28 research outputs found
Risk assessment of dengue fever in Qatar
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Background: Dengue Fever constitutes a major international public health concern due to rapid expansion of geographic distribution of the virus and the mosquito vector of the disease. In this paper we aim to review the risk of Dengue Fever introduction to Qatar.
Methods: Review of the Literature for the factors responsible for the worldwide spread of dengue fever and assess these factors in Qatar.
Results: Internationally, the Global Climate Change is believed to be responsible of Dengue geographical expansion. High Temperature and humidity in Qatar are suitable climatic conditions for breeding of Dengue vectors Aedes aegypti and albopticus. The rapid urbanization in Qatar constitutes a favorable environment for breeding sites of Dengue vectors, as the mosquito prefers to breed in artificial containers such as discarded tires, drums, cans, buckets, flower pots, and vases. High number of international travelers, especially form dengue endemic countries to Qatar is a very important risk factor. The rapid human population growth in Qatar if combined with circulation of different dengue virus serotypes is an important risk factor for development of sever forms of Dengue Fever. Unspecific clinical presentation in addition to presence of asymptomatic dengue cases poses a challenge to the diagnosis capability of medical doctors in Qatar and hence to under reporting of dengue.
Conclusion: Dengue Fever is an imminent risk to Qatar. Entomological survey is needed to determine the presence, capacity and density of Dengue Vector in Qatar. Strengthen Dengue surveillance in international travelers will work as sentinel for dengue risk in Qatar.</jats:p
Advancing one health implementation in the Eastern Mediterranean region: insights from the EMPHNET 8th biennial roundtable
No full textCountries in the Eastern Mediterranean region (EMR) face interconnected risks at the human, animal, and environmental interface. This Perspective synthesizes lessons from a roundtable convened during the EMPHNET 8th Biennial Regional Conference (Amman, 15–18 September 2024) to identify near-term actions to operationalize One Health. The two-hour session featured five presentations, a panel, and open discussion with 68 participants from human, animal, and environmental health, food safety, life sciences, and social sciences. Rapporteur notes and slides were independently reviewed by two authors and consolidated into cross-cutting themes. Five priorities emerged: workforce development and mentorship; governance and multisectoral coordination; surveillance, data integration, and joint risk assessment; financing and sustainability; and climate and environmental determinants. Participants emphasized Competencies for One Health Field Epidemiology (COHFE)-aligned competency pathways, institutionalized coordination with defined roles, interoperable surveillance products using shared case definitions, early joint risk assessments with explicit triggers, and sustained cross-sector rapid response capacity. They called for embedding One Health tasks in national budgets, aligning external support to government plans, and integrating health within climate policies and investments. Egypt case illustrated national organization of governance, surveillance, and financing. The roundtable offers a practice-oriented entry point for EMR decision makers to operationalize One Health in the near term
Preparing for infectious disease threats at FIFA sporting events: What Qatar should learn from the available practices?
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Background: Qatar is about to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup-WC, this can stress the public health system and resources of Qatar as hosting country. Reducing public health risks and ensuring people's safety at The Qatar 2022WC requires thorough planning and coordination. The aim is to obtain a comprehensive insight into the available practices concerning the infectious diseases preparedness and response for major Sporting events and to advise Qatar W.C-2022 health committee accordingly.
Methods: A desk review of WHO literature in public health considerations during mass gatherings was done, with particular focus on the Communicable Disease alert and response for mass gatherings.
Results: The literature suggests certain critical factors and preconditions for success that are common to most events as well as strategic, organizational, and tactical lessons learned that can be applied for Qatar WC 2022 includes, Comprehensive risk assessment should be conducted before the event, this will allows planners in Qatar to reduce the risk of communicable disease outbreaks associated with WC2022. Plans for risk management and risk communication need to be developed. New surveillance system should be in place for a sufficient length of time prior to the WC and this surveillance need to be divided into three phases, Pre-WC surveillance, WC-based surveillance and Post-WC surveillance.
