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":"Knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding antibiotic use among internally displaced persons in conflict-affected Syria.","authors":"Bilal Aldaef, Derar Altarraf, Youmn Dahnoun, Ali Alzidan, Mustafa Alyhya, Yara Refai, Abdulfattah Assaf, Omar Aljerk, Bayan Akraa, Ahmad Assaf, Yaser AlKanash, Maan Almusa Alkanjo, Ibrahim S AlBusaidi, Omar Alhiraki","doi":"10.26719/2026.32.5.312","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.26719/2026.32.5.312","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Evidence on antibiotic use among internally displaced persons in conflict-affected Northwest Syria remains scarce.</p><p><strong>Aim: </strong>To assess knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding antibiotic use among internally displaced persons in Northwest Syria.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We collected data from 630 individuals, aged ≥ 18 years, living in 12 internally displaced persons camps, in April 2022, through face-to-face interviews, using a WHO-validated questionnaire adapted for Syrian context. We analysed the data using SPSS version 26 and conducted univariate and multivariate logistic regression to assess associations between respondent characteristics and key outcomes. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Of the 630 participants (58.1% female; median age 38 years), 66.5% had received at least one antibiotic prescription in the past year. Females were more likely than males (odds ratio 2.89; 95% confidence interval 1.10-7.40; P = 0.02), and single participants less likely than married participants (OR = 0.29; 95% CI: 0.10-0.84, P = 0.02), to have used a prescribed antibiotic. Antibiotic misuse was common: 62.2% used antibiotics without a prescription, 51.6% used antibiotics prescribed for others and 39.4% did not complete their recommended dosage. The proportion of participants who obtained antibiotics without prescription increased from 64.8% before to 79.0% after displacement (P < 0.001). Of the participants, 69.8% had sufficient knowledge of, and 59.2% had positive attitude towards, antibiotic use.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Although most participants reported having sufficient knowledge of antibiotics, misconceptions and inappropriate use were common. Targeted and evidence-based interventions are needed to improve antibiotic use practices and to support antimicrobial stewardship among internally displaced persons in Northwest Syria and other similar settings.</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":"32 5","pages":"312-319"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-06-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148474865","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":"An imperative for antimicrobial stewardship education through One Health and interprofessional education in the Eastern Mediterranean Region.","authors":"Rehab H ElSokkary","doi":"10.26719/2026.32.5.341","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.26719/2026.32.5.341","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":"32 5","pages":"341-342"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-06-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148474917","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":"The Structured Operational Research and Training Initiative supporting antimicrobial resistance control in the Eastern Mediterranean Region.","authors":"Rony Zachariah, Nevin Wilson, Arshad Altaf, Mohammed Khogali, Christine Halleux, Michal Grivna","doi":"10.26719/2026.32.5.233","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.26719/2026.32.5.233","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":"32 5","pages":"233-236"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-06-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148474925","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":"Unsupervised use of antibiotics in the State of Palestine.","authors":"Abdalhakim Shubietah, Islam M Rajab, Majd Oweidat, Alaa Zayed, Ali Sabateen, Imad Sulayman","doi":"10.26719/2026.32.5.244","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.26719/2026.32.5.244","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":"32 5","pages":"244-248"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-06-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148474892","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":"Point prevalence of antibiotic use in teaching hospitals in Tunisia.","authors":"Maroua Trigui, Houda Ben Ayed, Mariem Ben Hamida, Maissa Ben Jmaa, Bouthaina Trabelsi, Mouna Baklouti, Ahmed Trigui, Nouha Ketata, Sourour Yaich, Mondher Kassis, Jamel Damak, Divya Nair, Vinayagamoorthy Venugopal, Miriam Holm, Shaffi Fazaludeen Koya","doi":"10.26719/2026.32.5.285","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.26719/2026.32.5.285","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Improving the rational use of antibiotics is critical to limiting the development and spread of antimicrobial resistance.</p><p><strong>Aim: </strong>To assess the prevalence and types of antibiotic use and the association with patient characteristics in 2 teaching hospitals in Tunisia.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Using a modified WHO point prevalence survey protocol, we collected data on the prevalence of antibiotics use and types and classes of antibiotic used from the medical records of 1028 patients hospitalized at the medical, surgical and intensive care units of 2 teaching hospitals in Sfax Governorate, Tunisia. We analysed the data using SPSS version 26. P ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The prevalence of antibiotic use was 26.8%, with an average of 1.7 antibiotics used per patient. Of the 466 antibiotic types used, 156 (35.4%) belonged to the access group and 277 (59.4%) to the watch group. Antibiotic use was highest (39.8%) among children aged <5 years and males had 30% higher chances of receiving antibiotics. Antibiotic use was higher among patients in high-risk wards than those in non-high-risk wards and among patients in intensive care units than in nonintensive care units. We found that 79.2% of the antibiotics were used empirically; watch antibiotics were used empirically in 78.7% of the patients.