From fangs to antidotes: A scoping review on snakebite burden, species, and antivenoms in the Eastern Mediterranean Region.

Background: Snake bites cause considerable morbidity and mortality worldwide, yet evidence from low- and middle-income countries remains fragmented. This is particularly the case in Eastern Mediterranean Region where available data on snake bites is relatively weak. Without reliable data, it is difficult to make the case for greater visibility and investment to address the snakebite burden in this Region.

'What we lacked was the courage to take decisions that differed from the rest of the world': expert perspectives on the role of evidence in COVID-19 policymaking in Iraq.

Introduction: Iraq reported its first COVID-19 case on 24 February 2020 and formed a national committee and advisory committees to support its response. While global experts have suggested that the COVID-19 pandemic provided an exceptional opportunity for advancing evidence-informed policymaking (EIPM), no research has examined this in Iraq. Therefore, this study aimed to examine evidence use in COVID-19 policymaking in Iraq.