World Health Organization - Egypt

Streptococcus agalactiae (Group B Streptococcus, GBS) poses a significant threat to Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) aquaculture, causing severe streptococcosis characterised by high mortality and economic losses. This study elucidates the pathogenesis of S. agalactiae through an integrated diagnostic approach and evaluates bacteriophage therapy as a sustainable alternative to antibiotic treatments. Clinical signs in infected tilapia, including erratic swimming, exophthalmia, and haemorrhagic lesions, were accompanied by systemic postmortem findings such as hepatosplenomegaly and ascitic fluid accumulation. Comprehensive identification of S. agalactiae isolates from pond water and diseased fish was achieved using morphological, biochemical, serological, and molecular techniques, confirming its role as the causative agent. Concurrently, three bacteriophages (STRA1, STRA2, STRA3) were isolated from aquaculture ponds and characterised by their lytic efficacy, host specificity, and environmental stability. These phages exhibited tailed morphologies, high lytic activity (up to 83.3% against S. agalactiae), and resilience under pond-like conditions (pH 4.0-10.0, 28°C-50°C), with STRA1 demonstrating efficacy against multidrug-resistant strains. Invitro assays revealed significant bacterial load reductions (e.g., STRA3: 1.03 × 106 CFU/mL vs. control: 6.13 × 106 CFU/mL at 72 h), though resistant mutants emerged at low frequencies (8.11-8.40 × 10-4). Suboptimal water quality parameters, including low dissolved oxygen (3.6 mg/L) and elevated iron (1321 μg/L), likely exacerbated infection severity. These findings underscore S. agalactiae's pathogenicity and position bacteriophage therapy as a promising, eco-friendly biocontrol strategy, warranting further invivo validation to optimise its application in tilapia aquaculture.

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is an acute tick-borne disease with a case fatality rate of up to 40% in humans, posing a significant health threat. This study investigates the 2022-23 CCHF outbreaks in Iraq, the highest recorded to date, and analyzes potential factors at the human-animal-environmental interface. Data from the Iraqi government, the World Health Organization, and the World Bank were used to analyze CCHF trends and affecting factors. This included epidemiological reports, clinical data, tick infestation and seroprevalence studies, and climate data. Descriptive and statistical analyses examined case trends, geographic and demographic characteristics, clinical manifestations, risk factors, seasonal patterns, and influencing factors. A sudden rise in CCHF cases began in southern Iraq in April 2022 and expanded across all governorates, with a shift toward urban areas. Higher incidence was observed among males, aged 25-44, and those involved in slaughtering. The most common clinical manifestation was fever (97%), followed by hemorrhagic symptoms (54%). Bleeding from the gums or mouth and subcutaneous bleeding were more frequent in patients with fatal outcomes. Seasonal patterns showed peaks during spring and fall, correlating with tick activity and potentially exacerbated by climate change. Tick infestation and seroprevalence studies indicated a high prevalence of Hyalomma ticks and CCHF seropositivity among domestic animals in southern Iraq (60%), consistent with the distribution of CCHF human cases. Iraq's ongoing CCHF outbreak demands multidisciplinary One Health strategies. The Iraqi government has adopted such a control strategy, contributing to regional and global efforts to enhance pandemic preparedness.

