Health status parameters: a learning exercise in epidemiology

To train medical students in the assessment of health status of the community, a learning field exercise, based on cross-sectional population survey was performed in the village of Kas-Fakhra and Shamsyeate, near Mosul in July 1989. Nine 5th year medical students participated in the exercise. The students were trained in interview technique after they had shared in identifying the needed epidemiological parameters and constructed the data collection schedule. Data on the following were collected by the students for the entire village population [1372]: age, sex, marital status, pregnancy wastage, child death's, diseases and disorders at time of the survey and also during the preceding month, and immunization status for children and mothers. The study demonstrated that the population age and sex structure of the village is that of a young population. It was estimated that in every 1000 pregnancies there were [101] abortions and [70] stillbirths and [148] deaths among underfive children. One-sixth of the population succumbed to illnesses during the preceding one month prior to survey. The nature of most of these incidents disorders was acute, short lived and selflimiting one. Estimation of point prevalence of diseases revealed that one fourth of the population were suffering from one chronic disease or more at time of survey. Immunization coverage against the 6 major diseases of childhood was highly satisfactory coverage of tetanus toxoid immunization of mothers was to a lesser degree. Students training in converting the interview data into meaningful epidemiological information, is deemed necessary to them, for the optimal excusion of their jobs in the future. They are required as medical officers in health centers to base their services on population needs expressed in measured health status parameters

Prevalence of nutrition deficiency disorders among children in an Iraqi village in 1994

The method of clinical ascertainment is used in community survey done in an Iraqi village near Mosul. Al-Ghubah cross-sectional population survey is conducted in September 1994 among under five years children. The aim is to determine the nature and prevalence of nutrition deficiency disorders four years after the imposition of the inequitable blockade on the Iraqi people. A high prevalence of undernutrition in the village is indicated by two findings. The first is a prevalence rate of clinically overt Protein-Energy Malnutrition of 1.5% and a prevalence rate of clinically manifested nutrition deficiency disorders combined together of 6% suggesting a much higher prevalence of subclinical mild to moderate forms of undernutrition. The second finding of the survey which confirms the first, is the very high incidence of infectious diseases among the children. The monthly incidence of: diarrheal diseases is 31%; of Acute Respiratory Infection is 20%; and of intestinal parasitic infections is 6%. Six out of every ten children have a new spell of these infections every month. These rates are at least twice that are reported from surveys done before 1990 in the same geographical area

Malaria in Sheikh-Quarah epidemiological study using problem-solving approach

Problem- Solving technique, is widly used as a learning method. An attempt is made here to use the same methodology for the first one in an epidemioiogical field study Five hypotheses for the continuous presence of malaria in Sheik- Quarah, a village 60 kilometer north of mosul, are formulated. These are: [1] Low level of case detection: [2] Incomplete drug taking by patterns; [3] New cases due to continuous transmission; [4] Drug resistance, [5] Failure of vector control measures. Field testing showed that hypothese 2 and 3 are instrumental in malaria endemicity. Hypothesis 1, plays a comparatively secondary role. Further epidemiological investigations are needed to determine the size of contribution of hypotheses 4 and 5

method to evaluate the effectiveness of treatment for tetanus with the application of life table approach

In the present study the life table approach is applied to evaluate the effectiveness of treatment for a disease of short duration namely, tetanus. Particulars of 729 tetanus neonatorum and 146 other cases of tetanus occurring in the post-neonatal phase among infants, available from hospital records were utilized for the purpose. It was observed that by the end of the 14 days of treatment, 16.6 per cent of cases would recover and 76.1 per cent would die out of the tetanus neonatorum patients who start treatment. It was observed that if the risk of death could be brought down to zero during the first two weeks, the gain in terms of number of lives saved by the end of the 14th day would be to the extent of 40 per cent. more. The direct relevance of the life table approach for the health care administrator is self evident as this helps to quantify the differential benefits occurring from patient care and that in terms of its impact on mortality and the resultant changes on survival rates

General morbidity profile of workers in the fertilizer factory in Basrah

The present enquiry is an outcome of an overall directive of the President of the country urging the university to take up their rightful role in the national development process. The study was conducted in the Fertiliser Factory in Basrah during 1979 under the applied research scheme of the University of Basrah - in collaboration with the Health Authority of Basrah and the State Establishment for Fertilisers. The major objective was to examine the general morbidity pattern among the workers. Out of the 1.700 employees, the study covered 951 based on the record linkage. During the period of observation [1978] there were 2.651 sickness spells which gives an incidence rate of 4.5 spells per 12 person months. The pattern of sickness was found to be similar to the one generally observed in the community at large, comprising mostly of acute, short-duration and self limiting diseases. The enquiry did not reveal the presence of occupation related diseases as a problem among its employees including those directly involved in production. Nearly 8.000 man-days were lost which were attributable to sickness. Eighteen% of total spells of disease were referred to other institutions for specialised care. The study brought out the need for periodic analysis of data through record-linkage as a regular feature in order to throw light on the possible changes in the morbidity pattern, particularly, the likely emergence of occupational diseases in the course of time