Conclusion: The challenge for Qatar is to recognize the possible benefits from the outset of planning for the coming 2022WC and to build a positive and Strategic approach to communicable diseases issues into the earliest stages.</jats:p
Sero-prevalence of dengue infections in the Kassala state in the eastern part of the Sudan in 2011
No full textSummaryDengue fever is a vector-borne disease that is transmitted to humans by infected Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. The eastern part of the Sudan is one of the regions that is affected by dengue virus circulation. In this study, we estimated the prevalence of dengue infections in the Kassala state in the eastern part of the Sudan. The study objective was to estimate the sero-prevalence of dengue IgG/IgM antibodies in the Kassala locality in 2011. This was a cross sectional community-based study that utilized a multi-stage cluster sampling technique regarding the probability sampling the study participants. Capture ELISA serological techniques were used for both IgM and IgG, with the specific cut-offs for each set by the manufacturer. The prevalence of dengue infection was found to be 9.4% (95% CI: 7.1–12.3). In conclusion, there is evidence that the dengue virus is being transmitted in Kassala. Disease surveillance, including the clinical, serological and entomological components, should be strengthened, and additional epidemiological studies are needed to better understand of the disease burden and effects in the area
Cross-sectional community-based study of the socio-demographic factors associated with the prevalence of dengue in the eastern part of Sudan in 2011
No full textBackground: Dengue is caused by an arthropod-borne flavivirus. Infection can be either primary or secondary based on serology, with each stage of the disease characterized by specific serological conversion and antibody formation. Further study is needed to fully identify the factors associated with and predisposing to dengue infection. The objective of this study was to identify socio-demographic factors associated with the prevalence of dengue serotypes in Kassala State in the eastern part of Sudan in 2011. Methods: This was a cross-sectional community-based study with 530 participants who were randomly selected through multi-stage cluster sampling. Dengue serotype prevalence was determined using capture Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). ELISA IgG. A multivariate logistic regression model was designed to measure the strength of associations between socio-demographic factors and dengue serotype prevalence. All participants who tested negative for dengue were used as the statistical reference group. Results: From this study, the prevalence of dengue in Kassala was estimated to be 9.4 % (95 % CI: 7.1-12.3). Lack of knowledge about dengue fever disease (OR 2.8, 95 % CI: 1.24-6.53) and a household density of more than 3 people per room (OR 2.1, 95 % CI: 1.06-4.09) were the most important factors associated with dengue infection among the study population. Conclusions: Community-oriented interventions are needed to modify existing social behaviors to reduce the risk of dengue in the eastern part of Sudan. Additional studies are also required in this field.</p
Cross-sectional community-based study of the socio-demographic factors associated with the prevalence of dengue in the eastern part of Sudan in 2011.
No full textBACKGROUND: Dengue is caused by an arthropod-borne flavivirus. Infection can be either primary or secondary based on serology, with each stage of the disease characterized by specific serological conversion and antibody formation. Further study is needed to fully identify the factors associated with and predisposing to dengue infection. The objective of this study was to identify socio-demographic factors associated with the prevalence of dengue serotypes in Kassala State in the eastern part of Sudan in 2011.
METHODS: This was a cross-sectional community-based study with 530 participants who were randomly selected through multi-stage cluster sampling. Dengue serotype prevalence was determined using capture Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). ELISA IgG. A multivariate logistic regression model was designed to measure the strength of associations between socio-demographic factors and dengue serotype prevalence. All participants who tested negative for dengue were used as the statistical reference group.
RESULTS: From this study, the prevalence of dengue in Kassala was estimated to be 9.4 % (95 % CI: 7.1-12.3). Lack of knowledge about dengue fever disease (OR 2.8, 95 % CI: 1.24-6.53) and a household density of more than 3 people per room (OR 2.1, 95 % CI: 1.06-4.09) were the most important factors associated with dengue infection among the study population.
