The Syrian refugee life study: first glance

This paper presents descriptive statistics from the first wave of the Syrian Refugee Life Study (S-RLS), which began in 2020. S-RLS is a longitudinal study that tracks a representative sample of approximately 2,500 registered Syrian refugee households in Jordan. It collects comprehensive data on sociodemographic variables, health and well-being, preferences, social capital, attitudes, and safety and crime perceptions. We use these data to document sociodemographic characteristics of Syrian refugees in Jordan and compare them to representative populations in the 2016 Jordan Labor Market Panel Survey (JLMPS). Our findings point to lags in basic service access, housing quality, and educational attainment for Syrian refugees relative to non-refugees. The impacts of the pandemic may partially explain these disparities. The data also show that most Syrian refugees have not recovered economically after Covid-19 and have larger gender disparities in income, employment, prevalence of child marriage, and gender attitudes than their non-refugee counterparts. Finally, mental health problems were common for Syrian refugees in 2020, with depression indicated among more than 45 per cent of the phone survey sample and 61 per cent of the in-person survey sample. © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Oxford University Press.

Social Contacts and Compliance with SARS-CoV-2 Distancing Measures in the First Lockdown 2020 among Refugees from Syria and Afghanistan in Vienna

The article deals with the impact of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and related measures on the social interactions of refugees from Afghanistan and Syria in Vienna during the first lockdown in March/April 2020. The focus is on the challenges for these vulnerable groups in the field of tension between the contact minimisation prescribed in the Corona regulations of the federal government on the one hand and cramped housing conditions, precarious labour market positions, homeschooling and the "digital divide” on the other. Further focal points are how refugees deal with the measures of "social/physical distancing”, its consequences in view of the colliding cultural norms, the extent of contact reduction and its causal factors. The empirical basis was provided by a quantitative online survey and qualitative interviews with refugees as well as experts from refugee support NGOs and organisations from both groups of origin, who were involved in the underlying project within the framework of a community-based participatory approach. Contrasting with the criticism sometimes voiced in the media that primarily certain groups with a migration background have been less compliant with the measures to contain the pandemic, a more differentiated picture is drawn. Above all, the factors of family status, age and housing conditions have had a strong influence on compliance with the distancing measures. The inaccessibility of public space, which is a particularly important resource for the refugees, as well as the discontinuation of social services offered by NGOs have particularly affected these vulnerable groups. © 2022 Austrian Geographical Society. All rights reserved.

Monkeypox in Syria: Highlighting an awareness issue.

Background: The World Health Organization (WHO) verified 780 cases of monkeypox across 27 countries between 13 May 2022 and 2 June 2022. The aim of our study was to assess the level of awareness of human monkeypox virus among Syrian medical students, general practitioners, medical residents, and specialists. Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was performed in Syria between May 2 and September 8, 2022. The survey consisted of 53 questions within the following three categories: demographic information, work-related details, and monkeypox knowledge. Results: In total, 1257 Syrian healthcare workers and medical students were enrolled in our study. The animal host and incubation time for monkeypox were correctly identified by just 2.7% and 33.3% of responders, respectively. Sixty percent of the study sample thought that the symptoms of monkeypox and smallpox are identical. No statistically significant associations were found between predictor variables and knowledge regarding monkeypox (p-value > 0.05). Conclusion: Education and awareness regarding monkeypox vaccinations are of paramount importance. It is essential that clinical doctors are adequately aware of this disease, in order to avoid an uncontrolled situation, as experienced with COVID-19.

SYRIA-Everybody's War: The Politics of Aid in the Syria Crisis

Gabiam reviews Everybody's War: The Politics of Aid in the Syria Crisis edited by Jehan Bseiso, Michiel Hofman, and Jonathan Whittall.

Reasons for early marriage of Syrian migrant young women: Qualitative study

It is aimed to examine the reasons of Syrian migrant women getting married early. Universe selection has not been made. Participants were reached using the snowball sampling method. In this phenomenological qualitative study, 4 main themes were created with the method of description and examined. It has been determined that poverty, family coercion, love and the losses they suffered during the war are effective in the early marriage of Syrian migrant women. It has been investigated that most of the factors determined in the early marriage of Syrian migrant women are situations that develop against their will and that these women have to marry at an early age.

