Eastern Mediterranean health journal = La revue de sante de la Mediterranee orientale = al-Majallah al-sihhiyah li-sharq al-mutawassit最新文献

{"title":"Relationship between housing and health in conflict-affected Gaza and policy implications for reducing health inequities.","authors":"Faisal Yousef Sabah, Samer Abuzerr","doi":"10.26719/2025.31.2.141","DOIUrl":"10.26719/2025.31.2.141","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Poor housing infrastructure, displacement and limited access to healthcare exacerbate health inequities and have negative impact on the wellbeing of residents in conflict-affected areas such as Gaza.</p><p><strong>Aim: </strong>To explore the relationship between housing conditions and health outcomes due to the war in the Gaza Strip.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Using a semi-structured questionnaire, we conducted focus group discussions with 25 participants aged ≥18 years in the Gaza Strip, and in-depth interviews with 10 key informants, between May and August 2024. Using NVivo software, we conducted thematic analysis to explore how housing conditions impacted health outcomes.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Participants reported inadequate housing, characterized by overcrowding, structural damage and poor sanitation, which contributed to significant physical health problems, including respiratory infections and waterborne diseases. Psychological stress and mental health issues were prevalent among the displaced individuals and lack of access to healthcare exacerbated health disparities among them.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>There is a critical link between housing conditions and health outcomes in Gaza. We recommend policy changes that will improve housing infrastructure and enhance access to health services, as well as psychosocial support for displaced populations in Gaza Strip, as this could help reduce health inequities and mitigate the long-term health impact of displacement.</p>","PeriodicalId":93985,"journal":{"name":"Eastern Mediterranean health journal = La revue de sante de la Mediterranee orientale = al-Majallah al-sihhiyah li-sharq al-mutawassit","volume":"31 2","pages":"141-147"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143675166","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"In the midst of war, we choose life.","authors":"Wael Abdallah, Malek Nassar","doi":"10.26719/2025.31.2.97","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.26719/2025.31.2.97","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":93985,"journal":{"name":"Eastern Mediterranean health journal = La revue de sante de la Mediterranee orientale = al-Majallah al-sihhiyah li-sharq al-mutawassit","volume":"31 2","pages":"97-98"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143675155","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Cross-sectional investigation of the effects of the war in Gaza on quality-of-life of breast cancer patients.","authors":"Hatem A Hejaz","doi":"10.26719/2025.31.2.101","DOIUrl":"10.26719/2025.31.2.101","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The current conflict in Gaza has had a major impact on the residents, especially those with chronic illnesses such as breast cancer.</p><p><strong>Aim: </strong>To evaluate the impact of the war in Gaza on the quality-of-life of breast cancer patients.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This cross-sectional study used the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality-of-life Questionnaire-Core 30 (EORTC QLQ-C30) and the Breast Cancer-Specific 23-Item (BR-23) questionnaires to obtain data from 300 breast cancer patients (residents and refugees) in Rafah, Gaza, between 1 February and 1 May 2024. The data were analysed using SPSS version 25 and statistical significance was established at P < 0.05.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The participants had a mean age of 52 years, 70% were married and 60% had children. Significant relationships were found between exposure to war-related events and lower quality-of-life across all measured domains (P < 0.01). Exposure to conflict was associated with significantly lower cognitive, role, emotional, and physical functioning scores. Fatigue (70%), pain (60%) and financial difficulties (55%) were the most common problems. Significant decreases in quality-of-life were observed in conjunction with conflict exposure. Individuals displayed deficits in their social, emotional and physical welfare. There was a strong link between low quality-of-life and issues such as violence, displacement and disruption of health care services. Physical functioning was a critical domain in the assessment of quality-of-life.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The war in Gaza has significantly reduced the quality-of-life of breast cancer patients, indicating that conflict negatively affects social, emotional and physical health. This study highlights the need for focused treatment and comprehensive support to address these complex issues.</p>","PeriodicalId":93985,"journal":{"name":"Eastern Mediterranean health journal = La revue de sante de la Mediterranee orientale = al-Majallah al-sihhiyah li-sharq al-mutawassit","volume":"31 2","pages":"101-108"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143675140","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Patterns of surgical workload and trauma injuries in a Gaza hospital.","authors":"Mo'men Alasarr, Mahmoud Awad, Emadalddin Ao AbuZaida, Mubashir Cheema, Tahseen Chaudhry, Fouad Youssef, Hany Bsaiso","doi":"10.26719/2025.31.2.68","DOIUrl":"10.26719/2025.31.2.68","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Providing healthcare in an active war zone is very difficult, especially with the considerable surge in workload.