Novel coronavirus infection in the Eastern Mediterranean Region: time to act

The Eastern Mediterranean Region of World Health Organization has been an emerging focus for global health after the discovery of a novel coronavirus infection in some countries in the Region. The Region has already witnessed a number of emerging zoonoses with epidemic potential. In view of this new virus, there is now an urgent need for strong public health vigilance and monitoring of the evolution of the virus in the Region. The situation will challenge and test the national health authorities' resilience and ability to respond in a timely manner. This review summarizes the evidence related to the emergence in the Region of new epidemic diseases of predominantly zoonotic origin and the challenges posed by the discovery of the novel coronavirus infection, and outlines recommendations for the countries for early detection, prevention and control of public health threats from this novel coronavirus infection

Report: communicable diseases in the Eastern Mediterranean Region: prevention and control 2010-2011

One-third of all morbidities and mortalities in the Eastern Mediterranean Region are attributed to communicable diseases. A continued situation of war and conflict, and growing political unrest in the Region, coupled with factors such as travel and migration, and insufficient infrastructure and inadequate technical and managerial capacity of the programmes are the major challenges. Despite these challenges, the Region continued making progress towards the elimination of specific diseases such as lymphatic filariasis, measles, malaria, schistosomiasis and dracunculiasis during 2010-11. Coverage for vaccine-preventable diseases was enhanced. Preparedness and response to emerging [e.g. dengue fever in Pakistan and Yemen] and re-emerging [e.g. cholera in Sudan] infections was improved. The Region has continued its efforts for controlling tuberculosis and curbing HIV/AIDS. Looking ahead, the Region aims to improve surveillance and response capacities, legislation issues, coordination, bio-risk and bio-security and quality management in the coming years

Management of the use of public health pesticides in the face of the increasing burden of vector-borne diseases in the Eastern Mediterranean Region

The Eastern Mediterranean Region of the World Health Organization is facing an increasing burden of vector-borne diseases. Progress in controlling these diseases is compromised by the limited number of vector control interventions, most of which rely on the use of pesticides. Seventeen countries of the Region participated in a global survey that aimed to map and document registration and management practices for public health pesticides. This paper aims to draw the attention of policy- and decision-makers to the challenges the Region is facing in managing public health pesticides properly to control disease vectors and, based on the outcome of the survey, recommends a set of actions to guide national policy and to strengthen national capacity for the sound management and judicious use of public health pesticides

TB contact investigations: 12 years of experience in the National TB Programme, Morocco 1993-2004

We reviewed data collected from 1993 to 2004 as part of the routine activities of the national tuberculosis [TB] control programme [NTP] in Morocco. More than 1 million household TB contacts were identified in approximately 200 000 investigations. On average, 77% of identified contacts were screened every year; overall prevalence was 2.5%. The proportion of TB cases identified in household contacts of registered cases was 5.6%. This was significantly higher in children under 10 years and in patients registered and diagnosed with symptomatic primary complex. Performing TB contact investigations as part of the routine activities of NTP services is feasible in low-middle-income countries

Knowledge, attitudes and beliefs about tuberculosis in urban Morocco

We sought to characterize conceptions of tuberculosis [TB] in an urban population in Morocco. Thus 301 subjects, some being treated for TB [patients] and some attending health facilities for other conditions [non-patients], in 2 Moroccan cities were surveyed. Most patients did not identify their illness as TB referring instead to a body region or symptom. Non-patients tended to cite causative factors related to living conditions, home and family. There was considerable stigma associated with TB. Most non-patients knew that TB was treatable, but few were aware that diagnosis and treatment were free. Popular understandings of TB etiology and transmission in this population differ from the biomedical view, highlighting the need for better communication about the disease

[Urethral discharge in Morocco: prevalence of microorganisms and susceptibility of gonococcos]

We studied 422 patients with urethral discharge recruited from 4 sentinel sites in Morocco to determine sociodemographic characteristics, history of STI infection, infecting organism and antibiotic susceptibility of Neisseria gonorrhoeae. The mean age of the sample was 28 years [range 16-67 years], and most were single, had multiple sex partners without taking protective measures and came from all social backgrounds; 59.9% had a history of a previous STI. The majority [87%] of the infections were the acute form. By polymerase chain reaction of urine samples of 399 patients, 41.6% had N. gonorrhoeae infection, 6.3% Chlamidia trachomatis and 10.8% both organisms; in 41.4% no organism was identified. N. gonorrhoeae was strongly susceptible to ciprofloxacin

Antibiotic resistance of Moroccan strains of Salmonella enteritidis isolated between 1996 and 1997

Antimicrobial resistance is a worldwide problem. The antibiotic resistance of Moroccan strains of Salmonella enteritidis was investigated from 1996 to 1997. A total of 51 strains were collected within this period, 31 derived from human sources and 20 from food. Of the 31 human strains, 10 were resistant to antibiotics; 4 were resistant to two or more antibiotics. Of the 20 food strains, 11 were resistant to antibiotics; 6 were resistant to two or more antibiotics. The results are similar to those obtained from strains isolated from other Mediterranean countries

[Prevalence of intestinal parasites disease in three provinces in Morocco]

A study of intestinal parasites was carried out in Taounate, Beni Mellal and Tizinit provinces in Morocco on a sample of 1682 individuals who were representative of the urban and rural area population. For each stool specimen, three microscopic examinations and a Kato test were performed. In the three provinces, about two-thirds of the study participants from rural areas and around 50% of those from urban areas had parasites. The reproducibility of the prevalence figures allowed the study results be generalized to the other provinces of the country. Among the parasite groups encountered, amoebas were the most frequent, followed by flagellates and helminths. Concerning pathogenic species, Entamoeba histolytica, in the amoebic group, was the most commonly found. All the positive cases were treated by specific medication