Document is current

Article History

Received: 19 February 2026

Accepted: 19 May 2026

First Online: 25 May 2026

Declarations

Ethics approval and consent to participate: The research protocol was reviewed and approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) of icddr, b, comprising the Research Review Committee (RRC) and the Ethics Review Committee (ERC) (Protocol No. PR-21222, Version 2.0; approved on 25 February 2021). The study was conducted in accordance with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki and relevant national regulations governing research involving human participants. All clinical procedures were monitored by researchers and trained physicians to ensure adherence to ethical and scientific standards. Prior to data analysis, all participant identifiers were removed to maintain confidentiality.Written informed consent was obtained from all participants following full disclosure of the study objectives, procedures, potential risks, and benefits. Participation was entirely voluntary, and participants were informed of their right to withdraw from the study at any stage without any adverse consequences. Participants who agreed to participate either signed the consent form or provided a thumb impression. No relevant information was withheld from the participants.

Consent for publication: Not applicable.

Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.