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The frequent use of watch group antibiotics for empirical treatment and the significantly higher antibiotic use among children and the elderly indicate the need to re-assess prescription practices in these and other hospitals, enhance prescription education, and develop standard guidelines for optimising antibiotic use in Tunisia.</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":"32 5","pages":"285-292"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-06-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148474876","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":"State of Kuwait Prize for the Control of Cancer, Cardiovascular Disease and Diabetes in the Eastern Mediterranean Region.","authors":"","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The State of Kuwait Prize for the Control of Cancer, Cardiovascular Disease and Diabetes in the Eastern Mediterranean Region is one of several Foundation awards, administered by the World Health Organization. It acknowledges the work of well-known scientists, researchers or dedicated people who have greatly contributed to the advancement of public health.</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":"32 5","pages":"347-348"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-06-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148474882","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":"Epidemiologic analysis of rabies cases among humans in Iraq.","authors":"Ghazwan A Baghdadi, Firas Mohammed Zaki, Ihab Raqeeb Aakef, Hussein Gatea Oudah, Shamsulddin Ahmed, Muhammad Hussein Abdulhadi","doi":"10.26719/2026.32.4.206","DOIUrl":"10.26719/2026.32.4.206","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Rabies is a fatal acute viral encephalitis that remains a public health problem in Iraq. There is continuous reported transmission nationwide.</p><p><strong>Aim: </strong>To describe the epidemiology of reported rabies cases from 1997 to 2024 among humans in Iraq.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We collected data on all reported probable cases of rabies among humans for 1997-2024, from the Iraq national rabies surveillance database. We analysed the data using SPSS version 27 and Microsoft Excel 2019, and calculated the incidence rates per 10 million population.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 437 rabies cases were reported during the period, with an annual mean of 15.6 ± 6.6 cases. Cases occurred throughout the year, with a relative peak between May and October. The highest number of cases was reported in 1999 (30 cases; 6.9%) and the lowest was in 2015 (6 cases; 1.4%). Most cases occurred among children aged <15 years (60.2%), and males accounted for 82.2% of cases. The highest incidence rates per 10 million population were reported in the central and southern governorates, particularly Babylon (11.18) and Diyala (10.99).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Iraq continues to report a high number of rabies cases among humans annually. To achieve the WHO target of eliminating rabies among humans by 2030, there is a need for more effective rabies control measures, including better stray dog population management, expanded animal vaccinations, improved public awareness, and continuous access to rabies vaccines and immunoglobulin.</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":"32 5","pages":"206-211"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-06-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148355080","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":"First meeting of the expert advisory group on the development of Pakistan's priority pathogen list.","authors":"","doi":"10.26719/2026.32.5.346","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.26719/2026.32.5.346","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":"32 5","pages":"346"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-06-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148474916","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":"Progress and challenges in antimicrobial resistance control in the Eastern Mediterranean Region.","authors":"Shaffi Fazaludeen Koya, Elizabeth Tayler, Miriam Holm, Aalaa Moghith, Mohamed Sarhan, Basma M Saleh, Iman Heweidy, Hala Amer, Yvan Hutin, Nevin Wilson, Benedetta Allegranzi","doi":"10.26719/2026.32.5.237","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.26719/2026.32.5.237","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":"32 5","pages":"237-239"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-06-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148474931","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":"Fatal adverse reactions to injectable ceftriaxone sodium in Syrian Arab Republic.","authors":"Abeer Srour, Basima Arous, Mohammad Amer Al-Mardini","doi":"10.26719/2026.32.5.320","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.26719/2026.32.5.320","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Reports of fatal adverse reactions to ceftriaxone sodium have raised serious safety concerns in Syrian Arab Republic, yet evidence describing fatal outcomes remains limited.</p><p><strong>Aim: </strong>To describe and characterise fatal adverse reactions associated with ceftriaxone sodium administration in Syrian Arab Republic.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We conducted a retrospective analysis of 14 fatal cases of ceftriaxone-associated adverse reactions reported to the national pharmacovigilance system in Syrian Arab Republic from 2018 to 2023.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Fourteen ceftriaxone sodium-associated fatal ADR cases were identified, including one maternal-foetal case, accounting for 15 deaths. Most fatalities resulted from immediate anaphylactic reactions following intravenous or intramuscular administration. Fatal outcomes included maternal-foetal death, Stevens-Johnson syndrome with multiorgan failure and anaphylaxis occurring during an intradermal allergy test.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Fatal adverse reactions to ceftriaxone were predominantly rapid and unpredictable, underscoring the need for careful allergy assessment, close patient monitoring and adherence to safe administration practices.</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":"32 5","pages":"320-324"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-06-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148474908","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}