Challenges to Global Health Emerging from the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic deepened challenges and opened new fronts where old and unresolved problems met with new problems triggered by the pandemic itself. There are several issues, problems, and challenges related to the post-COVID world we are in. This paper discusses some of them from different perspectives and elaborates on the future challenges and their solutions, which need to be tackled. Apart from the pre-existing problems, we are now also facing new military conflicts, interrupted supply chains, even in medicines supplies, as well as the worsening of climate change, further complicated by the military conflicts and a potential new global economic crisis. The COVID-19 pandemic left the world with many uncertainties about the future as there seem to be few answers ready to tackle the combination of the fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic coupled with the pre-existing problems and challenges. Inequalities in terms of socio-economic differences and inequalities in health are driving disease burden, which will again be marked by the population aging and non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Global collaboration and the joint search for solutions to global challenges have become inevitable. Research into behavioral determinants of health and health promotion are essential in understanding the sources of controversy regarding and resistance to proven public health interventions.

Community engagement and adherence to COVID-19 prevention measures in Northwest Syria: a systematic review.

The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the burden on the collapsing health system in northwest Syria. The situation was exacerbated by the low rates of adherence to preventive measures and acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine. In this study, we systematically analysed studies related to Risk Communication and Community Engagement programs, and community awareness in northwest Syria in order to determine the most widespread prevention methods, the community's perspectives and knowledge of epidemic prevention, and the factors that prevent effective community engagement and uptake of COVID-19 prevention precautions in an area that has been suffering from the scourge of conflict for more than ten years. Based on the research findings, low adherence to COVID-19 prevention measures is mainly due to external factors related to socioeconomic status, scarcity of resources, and poor living conditions. Therefore, this study suggested that integrated multi-sectoral humanitarian programs that address these factors holistically are more effective than solely public health interventions in involving the community to become an active part of the Risk Communication and Community Engagement programs and ensuring their effectiveness.

Displacement and return in the internet Era: Social media for monitoring migration decisions in Northern Syria

According to UNHCR reporting there are over 27 million refugees globally, many of whom are hosted in neighboring countries which struggle with bureaucracy and service provision to support them. With the onset of Covid-19 in early 2020, gathering data on the location and conditions of these refugees has become increasingly difficult. Using Syria as a case study, where since 2011 80% of the population has been displaced in the civil war, this paper shows how the widespread use of social media could be used to monitor migration of refugees. Using social media text and image data from three popular platforms (Twitter, Telegram, and Facebook), and leveraging survey data as a source of ground truth on the presence of IDPs and returnees, it uses topic modeling and image analysis to find that areas without return have a higher prevalence of violence-related discourse and images while areas with return feature content related to services and the economy. Building on these findings, the paper uses mixed effects models to show that these results hold pre- and post-return as well as when migration is quantified as monthly population flows. Monitoring refugee return in war prone areas is a complex task and social media may provide researchers, aid groups, and policymakers with tools for assessing return in areas where survey or other data is unavailable or difficult to obtain. © 2023 Elsevier Ltd

Between orthodoxy and openness: a book review essay on: The Palgrave Handbook of Institutional Ethnography: edited by Paul C. Luken and Suzanne Vaughan, Cham, Switzerland, Palgrave Macmillan, 2021 eBook £95.50, Hardcover £119.99 561pp. eBook ISBN: 978-3-030-54222-1 Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-030-54221-4

The Palgrave Handbook of Institutional Ethnography (IE), edited by Paul C. Luken and Suzanne Vaughan, is an important addition to the field, bringing a breadth of disciplines, contexts, and empirical foci together with crucial interventions from seasoned Institutional Ethnographers (IEers). IE as orthodoxy There is a fundamental tension that runs through the IE field, coming up at conferences and in informal discussions: I how to balance defining IE and its boundaries clearly while still encouraging creativity and openness i . Between orthodoxy and openness: a book review essay on: The Palgrave Handbook of Institutional Ethnography: edited by Paul C. Luken and Suzanne Vaughan, Cham, Switzerland, Palgrave Macmillan, 2021 eBook £95.50, Hardcover £119.99 561pp. IE's interdisciplinarity can be exciting and informative, but there is a tension between providing enough detailed description of one's own area of research while also forefronting the IE analytical and/or methodological points which are often of most interest to the IE reader. [Extracted from the article] Copyright of International Journal of Social Research Methodology is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

