The Journal of the Egyptian Public Health Association最新文献

Background: Healthcare workers (HCWs) are at the front line in battling infection transmission, such as that in coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19). Additionally, they may act as potential carriers passing the virus on to others. Anti-spike (anti-S) antibodies for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) are formed either as a result of infection or vaccination with both indicating immunity against future COVID-19 infection.

Aim: This study aimed to identify the prevalence of COVID-19 seropositivity among HCWs.

Methods: This cross-sectional study included 559 HCWs from 39 hospitals with variable degrees of COVID-19 exposure risk (depending on the occupation, department, and hospital type). Demographic data were recorded as well as history of COVID-19 infection and vaccination. Serum samples were collected and tested for SARS-CoV-2 spike antibodies.

Results: Anti-S positivity was found in 59.0% of the participating 559 HCWs, indicating a high level of seroprotection. Of the 559 HCWs, 34.1% had reported previous infection with COVID-19. Following infection, only 46 (24.0%) of those affected received vaccination. Anti-S seropositivity was found in 39.1% of participants who were unvaccinated and had no history of infection. Physicians had the highest median anti-S titers (58.0 relative units (RU)/mL), whereas pharmacists and office staff had the lowest (25.7 and 38.2 RU/mL, respectively).

Conclusions: Overall, 59.0% of the 559 HCWs were anti-S positive, indicating a relatively high seroprotective status. Among those who were unvaccinated and had no history of infection, 39.1% were seropositive for anti-S, denoting a high rate of silent/asymptomatic infections. Screening of HCWs for SARS-CoV-2 anti-S is recommended, along with the vaccination of seronegative individuals.

Background: Adherence to COVID-19 preventive measures is essential for disease control especially given the lack of effective treatment at the time of data collection. Medical students' adherence to COVID-19 preventive measures is highly important because they are at a higher risk of infection as they spend considerable time at hospitals for training. In addition, they will be responsible for disease fighting in the future. This study aimed to identify the adherence to COVID-19 preventive measures among the studied male students of Al-Azhar Faculty of Medicine, Egypt.

Methods: An online survey was conducted on a convenience sample of 537 male medical students of Al-Azhar University at the Cairo branch between March 2 and April 15, 2021, using an Arabic questionnaire constructed by Google form with link sharing to students' groups on WhatsApp and face book applications.

Results: A total of 537 students voluntarily submitted their responses. Most of these students were aged between 18 and 20 years (62.4%), rural residents (62.9%), having family income of 5000 LE or less/month (64.2%), studying at the first, second, and sixth years (79.2%). The prevalence of adherence to COVID-19 preventive measures among studied students was 28.1% without significant difference in the students' adherence status regarding age, residence, family income, studying year, or academic score. Wearing a face mask outside the house was practiced by 58% of students, avoiding hugging or kissing others (41.3%), and keeping a distance from others (20.7%).

Conclusion: Students showed a low level of adherence to COVID-19 preventive measures among students. Also, there is no significant difference between students' adherence status in relation to their socio-economic or academic variables. This unhealthy behavior increases the risk of infection among students. Also, students become a source of infection for their vulnerable contacts. More studies are needed to identify the real cause of this low level of adherence.

Background: COVID-19 has severely impacted global healthcare services. Malta has only one acute state hospital, Mater Dei Hospital (MDH), and at the time of writing is the most vaccinated country in Europe. Malta thus provides an ideal setting to assess the impact of COVID-19 on healthcare services at population level, including the impact of vaccination on hospital admissions.

Methods: Hospital data was obtained as anonymised totals from MDH's Clinical Performance Unit and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. COVID-19-related data was obtained from the Ministry of Health dashboard. Comparative assessments were performed to explore associations between the COVID-19 situation, vaccination, and hospital activity. Poisson regression was used to model the counts of monthly accident and emergency (A&E), outpatient clinics attendances and hospital admissions.

Results: A&E, hospital admissions, and outpatient clinics attendances declined (31.88%; 23.89%; 29.57%; p < 0.01 respectively) with onset of COVID-19 till April 2021 when compared to pre-COVID years (2017-2019). Admissions due to COVID-19 initially increased in parallel to the population's COVID positivity. Vaccination rollout led to a decline in COVID-19 admissions.