</p><p><strong>Aim: </strong>To describe the surgical workload at Al Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, one of the hospitals in Gaza Strip, during the first year of the October 2023 war.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We reviewed available records of patients admitted to the hospital between October 2023 and September 2024 to identify the surgical caseload and details of their management, including the types of emergency cases, distribution of injuries, types of shock at arrival, and infection rates.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>At least 2000 surgical patients were seen during the period. Approximately one-quarter of these were traumatic cases, and the abdomen was the most common region affected. There was nearly 50% mortality among patients with Class 4 hypovolemic shock. Infection rate continues to increase.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Penetrating abdominal trauma was the most common injury and it required significant operative resources. Infection rates have increased considerably in the recent months due to various factors. This situation is alarming and requires urgent attention and action by the global medical and humanitarian community.</p>","PeriodicalId":93985,"journal":{"name":"Eastern Mediterranean health journal = La revue de sante de la Mediterranee orientale = al-Majallah al-sihhiyah li-sharq al-mutawassit","volume":"31 2","pages":"68-72"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143675158","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Spatial-temporal patterns and typology of attacks against healthcare in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.","authors":"Sarah Aly, Tushara Surapaneni, Mohammad Subeh, Qinyi Wang, Daniel Andersen, Hani Mowafi, Danielle N Poole","doi":"10.26719/2025.31.2.59","DOIUrl":"10.26719/2025.31.2.59","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Healthcare infrastructure, personnel and persons seeking healthcare are protected under international humanitarian law. However, attacks on healthcare are increasingly a part of modern armed conflicts, including in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (oPt).</p><p><strong>Aim: </strong>To quantify and characterize reported attacks on healthcare in the West Bank and Gaza and correlate reported attacks involving explosives with publicly available data.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This retrospective study analysed publicly available and geolocated health facility and weapons data from 7 October 2023 to 30 June 2024. Reports of attacks on healthcare were categorized by location, outcome and typology. Z-test and Chi-square analyses were conducted to compare attack types between Gaza and the West Bank using R software, and geospatial analyses were conducted using ArcGIS Pro software.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 1280 attacks on healthcare were reported in the oPt during the study period, of which 1052 were included in the analysis. Most of the attacks occurred in Gaza (78.3%), followed by the West Bank (21.7%). The typology of these attacks varied. There was a significant difference between the types of attacks in Gaza and West Bank (P < 0.05), but no significant association between type of weapon used and type of attack in Gaza (|R| < 2). The hotspots of attacks in Gaza were around al-Shifa, Nasser and al-Awda hospitals.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>There was a high burden of attacks on healthcare in the oPt during the study period. The differences in types of attacks between Gaza and the West Bank highlight the need for context-specific interventions in the two territories. There is an urgent need for actions to end the use of 2000-lb MK-84 bombs in densely populated areas and near health facilities, in addition to calls for adherence to the international humanitarian law during armed conflicts.</p>","PeriodicalId":93985,"journal":{"name":"Eastern Mediterranean health journal = La revue de sante de la Mediterranee orientale = al-Majallah al-sihhiyah li-sharq al-mutawassit","volume":"31 2","pages":"59-67"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143674703","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Reviving and rebuilding the health system in Gaza.","authors":"Izzeldin Abuelaish, Altaf Musani","doi":"10.26719/2025.31.2.56","DOIUrl":"10.26719/2025.31.2.56","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":93985,"journal":{"name":"Eastern Mediterranean health journal = La revue de sante de la Mediterranee orientale = al-Majallah al-sihhiyah li-sharq al-mutawassit","volume":"31 2","pages":"56-58"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143674600","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Repercussions of the destruction of Gaza's sole psychiatric hospital.","authors":"Amira A Shaheen, Yara Ashour, Amjad Joma, Samer Abuzerr","doi":"10.26719/2025.31.2.79","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.26719/2025.31.2.79","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":93985,"journal":{"name":"Eastern