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

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