East Mediterr Health J
December 2024
The 'next pandemic' has become a common terminology increasingly used in media and academic literature. Emerging pathogens pose a considerable risk to our increasingly globalised communities and there is a need for adequate preparedness for them. However, in Lebanon, like in many countries, the 'next' pathogens, such as the measles pathogen, posing a dire threat to public health are neither emerging nor re-emerging; they are common, endemic and vaccine-preventable.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEast Mediterr Health J
December 2024
Consumption of tobacco, nicotine and sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) poses a significant risk to public health, contributing to increases in noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, and obesity. Globally, regular consumption of SSBs increases the risk of type 2 diabetes by 26%, and deaths related to tobacco and nicotine consumption exceed 8 million annually, including 1.3 million due to exposure to second-hand smoke.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEast Mediterr Health J
April 2024
East Mediterr Health J
October 2024
The WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) is home to 745 million people, of whom 107 million (14%) need humanitarian assistance. EMR is the source of 55% of the world's refugees and has 33.7 million people who have been forcibly displaced.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEast Mediterr Health J
November 2024
East Mediterr Health J
September 2024
The year 2024 marks a pivotal moment in global health: it is the 50th anniversary of the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI). This extraordinary achievement is a testament to the power of collective action, scientific innovation and unwavering commitment to child health.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEast Mediterr Health J
August 2024
The WHO research agenda for antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in human health has identified 40 research priorities to be addressed by the year 2030. These priorities focus on bacterial and fungal pathogens of crucial importance in addressing AMR, including drug-resistant pathogens causing tuberculosis. These research priorities encompass the entire people-centred journey, covering prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of antimicrobial-resistant infections, in addition to addressing the overarching knowledge gaps in AMR epidemiology, burden and drivers, policies and regulations, and awareness and education.
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May 2024
During a special session in December 2021, the World Health Assembly decided to establish an Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB) to draft and negotiate a WHO convention, agreement or other international instrument on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response. The objective of the Pandemic Agreement is to enable Member States to prevent, prepare for, and respond to pandemics. Its provisions will apply during and between pandemics, unless otherwise specified, and it is expected to enter into force on the 30th day following the date of deposit of the 40th instrument of ratification, acceptance, approval, formal confirmation, or accession with the Depositary.
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February 2024
Lessons learnt from the COVID-19 pandemic have provided an opportunity to intensify efforts towards the health-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Innovations in digital health and advances in science witnessed during the pandemic can be harnessed to improve equitable access to healthcare and build resilient health systems. We also have stark reminders that without addressing the needs of the most vulnerable groups and societies, a simple expansion of service delivery efforts may even exacerbate existing inequities in healthcare.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUropathogenic (UPEC) is the most common cause of urinary tract infections (UTIs) in hospitalised and non-hospitalised patients. Genomic analysis was used to gain further insight into the molecular characteristics of UPEC isolates from Saudi Arabia. A total of 165 isolates were collected from patients with UTIs between May 2019 and September 2020 from two tertiary hospitals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe World Health Organization considers antimicrobial resistance as one of the most pressing global issues which poses a fundamental threat to human health, development, and security. Due to demographic and environmental factors, the marine environment of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region may be particularly susceptible to the threat of antimicrobial resistance. However, there is currently little information on the presence of AMR in the GCC marine environment to inform the design of appropriate targeted surveillance activities.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAnimal and human data indicate variable effects of interferons in treating coronavirus infections according to inflammatory status and timing of therapy. In this sub-study of the MIRACLE trial (MERS-CoV Infection Treated with a Combination of Lopinavir-Ritonavir and Interferon β-1b), we evaluated the heterogeneity of treatment effect of interferon-β1b and lopinavir-ritonavir versus placebo among hospitalized patients with MERS on 90-day mortality, according to cytokine levels and timing of therapy. We measured plasma levels of 17 cytokines at enrollment and tested the treatment effect on 90-day mortality according to cytokine levels (higher versus lower levels using the upper tertile (67%) as a cutoff point) and time to treatment (≤ 7 days versus > 7 days of symptom onset) using interaction tests.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCarbapenem-resistant has become a major clinical problem due to limited treatment options. However, studies assessing the trends in the molecular epidemiology and mechanisms of antibiotic resistance in this pathogen are lacking in Saudi Arabia. Here, we reported the genome characterization in a global context of carbapenem non-susceptible clinical isolates from a nationally representative survey.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe objective of this study is to examine the IgG antibody response in critically ill patients with the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) and to examine the association of early antibody response with mortality and viral clearance. We collected blood samples from 40 consecutive real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR) confirmed critically ill MERS patients on ICU days 1, 3, 7, 14 and 28. MERS-CoV antibodies were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), using wells coated with MERS-CoV S1 antigen.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: ChAdOx1-vectored vaccine candidates against several pathogens have been developed and tested in clinical trials and ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 has now been licensed for emergency use for COVID-19. We assessed the safety and immunogenicity of the ChAdOx1 MERS vaccine in a phase 1b trial in healthy Middle Eastern adults.
Method: MERS002 is an open-label, non-randomised, dose-escalation, phase 1b trial.
Objective: The role of antibiotic prophylaxis (AP) in the prevention of surgical site infection (SSI) after hernia repair is debated. We conducted this systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the evidence on the value of prophylactic antibiotics in reducing the risks of SSI after open hernia surgery.
Methods: We ran an online and manual search to identify relevant randomized controlled trials that compared prophylactic antibiotics to nonantibiotic controls in patients undergoing open surgical hernia repair.
Background: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) of non-fermenting Gram-negative bacteria (NFGNB) is increasingly recognized as urgent healthcare threat. Trend data on AMR of NFGNB in Saudi Arabia are either old or limited. The objective was to estimate the prevalence and resistance trends of isolated NFGNB in Saudi Arabia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Whether combined treatment with recombinant interferon beta-1b and lopinavir-ritonavir reduces mortality among patients hospitalized with Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) is unclear.
Methods: We conducted a randomized, adaptive, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial that enrolled patients at nine sites in Saudi Arabia. Hospitalized adults with laboratory-confirmed MERS were randomly assigned to receive recombinant interferon beta-1b plus lopinavir-ritonavir (intervention) or placebo for 14 days.
Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol
February 2021
Objective: To describe local experience in managing an outbreak of Candida auris in a tertiary-care setting.
Methods: In response to emerging Candida auris, an outbreak investigation was conducted at our hospital between March 2018 and June 2019. Once a patient was confirmed to have Candida auris, screening of exposed patients and healthcare workers (HCWs) was conducted.
Background: Awareness of central line bundle by healthcare workers (HCWs) is essential for preventing catheter-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI). The objective was to assess the knowledge and practice of insertion and maintenance central line bundles among HCWs in intensive care units (ICUs).
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at King Abdul-Aziz medical city in Riyadh between November 2017 and April 2018.