Higher Education in Syria Post-war and Pandemic: Challenges and Opportunities

The ten-year-old war in Syria has had a profound impact on all national sectors, including higher education. The damages inflicted on the sector were huge and enormous, ranging from losses of higher education infrastructure to higher education expertise;drop in teaching quality and disruption of the academic year;in addition to limited higher education funding, as funds were diverted to support other urgent priorities. In early 2020, as the Syrian higher education system was slowly recovering from the war, it was confronted with another major challenge, namely the COVID-19 Pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused the largest disruption of education in history worldwide, impacting learning and teaching in institutions, ranging from primary to secondary schools, technical and vocational training institutes, and universities. In March 2020, to prevent the spread of the pandemic, the Higher Education Council (HEC) in Syria ordered a lockdown of all higher education institutions for a period that lasted more than two months. This caused a major disruption to the academic year and to the teaching and learning process across the board. HEC also encouraged higher education institutions to continue with online teaching during the lockdown to maintain students' engagement. Many higher education institutions in Syria, especially large public universities, were unprepared to implement the HEC decree regarding online education. Many teaching staff did not have the proper training in these new methods of education delivery. Furthermore, from the students' perspective, the absence of necessary equipment, limited internet access, and the lack of support for students to follow online programs have all proved to be a formidable and unsurmountable obstacle. This eventually led the Ministry of Higher Education, to abandon its decree and ask all higher education institutions to go back to face-to-face teaching and compensate for the lost courses once the lockdown was lifted. In this chapter, the status of the Syrian higher education system prior to the COVID-19 pandemic is highlighted, including the enormous challenges it was facing in the post-war era. The additional challenges caused by COVID-19 pandemic are also described as well as the measures taken by the Syrian Higher Education Council to mitigate and overcome these challenges. Case studies on how higher education institutions in Syria tried to cope with the pandemic are presented as well as a case study from a prominent UK university. A new vision and options on how to prepare the higher education system in Syria in the future to address such challenges is also presented and discussed. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022.

Financial Inclusion or Encampment? Rethinking Digital Finance for Refugees

Humanitarian actors touting financial inclusion posit that access to financial services builds refugees' resilience and self-reliance. They claim that new digital financial tools create more efficient and dignified pathways for humanitarian assistance and enable refugees to better manage their savings and invest in livelihoods, especially during protracted displacement. Our in-depth, repeat interviews with refugees in Kenya and Jordan refute this narrative. Instead, self-reliance was hindered primarily by refugees' lack of foundational rights to move and work. Financial services had limited ability to support livelihoods in the absence of those rights. The digital financial services offered to refugees under the banner of ‘financial inclusion' were not mainstream services designed to empower and connect. Instead, they were segregated, second-class offerings meant to further isolate and limit refugee transactions in line with broader political desires to encamp and exclude them. The article raises questions about the circumstances in which humanitarian funding ought to fund financial service interventions and what those interventions are capable of achieving.

A retrospective evaluation of people with COVID-19 in Northwest Syria

Aim: In our study, in Northwest Syria, where healthcare is provided with humanitarian support, with investigating the demographic and clinical characteristics of people who has been detected Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19), we investigated their situation in the pandemic. Materials and Methods: The demographic and clinical characteristics of people whose COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests were studied and found positive in the World Health Organization supported assistance coordination unit laboratories in Northwest Syria, were retrospectively investigated. All patients except healthcare workers were included in the study between 01/05-22/12/2020. Results: 17,070 non-healthcare workers who were positive for COVID-19 PCR were included in the study. 6.368 (37.3%) of the participants were female and 10,702 (62.7%) were male. The average age of the participants was 37.7+or-16.4 years. The data obtained that there were 1.090 (6.4%) people hospitalized or undergoing isolation. When comorbid diseases were investigated, hypertension was found in 435 (2.5%), diabetes in 426 (2.5%), and heart disease in 139 (0.8%) people. When evaluated in terms of prognosis, 56% (n=9584) of the patients showed complete recovery, 41.8% (n=7141) recovered and their symptoms persist, but 345 (2%) patients died of COVID-19, including 106 of them are women (female crude death rate: 1.6%) and 239 of them are men (crude death rate: 2.23%). Conclusion: In our study, we presented a cross-sectional analysis of almost all people with COVID-19 in the last half of the 2020 by investigating the demographic and clinical characteristics of people with COVID-19 in Northwest Syria. COVID-19 diagnoses were evaluated according to the PCR test result.