CONCLUSIONS: Community-oriented interventions are needed to modify existing social behaviors to reduce the risk of dengue in the eastern part of Sudan. Additional studies are also required in this field.</p
Risk Factors for Primary Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus Infection in Camel Workers in Qatar During 2013-2014: A Case-Control Study
No full textPrevalence and trends of transfusion transmissible infections among blood donors in the State of Qatar, 2013-2017.
No full textMillions of lives around the world are being saved annually through blood transfusion. However, blood transfusion is among the essential vehicles for transmitting infections. The overall prevalence of Transfusion Transmissible Infections among blood donors differs around the world, reflecting the variation in the prevalence of these infections. This study aims to assess the prevalence and trends of Transfusion Transmissible Infections among blood donors in Qatar. This is a cross-sectional study utilizing donation records of 5 years from January 2013 to December 2017. We included in the study results for all screening and confirmatory tests for Hepatitis B Virus, Hepatitis C Virus, Human T-lymphotropic Virus-I/II, Syphilis and Malaria. Among the 190,509 donations received at the donation centre during the study period, about 91% of donations were received from males and 9% from females. The overall positivity rate for all tests was 1.87, 2.23, 1.78, 2.31, 2.67% for the years 2013 through 2017, with an increasing yearly trend by 6% each year. The overall positivity rates for Hepatitis C Virus, Human T-lymphotropic Virus-I/II, Hepatitis B Virus, Syphilis and Malaria (2013-2017) were 0.60, 0.18, 0.30, 0.43 and 0.20%, respectively. The overall positivity rate of all tests combined for the Transfusion Transmissible Infections demonstrated a gradually increasing trend from 2013 to 2017. However, the trend for each infection (Hepatitis C Virus, Hepatitis B Virus, Syphilis and Malaria) was fluctuating except for Human T-lymphotropic Virus-I/II, which was increasing. Supporting the development of effective prevention and control strategies requires further comprehensive investigations for better estimation of the burden of these infections.The authors gratefully acknowledge the Blood Donation Center at HMC for their support
Risk Factors for Primary Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus Infection in Camel Workers in Qatar During 2013–2014: A Case-Control Study
No full textEnhancing the notification system for surveillance of infectious diseases in Qatar during the FIFA World Cup 2022: project overview
No full textAbstract Background In 2022, the Surveillance Department of the Ministry of Public Health in Qatar adopted an integrated project called the Notification Enhancement Project (NEP) to enhance the infectious disease notification system. Efficient surveillance and notification promote early alerts and allow immediate interference in reducing morbidity and mortality from outbreaks. The project was designed to improve the knowledge, attitudes, practices, and notification processes of healthcare workers in Qatar by increasing their reporting rates. Methods The strategy for comprehensively enhancing notifications was based on the observation and evaluation of the current notification system, the implementation of interventions, and post-evaluation follow-up. To implement the project, we relied on three aspects: effective methods used in previous relevant studies through a literature review, feedback received from healthcare workers, and suggestions from public health surveillance experts from the Ministry of Public Health, Qatar. A preassessment was conducted through an online survey by the Ministry of Public Health. The effectiveness of the different interventions was assessed by analyzing the data of notified patients reported through the Disease Surveillance and Reporting Electronic System. Pre- and postintervention assessments were performed by comparing the percentage of patients notified by healthcare providers with that of patients confirmed by healthcare providers in the laboratory to compare the notification rates over three time periods between January and December 2022. Results There was significant improvement in the infectious disease notification process. A comparison before and after the implementation of the interventions revealed an increase in the communicable disease notification rate among healthcare workers. Pre- and postintervention data were compared. Infectious disease notification activities by healthcare workers increased from 2.5% between January and May 2022 to 41.4% between November and December 2022. Conclusion This study highlights the efficiency of different interventions in correcting the underreporting of infectious diseases. Our findings suggest that implementing the Notification Enhancement Project significantly improves notification rates. We recommend continuing interventions through constant education and training, maintaining solid communication with HCWs through regular reminder emails and feedback, periodic assessment of the electronic notification system, and engagement of healthcare workers and other stakeholders to sustain and expand progress achieved through continuous evaluation