Conclusions: The drastic drop in admissions and outpatient attendees was expected but not for A&E attendees as acutely ill patients should still have attended. This is of public health concern since delayed or deferred medical management increases population morbidity, mortality and increases the eventual burden on the healthcare system. Mass vaccination saw the return to normality with an increase in A&E burden.

Background: In the global health emergency caused by COVID-19, multiple experts have mandated the use of hand sanitizers as a safety measure from COVID-19. The sale of hand sanitizers has increased many folds. Therefore, when there is such large use of hand sanitizers, it becomes extremely important to study and understand hand sanitizers in a comprehensive manner. This article starts with the importance of sanitizers as a defence mechanism that is employed by the hand to fight against the coronavirus. This article provides information about history, types, composition, various dosage forms, and marketed formulations of hand sanitizers. The article sheds a detailed light on industrial production techniques for hand sanitizers and also outlines new innovative techniques that were employed by the industry to mass produce hand sanitizers in the wake of the pandemic. The article further dives into a comparison between hand sanitizers and soaps so as to give pros and cons of the use of soap against the use of hand sanitizers. One of the aims of the article is to study the side effects of sanitizers so as to develop a cautious approach while using hand sanitizers and therefore a comprehensive list of side effects of the use of hand sanitizers is given.

Conclusion: The review article finds that hand sanitizers are extremely efficient in fight the virus but along with it, it brings along arrange of risks which are outlined in the article.

Background: People with mental health problems are at particular risk both for infection with COVID-19 and for more severe course of illness. Understanding COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy is crucial in promoting vaccine acceptance among people with mental health diagnoses. This review aims to identify the prevalence and discuss factors associated with COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among the mentally ill population.

Main body: We conducted a detailed literature search and included 15 articles for discussion in this review. Several studies showed varying trends of vaccine hesitancy rates among different countries. Major factors involved in vaccine hesitancy in general include mistrust, misinformation, believing in conspiracy theories, and negative attitudes towards vaccines. It was surprising that none of the studies were focused on vaccine acceptance rates and factors associated with vaccine hesitancy among the mentally ill population. However, studies do show that COVID-19 is associated with worse healthcare outcomes for psychiatric patients, and vaccine hesitancy correlated with a lower likelihood of receiving mental health treatment and vaccinations. Psychiatrists need to address issues among patients who are particularly vulnerable to the fear of vaccines which include anxiety, panic attacks, certain phobias including trypanophobia and agoraphobia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and certain types of traumas. Psychiatrists need to communicate effectively, show respect, empathy, and deliver accurate and honest information about the vaccines. Motivational interviewing, getting people with mental health illness to organize vaccine campaigns, and involving families with mental health problems may promote vaccine acceptance among this group.

Conclusion: Existing literature on the rates of vaccine hesitancy among people with mental health illness is limited. The mental health illness may increase the risk of hesitancy especially in patients having certain emotional disorders such as anxiety and phobia. More studies addressing vaccine hesitancy rates and factors associated with the mentally ill population need to be done in the future.

Background: The Ministry of Health and Population (MOHP)-Family Planning Sector (FPS) has a strong management information system (MIS) that allows the flow of data from MOHP-FP clinics, health districts, and governorates up to the central level. Yet, family planning (FP) quarterly reports issued at the central level are presented as database/spreadsheet software documents. These data are not used to provide indicators or information that aid in decision-making or the tracking of FP services over time. The objective of the study is to organize data in the database, develop key performance indicators, and design FP reports and policy briefs.

Methods: The study is operations research that is driven by published data derived from MOHP-FP sector-head, and 2014 service statistics quarterly hardcopy reports. The information was entered into an excel program, and 15 key performance indicators (KPIs) were calculated and used to rank Egypt's 27 governorates. We developed an annual FP report form, settled tables, and colored graphs that are liable to rank the governorates from best to least favorable.