Can 4C score predict mortality due to COVID-19 pneumonia in Syria? An observational study

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to investigate the patients treated for COVID -19 in pandemic hospitals in northwestern Syria. METHODS: The study evaluated all patients hospitalized for COVID -19 by the pandemic emergency departments of hospitals in northwestern Syria between July 1, 2020 and December 01, 2020. Demographic, clinical, laboratory, and imaging characteristics, 4C mortality index scores treatments, and progressions of all patients hospitalized for COVID -19 were retrospectively reviewed. RESULTS: A total of 991 patients admitted to hospitals in northwestern Syria by pandemic emergency services for treatment and follow-up were included. 114 patients from Afrin Hospital, 251 from Al-Bab Hospital, 527 from Azez Vatan Hospital, and 99 from Jarablus Hospital were included in the study. When comparing the mortality and hospitalization rates of the patients according to the 4C Mortality Score, it was found that the patients with high-risk score in Azez and Jarabulus hospitals and those with very high-risk score in El Bab hospital had significantly higher mortality and hospitalization rates in the ICU (p<0.05). DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: The data that can be obtained from studies evaluating the approach to the COVID -19 epidemic in this and similar regions are important for the development of health services in disadvantaged regions. We believe that our study will make an important contribution to the literature, as it is the first and only data reflecting hospitalized patients with COVID -19 in this region.

Telepsychiatry in the Arab world: A viewpoint before and during COVID-19

Purpose: Telepsychiatry, a subset of telemedicine, has been increasingly studied to meet the growing demands for psychiatric care. The utility of telepsychiatry is relevant now more than ever as the world endures the COVID-19 global pandemic. This paper describes the prior state and the changes that the COVID-19 outbreak brought to telepsychiatry in a selected group of Arab countries of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Patients and Methods: We invited twelve early-career psychiatrists from different Arab nations to share information related to telepsychiatry in their respective countries before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. The information was collected using a semi-structured guide. This was complemented by a search for relevant articles in five search engines using terms such as "COVID-19," "telepsychiatry," and "Arab world". Results: Before the pandemic, digital mental health services were provided in several Arab countries, mainly through hotlines and messaging services. The COVID-19 pandemic has marked a major shift in digital psychiatric services in the Arab MENA world, through the transformation of many clinics and some hospitals into digital mental health systems. Many non-governmental organizations also started remote initiatives for psychological support and psychiatric counseling. Three main barriers of patient-related, healthcare-related, and system-related hurdles of using telepsychiatry emanated from the analysis. Conclusion: The use of digital mental health services varies between different Arab countries. Even though some nations have laws that regulate the provision of such services, most struggle with multifactorial barriers. As affordable and attainable solutions cannot only rely on training and recruiting more psychiatrists, telepsychiatry would help meet the exceeding demands in the Arab world, particularly after the COVID-19 outbreak. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Rhino-orbital mucormycosis after COVID-19 in the emergency department

Rhino-orbital mucormycosis (ROM) is an acute and fulminant infection. The number of ROM cases developing after coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is increasing. A 62-year-old male patient was admitted to the emergency department in northern Syria complaining of new-onset vision loss, swelling, and severe swelling of the left eye. It was noted that a 3-day course of prednisolone 250 mg was given to treat COVID-19. We found that he had a history of diabetes mellitus (DM) for 10 years. Physical examination revealed ptosis, proptosis, and ocular movement restriction in all directions in the left eye. All other systemic examinations were normal. A cranial and orbital magnetic resonance imaging scan performed after hospitalization for further evaluation and treatment showed an increase in the density of the sphenoid, ethmoid, and frontal sinus walls in the left orbit. Despite antifungal and surgical treatment, the patient died on day 14. The use of steroids in treatment and the presence of concomitant DM are the main predisposing factors. The prognosis of this disease, which has a high mortality and morbidity, is adversely affected in geographic regions where health care is inadequate.

What are tourism's growth drivers and challenges in the Middle East?

PurposeTourism in the Middle East is distinct and diverse, as are its associated challenges. The purpose of this paper is to examine the various opportunities and constraints facing the Middle East region in developing and promoting its tourism.Design/methodology/approachContent analysis of the current literature was conducted, and industry white papers and government portals were consulted to identify the historical relevance, current proceedings and future scope of tourism in the Middle East.FindingsGiven the diverse attractions, history, heritage and cuisine, the scope and potential to develop tourism in the Middle East region is enormous. However, political turmoil in the past and its stereotypical image emerged as the major constraints. Acknowledging the significance of the tourism sector, the governments of the region are trying hard to improve international arrivals and revenues.Originality/valueDespite a steep growth in international arrivals, tourism in the Middle East has not been adequately addressed in academia. This paper highlights the region's tourism-related background, issues and constraints, thus, addressing a critical gap in the literature.