Mediterranean health journal = La revue de sante de la Mediterranee orientale = al-Majallah al-sihhiyah li-sharq al-mutawassit","volume":"31 2","pages":"79-80"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143674202","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"UNRWA's health service in Gaza: Challenges and response to the October 2023 crisis.","authors":"Ghada Aljadba, Zoheir Elkhatib, Khalil Hamad, Sayed Shah, Wafaa Zeidan, Shatha Albeik, Akihiro Seita","doi":"10.26719/2025.31.2.73","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.26719/2025.31.2.73","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":93985,"journal":{"name":"Eastern Mediterranean health journal = La revue de sante de la Mediterranee orientale = al-Majallah al-sihhiyah li-sharq al-mutawassit","volume":"31 2","pages":"73-76"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143674933","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Incidence of surgical site infection among appendectomy, herniorrhaphy and caesarean section patients in Qatar.","authors":"Humberto Guanche Garcell, Jameela Al-Ajmi, Ariadna Villanueva Arias, Joji C Abraham, Tania M Fernandez Hernandez","doi":"10.26719/2025.31.1.37","DOIUrl":"10.26719/2025.31.1.37","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Surgical site infection is a frequently reported adverse outcome of surgical procedures worldwide, impacting the quality-of-care for patients.</p><p><strong>Aim: </strong>To describe the incidence of surgical site infection among appendectomy, herniorrhaphy and caesarean section patients in Qatar and compare the rates with external benchmarks.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We conducted this retrospective observational study among all 5127 appendectomy, herniorrhaphy and caesarean section patients admitted at The Cuban Hospital, Qatar, from 2013 to 2023. We analysed the data using SPSS version 22 and MedCalc, we determined the relative risk ratios, 95% CI and P-values, and used Student's t-test for comparison. A 2-sided α < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Of the 5127 surgeries, 2463 were appendectomies, 751 were herniorrhaphies and 1913 were caesarean sections. Surgical site infections were 2.19% for appendectomy, 2.53% for herniorrhaphy and 2.56% for caesarean section. Surgical site infection decreased over the study period for appendectomy and herniorrhaphy, while it varied with no definite trend for caesarean section. Infection was higher for herniorrhaphy and appendectomy than reported by the National Healthcare Safety Network and the International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The higher incidence of surgical site infection in Qatar than the benchmark countries provides evidence for stricter hospital infection prevention and control programmes to improve patient safety in the country.</p>","PeriodicalId":93985,"journal":{"name":"Eastern Mediterranean health journal = La revue de sante de la Mediterranee orientale = al-Majallah al-sihhiyah li-sharq al-mutawassit","volume":"31 1","pages":"37-44"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143412011","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A review of childhood immunization coverage in Pakistan.","authors":"Muhammad A Malik, Muhammad M Siddiqui","doi":"10.26719/2025.31.1.6","DOIUrl":"10.26719/2025.31.1.6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The Pakistani Government has prioritized and invested substantial resources in expanding childhood immunization, aiming to increase coverage to > 90%. It is therefore important to track progress towards achieving this target.</p><p><strong>Aim: </strong>To track progress on childhood immunization coverage in Pakistan at baseline, at endline, and at 2 important milestones (2005 and 2010).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Using 2001 as baseline, we collected milestone data (2005, 2010, 2015) on childhood immunization from the Pakistan Social and Living Standard Measurement Survey for children aged 1-5 years. We analysed the data using STATA version 15.1 and used the concentration index for bound variables to analyse equity in coverage.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Immunization coverage did not follow a consistent upward trend, and it varied by province. Over the 15-year (2001-2015) period, childhood immunization coverage increased substantially. Although more than 80% of 1-5-year-old children were vaccinated by 2015 at the national level, Pakistan missed the Millenium Development Goals targets for childhood immunization. Only Punjab Province achieved the targets for childhood immunization (92.0% in Punjab vs 82.5% at national level). Higher socioeconomic status increased the odds of being vaccinated while living in rural areas decreased the odds.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>To improve childhood immunization coverage in Pakistan and achieve the related Sustainable Development Goals targets, it is important for the government to set targets at the provincial level, allocate more resources and continue to track progress regularly until 2030.</p>","PeriodicalId":93985,"journal":{"name":"Eastern Mediterranean health journal = La revue de sante de la Mediterranee orientale = al-Majallah al-sihhiyah li-sharq al-mutawassit","volume":"31 1","pages":"6-15"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143411841","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}