Epidemiological profile of malaria in a university hospital in the eastern region of Saudi Arabia.

OBJECTIVE: To study the epidemiological, clinical and hematological profile of laboratory-diagnosed malaria cases at King Fahd Hospital of the University, Al-Khobar, Saudi Arabia, during the period from January 1990 to December 1999, and to provide suitable recommendations accordingly. METHODS: This was a clinical case series study of confirmed cases presenting to King Fahd Hospital of the University during the period from January 1990 to December 1999. A specially designed form was used for data collection and 602, laboratory-confirmed cases of malaria were retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS: There were 602 cases with a mean age of 25.8 + 14.3 and a male to female ratio of 2.9:1. Less than half the cases were Saudis (42%), most of whom (93%) reported a history of travel to the Southwestern part of the Kingdom. The highest frequency of cases was observed in the years 1992, 1994 and 1998 and 40% of the cases were diagnosed during the months of February, March and September. Plasmodium falciparum was the most common species among Saudi (83%), Sudanese (72%) and Yemeni (64%) patients, while Plasmodium vivax was predominant among others. Most of these cases (75%) had a history of travel to their home countries (endemic areas). The most common clinical presentation was fever (97%), while the most common clinical signs were splenomegaly (9%) and jaundice (8%). Anemia (60%) and thrombocytopenia (53%) were the most common hematological findings. CONCLUSION: Although it appears that the Eastern Province is still free of indigenous malaria transmission, this could not be confirmed by the data. Imported cases, however represent a continuous threat due to the existence of such vectors as Anopheles stephensi, Anopheles fluviatilis, Anopheles sergentii and Anopheles superpictus and a large number of non-immune persons. It is recommended that malaria be always considered in the differential diagnosis of all acute fevers, especially among those with a history of travel to an endemic area. Prompt diagnosis and treatment is necessary. Chemoprophylaxis, when traveling to endemic areas is mandatory, as well as the use of other primary preventive measures to protect against mosquito bites.

Casualty risk reduction from safety seat belts in a desert country.

A prospective study was carried out between December 1991 and October 1992 to assess the knowledge, attitudes and practices of hospitalized drivers regarding seat belt usage in United Arab Emirates (UAE). During this period, a total of 800 vehicle drivers were seen and treated in the Accident and Emergency Departments of two general hospitals. A total of 706 (88%) drivers gave consent for the study. The study showed that the rate of constant seat belt usage among drivers was 10.5%, and the rate of frequent seat belt usage was 5.8%. There was a statistically significant difference between seat belting and age groups (p = 0.0051). However, there were no significant statistical differences between seat belt usage versus non usage by sex, nationality and marital status. There were statistically significant differences between user and non-users of seat belts concerning their educational level and occupation. The results showed a reduction in the number of injuries due to usage of seat belts. Those patients who were not wearing seat belts were at risk twice as often as drivers who were restrained by belts. There was a statistically significant difference between the number of persons injured wearing and not wearing seat belts, (p = 0.032). It was observed that the majority of patients stated that seat belts are the best protective measure against all injuries (62.1%) and severe injuries (29.1%) of road traffic accidents. Also, there was strong support for the mandatory use of safety seat belts (56%). We may conclude that these data are encouraging, and would suggest general acceptance of seat belt legislation in the United Arab Emirates.