Ongoing deterioration of the nutritional status of Palestinian preschool children in Gaza under the Israeli siege

This cross-sectional, community-based, household survey was carried out in Gaza City, Palestine during the first half of 2009 to study the nutritional status of Palestinian preschool children aged 2-5 years under blockade. The response rate was 95.2% from a total sample of 770. The majority [94.4%] of households faced difficulties accessing food, the main cause was the siege and the shortage of food products; and the majority [85.5%] were food insecure households. Just over 50% of the preschoolers were anaemic, 26.8% of those who had a stool test had parasitic infections, and 15.0 were stunted. Food insecurity was the first predictor of stunting and underweight, and malnutrition indicators indicate the worst situation in the Gaza Strip for several decades

Morbidity and mortality of low-birth-weight infants in Egypt

Low birth weight is one of the major determinants of neonatal survival and postneonatal morbidity. This study assessed the morbidity and mortality of low-birth-weight [LBW] infants during the first 3 months. Data were collected for 6701 live births. All singleton liveborn LBW infants as well as a comparison group of normal-birth-weight [NBW] infants were followed up for 3 months. Data were collected on weight, morbidity and mortality using a structured questionnaire. Admission to neonatal intensive care unit and mortality were more frequent in LBW [31.6%, 2.0%] than NBW infants [2.0%, 0.2%]. They also had increased risk of neonatal jaundice at 1 month, an increased risk of growth retardation and a much higher risk of mortality