Results: The quarterly data sheets issued by the MOHP-FP sector were organized for the quarters, and one annual sheet was developed with the organization of Egypt's Governorates into 4 specific regions, with each governorate having a fixed position in all reports. The key performance indicators were as follows: percent of clients aged 35 and up; percent of clients with fewer than three children; proportion of current FP users by method; percent of clients reported as first-time clients; percent of clients defined as new clients (non-FP users and FP discontinuers); and contraceptive coverage rate, i.e., percent coverage of married women of reproductive age with dispensed FP methods expressed as couple years.

Conclusion: MOHP-FP sector service statistics data could be used for the development of fifteen key performance indicators. Having those indicators at governorate, district, and central levels in quarterly and annual reports and their communication with decision-makers at all levels and their tracking overtime will guide them to timely decision-making for improving performance in FP services at all levels.

Background: Psychological distress is considered a threat to the mental health of human beings. This research was conducted at the beginning of the emerging COVID-19 pandemic, when most people had limited knowledge about coronavirus, mode of transmission, associated manifestations, with uncertainty about treatment, vaccine, future life, and coping capacity. This study examined the nature of the psychological distress related to the emergence of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and coping strategies adopted among the general population in Egypt.

Methods: This was a descriptive, cross-sectional study assessing a convenience sample consisting of 312 participants from the general population in Egypt. Data were gathered as online responses to a questionnaire which incorporated a sociodemographic datasheet, psychological distress scale, and ways of coping scale.

Results: Forty-two percent of the participants showed severe psychological distress and 26% showed mild to moderate psychological distress. There was a strong positive correlation between the distress score and the overall coping score-that is, the higher the distress, the more ways of coping were adopted (p < 0.001). This study also showed that the methods of adaptation used by most of the population were based on emotional coping strategy. The most adaptive people were those who work in the health field and the residents in the cities with a monthly income sufficient enough to meet their needs; better adaptation methods were also seen among both divorced and highly educated people. We also found a significant relationship between sociodemographic characteristics except for sex and overall coping methods (p < 0.001). Further, significant relationships between sociodemographic characteristics and psychological distress were observed (p < 0.001).

Conclusion: Most of the study population as a sample of the general population in Egypt reported suffering from varying degrees of psychological distress during the COVID-19 crisis. However, the more severe an individual's level of psychological distress, the greater their adaptation ability was. This study focuses light on the importance to provide appropriate interventions against COVID-19-related stresses and equipping people with suitable strategies for coping with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Backgrounds: Healthcare providers (HCPs) in COVID-19 epidemic face stressful workload of disease management, shortage of protective equipment and high risk of infection and mortality. These stressors affect greatly their mental health. The aim is to identify working conditions among Egyptian HCPs during COVID-19 epidemic as well as stigma and worry perceptions from contracting COVID-19 infection and their predictors.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 565 HCPs. Data was collected through Google online self-administered questionnaire comprised seven parts: demographics characteristics, knowledge and attitude of COVID-19, working condition, worry of contracting COVID-19 at work, discrimination intention at work for COVID-19 patients, stigma assessment using impact stigma, and internalized shame scales.

Results: The vast majority of HCPs (94.7%) were worried from contracting COVID-19 at work. Risk factors for perceiving severe worry from contracting COVID-19 were expecting infection as a severe illness, believing that infection will not be successfully controlled, improbability to continue working during the pandemic even if in a well/fit health, high discrimination intention and impact stigma scales. Significantly high impact stigma scores were detected among those aged < 30 years, females, workers primarily in sites susceptible for contracting COVID-19 infection, those had severe worry from contracting infection at work, and high internalized shame scale. The risk factors for perceiving higher internalized shame scores were not having a previous experience in working during a pandemic, high discrimination intention towards COVID-19 patients and high impact stigma scale.

Conclusions: Considerable levels of worry and stigma were detected among Egyptian HCPs during COVID-19 outbreak. The psychological aspect of health care providers should not be overlooked during epidemic; appropriate institutional mental health support should be provided especially for young HCPs, those without previous work experience in epidemic and those who work in high-risk units. Raising the community awareness about contribution of HCPs in fighting the epidemic might decrease stigmatization action toward HCPs.