Syrian SMEs in Times of COVID-19 Pandemic: Challenges, Adaptation, and Policy Measures

SMEs constitute the backbone of the Syrian economy and have suffered manifold challenges due to the continuous Syrian war. COVID-19 added further pressures on Syrian SMEs and forced them to take certain adaptation strategies to survive. This paper aims to investigate the main challenges that face Syrian SMEs during the pandemic and illustrate how they respond to adversities that emerged from governmental intervention to control the spread of the virus. It also discusses the measures initiated by the government to support SMEs during the pandemic. Through interviewing persons from the Syrian SMEs' ecosystem, we find that high interest rates on SMEs' loans decline on demand as well as high inflation represent the main challenges. SMEs respond to these challenges by marketing products online, stock procurement, and strengthening connections with stakeholders. We recommend the Syrian authorities reduce lending rates and increase loan sizes available to SMEs to help them overcome the pandemic adversities. Innovative sources of funding, such as venture capital and equity partnerships, could reduce the funding costs of SMEs. Moreover, SMEs will immensely benefit from training in digital tools to enhance their expansion and survival opportunities. Furthermore, bazaars should be organized during the year to give SMEs the opportunity to gain continuous access to markets. In addition, incubation services should be revised, particularly to SMEs with great potential to grow, to create the suitable environment for them to scale and flourish. © 2023 by the authors.

Is low dose of liposomal amphotericin B effective in management of acute invasive fungal rhinosinusitis? Our conclusions from Al-Mowassat University Hospital, Syria: a prospective observational study.

BACKGROUND: Acute invasive fungal rhinosinusitis (AIFRS) is a fatal infection associated with high morbidity and mortality. Although it is a rare disease, upsurge of AIFRS was noticed during the second wave of COVID-19 disease. Early diagnosis and management is the cornerstone for good outcomes. However, management of AIFRS is challengeable especially in developing countries due to limited resources and high prices of antifungal agents. No previous studies have been conducted to evaluate the outcomes of management of AIFRS in Syria. The purpose of this study is to report the results of management of AIFRS with low doses of liposomal amphotericin B in our tertiary hospital in Syria. METHODS: The outcomes of management of AIFRS cases were followed through a prospective observational study between January 2021 and July 2022. The required medical data were collected for each individual. Three-month mortality rate was studied. SPSS v.26 was used to perform the statistical analysis. Pearson Chi-square test was used to study the associations between different variables and mortality. Survival curves were plotted by the Kaplan-Meier to compare the survival probability. Log Rank (Mantel-Cox) test and Cox regression were conducted to evaluate the factors affecting survival within the follow up period. RESULTS: Of 70 cases, 36 (51.4%) were males and 34 (48.6%) were females. The mean age of patients was 52.5 years old. The most common underlying risk factor was diabetes mellitus (84.3%). The used dose of liposomal amphotericin B ranged between 2-3 mg/kg per day. The overall 3-month mortality rate was 35.7%. Significant association was found between survival and the following variables: Age, orbital involvement, stage, and comorbidity. CONCLUSION: The overall mortality rate was close to other studies. However, survival rate was worse than comparable studies in selected cases of AIFRS (older ages, involved orbits, advanced stages, and chronic immunodeficiency). Therefore, low doses of liposomal amphotericin B could be less effective in such cases and high doses are recommended.

Chinese Vaccine Diplomacy in the Eastern Mediterranean: Continuities and Rupture in Beijing's Soft Power Prospects

This article examines China's vaccine drive in Eastern Mediterranean countries of Türkiye, Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, and the Palestinian territories during 2020–2021 from a soft power angle. 1 Although Chinese COVID-19 era health diplomacy is presented as a major breakthrough in the West, this study argues that continuities are more visible in the Eastern Mediterranean context with regard to China's discourse and diplomatic practices. Beijing invested in the existing notions of propaganda, such as solidarity with developing countries, anti-Americanism, and economic partnership. In assessing the impact of Chinese vaccine diplomacy in the Eastern Mediterranean, the study investigates major diplomatic events and concludes that China could not improve its image in Türkiye in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. © The Author(s) 2023.