often being the source of outbreaks.
  • Vaccinated residents experienced significantly lower mortality rates (2% vs. 12%) and the study emphasized the importance of vaccination as a critical public health strategy to reduce COVID-19 impacts in crowded ACFs.
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Extreme weather events (EWEs) have significant effects on the productivity, profitability and sustainability of agricultural enterprises and supply chains. Australia is acknowledged as a highly susceptible developed country in relation to experiencing impacts from global climate change. Particularly, the Central Queensland (CQ) region has experienced several recent severe weather events which has made stakeholders worried about the financial resilience and sustainability of their businesses along with the farmers.

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Product export provides an option for horticulture producers in Queensland (Australia) to diversify their market and increase returns from production. Vertical supply chain coordination in the form of contract-based marketing agreements between producers and export agents/distributors could facilitate increased export. The aim of this study was to investigate the willingness of horticulture producers to participate in export focused contract-based marketing agreements.

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Article Synopsis
  • Infectious diseases pose a significant threat to residents of residential aged care facilities (RACFs), highlighting the need for improved surveillance and understanding of vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs) in these populations.
  • This study aims to implement an active enhanced surveillance system in RACFs in Central Queensland to gather data on the burden of VPDs, their causes, risk factors, and effectiveness of vaccines currently provided under the National Immunization Program.
  • Ethical approval has been granted for this research, allowing for the collection of non-identifiable data to ensure participant privacy while aiming to inform public health strategies and improve outcomes in vulnerable groups.
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Aim: To test the efficacy of an integrated microfinance/livelihood and community-based rehabilitation (IMCBR) programme in improving health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and motor function of children with cerebral palsy (CP) and gain in social capital to their ultra-poor families in rural Bangladesh.

Method: This was an open-label cluster randomized control trial. Children with CP aged 5 years or under were randomly allocated to three arms; Arm A: IMCBR; Arm B: community-based rehabilitation (CBR); and Arm C: care-as-usual.

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Background: Malnutrition is substantially higher among children with cerebral palsy (CP) in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) when compared with the general population. Access to appropriate interventions is crucial for better management of malnutrition and nutritional outcomes of those children. We aimed to review the existing evidence on nutrition interventions for children with CP in LMICs.

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Background: Despite the high burden of childhood disability in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs), the opportunity for early intervention and rehabilitation is very limited. Studies have found that community-based rehabilitation service is effective for children with cerebral palsy (CP); however, such services are not readily available in LMICs, and services run by non-profit organisations on external funding are often not sustainable. In this study, we report the lesson learnt in establishing a social business model of early intervention and rehabilitation services for children with CP and adults with disabilities in a rural subdistrict of Bangladesh.

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Introduction: Poverty is a key contributor to delayed diagnosis and limited access to early intervention and rehabilitation for children with cerebral palsy (CP) in rural Bangladesh. 97% of families of children with CP live below the poverty line in Bangladesh. Therefore, in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs), efforts to improve outcomes for children with CP (including health-related quality of life, motor function, communication, and nutritional attainments) should also include measures to improve family economic and social capital.

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Purpose: Rehabilitation needs are rising globally; however, the rate is strikingly higher in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Like many LMICs, the situation of rehabilitation services for persons with disabilities (PwDs) in Bangladesh is mostly unknown. We assessed the current situation of rehabilitation services for PwDs in Bangladesh.

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The environmental effects of urbanization and globalization are still subject to debate among scholars. South Africa is the most globalized, most urbanized and the most carbon-intensive economy in Sub Saharan Africa (SSA) region. Taking this into cognizance, this study examines the effects of urbanization and globalization on CO emissions for South Africa using time series annual data for the period 1980-2017.

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Purpose: Ageing in place is one of the greatest desires of elderly people. Assistive digital technologies could potentially delay the institutionalization of the elderly people and allow them ageing in place. This study develops a population-wide cost estimating framework for adopting digital technologies that can improve the quality of life of elderly people through examining an Australian region.

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