La vaccination est l'une stratégie de santé les plus efficace au monde pour l'amélioration de l’état de santé de la population. Cette étude vise à identifier les facteurs associés aux enfants zéro dose et sous immunisés dans le district sanitaire de Siguiri L’étude a porté sur les mères des enfants et les personnels de santé s'occupants des services de vaccination pendant la période du 1 er novembre au 5 décembre 2023. Il s'agit d'une étude observationnelle de type transversal à visée analytique. Le modèle de régression logistique multiple a été utilisé pour identifier les facteurs associés au seuil de 5%. L’étude a porté sur 415 mères des enfants et 65 personnels de santé s'occupants de la vaccination. La proportion des enfants zéro doses était de 45 % et les enfants sous immunisés étaient de 63 %. Les principaux facteurs associés aux enfants zéro dose et sous immunisés étaient : l’âge de la mère inférieur à 20 ans (OR=2,04 (1,66-2,27), p.value=0,001), le sexe de l'enfant féminin (OR=1,56 (1,22-2,17), p.value=0,001), la rupture des stocks de vaccin (OR=4,94 (2,34-5,12), p.value=0,002), le niveau socioéconomique du ménage (OR=2,65 (1,90-3,76), p.value=0,001 et l'absence des agents de santé (OR=3,94 (2,66-4,70), p.value=0,008). Cette étude suggère que l’âge de la mère, le niveau socioéconomique du ménage, le sexe de l'enfant, la rupture des stocks de vaccin et l'absence des agents de santé sont des principaux facteurs associés aux enfants zéro dose et sous immunisés dans le district sanitaire de Siguiri.

Medical anthropology is highly relevant to the practice of health professions in the health sector. While the World Federation of Medical Education (WFME, 2020) includes the discipline in its recommendations, other fields like nursing and occupational therapy have done it without international regulations in parts of the world for a long time. Training teachers of the discipline for the field is still in development worldwide and needs more attention to offer qualified trainers to health schools. In the Arab-speaking world, medical anthropology is underrepresented. After awareness-building in the Arab countries, our first train-the-trainer project took place from August 2020 to December 2021, both virtually and onsite in Egypt. We report from the trainers' and the trainees' perspectives and offer insights into our training.

Education, research, and biosecurity have global recognition as strong pillars of sustainable aquaculture development. In many developing countries, insufficient knowledge and awareness among stakeholders regarding the relevance of education, research, and biosecurity have influenced aquaculture sustainability negatively. To uncover the gaps in education, research, and biosecurity practices in aquatic animal health management, we conducted a questionnaire-based study in various East and West African countries. By adopting the methodology of self-reporting data, we invited a significant number of individuals to participate in the study. In the end, 88 respondents contributed, with the majority from Ghana (47) and Kenya (20), and 21 respondents from five other East and West African nations. The results revealed substantial educational gaps, including the need for practical training in aquatic animal health management, nutrition, and genetics. Respondents also emphasized the importance of creating additional national aquaculture research institutions and augmented funding to enable them to address industry needs. Governments of the represented nations should actively intervene by providing the essential logistics and capacity to support aquaculture research and development. Informed government involvement is paramount for bridging the disconnection among all stakeholders, as revealed in the results. Furthermore, the lack of biosecurity measures and the understanding of the importance of biosecurity measures in the industry addressed through awareness creation. Creating awareness on biosecurity underpinned with national aquaculture biosecurity policies can prevent disease incidences in the industry. The outcomes of this study can serve as a vital working document to enhance aquatic animal health management in East and West Africa, thereby fostering sustainable and resilient aquaculture.

Continuous Professional Development (CPD) refers to the educational pursuits that professionals make after completing their basic education and continues throughout their professional working lives in order to improve their knowledge, proficiency, and personal skills. CPD programs are crucial for enhancing the abilities of healthcare professionals and allowing them to provide patients with better care. However, few studies have discussed on this issue in Egypt. We conducted the current study to assess the knowledge and attitude of health care workers regarding CPD programs in a tertiary care hospital. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in Sporting Tertiary Care Hospital, Alexandria after the acceptance from Ethical Committee. The data were collected by interviewing questionnaire from a purposive sample of thirty-two healthcare workers who are representative of stakeholder groups to assess the knowledge and attitude regarding continuous professional programs. The questionnaire consists of three divisions, the first one is concerned with personal data, second one covers the knowledge assessment, and the last one embraces the attitude evaluation section. The study lasted 3 months. Data were analyzed by using a suitable statistical software. We found that majority of the participants had good knowledge level (96.9%) and strongly positive attitude (75%) regarding CPD programs. In conclusion, the study findings demonstrated a significant level of knowledge and attitude of the participants regarding continuous professional programs which opens the way for further research that assess the implementation and standardization of CPD programs in the future.