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PubMed2004

Monogenoids from the gills of spiny eels (Teleostei: Mastacembelidae) in India and Iraq, proposal of Mastacembelocleidus gen. n., and status of the Indian species of Actinocleidus, Urocleidus and Haplocleidus (Monogenoidea: Dactylogyridae).

Mastacembelocleidus gen. n. (Monogenoidea: Dactylogyridae) is proposed to include two species collected and redescribed from spiny eels (Mastacembelidae) in India and Iraq: Mastacembelocleidus bam (Tripathi, 1959) comb. n. (syn. Ancyrocephalus bam Tripathi, 1959) from the gills of Macrognathus pancalus (new host record) and Macrognathus aculeatus (Synbranchiformes: Mastacembelidae) from Lucknow, India; and Mastacembelocleidus heteranchorus (Kulkami, 1969) comb. n. (syn. Urocleidus heteranchorus Kulkarni, 1969) from the gills of Mastacembelus armatus from Lucknow, India, and Mastacembelus mastacembelus (new host record) from the environs of Erbil, Iraq (new locality record). Urocleidus rhyncobdelli Jain, 1959, Haliotrema tandani Agrawal et Singh, 1982 and Urocleidus raipurensis Dubey, Gupta et Agarwal, 1992 are considered junior subjective synonyms of M. bam.

Animals↗

PubMed2006

Impact of phlebotomine sand flies on U.S. Military operations at Tallil Air Base, Iraq: 1. background, military situation, and development of a "Leishmaniasis Control Program".

One of the most significant modern day efforts to prevent and control an arthropod-borne disease during a military deployment occurred when a team of U.S. military entomologists led efforts to characterize, prevent, and control leishmaniasis at Tallil Air Base (TAB), Iraq, during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Soon after arriving at TAB on 22 March 2003, military entomologists determined that 1) high numbers of sand flies were present at TAB, 2) individual soldiers were receiving many sand fly bites in a single night, and 3) Leishmania parasites were present in 1.5% of the female sand flies as determined using a real-time (fluorogenic) Leishmania-generic polymerase chain reaction assay. The rapid determination that leishmaniasis was a specific threat in this area allowed for the establishment of a comprehensive Leishmaniasis Control Program (LCP) over 5 mo before the first case of leishmaniasis was confirmed in a U.S. soldier deployed to Iraq. The LCP had four components: 1) risk assessment, 2) enhancement of use of personal protective measures by all personnel at TAB, 3) vector and reservoir control, and 4) education of military personnel about sand flies and leishmaniasis. The establishment of the LCP at TAB before the onset of any human disease conclusively demonstrated that entomologists can play a critical role during military deployments.

Animals↗

PubMed2006

Casualties: narrative and images of the war on Iraq.

The Iraqi people have endured an excess burden of morbidity and mortality during the past 15 years due to war and sanctions, with the March 2003 Anglo-American assault on and subsequent occupation of Iraq representing the most recent chapter. Children have been disproportionately affected; many have died from infectious disease, malnutrition, and lack of access to health care. There have been significant differences in the availability of narrative accounts and images of this suffering, reflective of the need of those who wage wars and impose sanctions to keep the public uninformed. This article suggests that public health and medical practitioners have a responsibility to seek out such accounts and images. The authors explore possible responses to narrative and images of this suffering, and outline the sorts of responses engendered by three perspectives-charity, development, and social justice. The suffering of the people of Iraq should spur a response from the health community to alleviate the situation and prevent unnecessary suffering.

Charities↗

PubMed1976

Isolation of Leishmania from a black rat in the Baghdad area, Iraq.

Leishmania was recovered from a black rat in the Baghdad area, Iraq. Leptomonads from samples of blood and tissues of this animal cultivated on NNN medium produced visceral leishmaniasis when injected into white mice. This is the first record of natural visceral leishmaniasis in a non-human host in Iraq.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Childhood obesity in Iraq: prevalence and possible risk factors.

BACKGROUND: Childhood obesity is increasing in prevalence in developing countries. We conducted this study to assess the prevalence of overweight and obesity in primary school children age 7 to 13 years in central Iraq and to identify possible risk factors. METHODS: The study was conducted in Babil governorate from October through March 2002. Eight thousand three hundred pupils (4100 girls and 4200 boys) randomly chosen primary schools were included in the study. BMI was measured and compared to standard tables. Information on possible risk factors was collected by questionnaire. RESULTS: The prevalence of overweight and obesity was 6% and 1.3%, respectively. Significant associations were found between overweight and age, residency (urban-rural), birth rank, breast-feeding and certain dietary and lifestyle practices. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of obesity and overweight is relatively high in children in central Iraq. Modern dietary habits are an important influence in the development of childhood obesity that should be watched carefully and controlled.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2006

Job satisfaction among male physicians: perspective from Northern Iraq.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the level of job satisfaction among male physicians in northern Iraq. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY: Three public hospitals in the cities of Erbil and Kirkuk in northern Iraq, from May to June 2004. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Male physicians, currently working in public sector hospitals for at least one year, were given a structured, self-administered, anonymous and pre-tested questionnaire with both closed and open-ended questions. Data were collected on demographic and professional characteristics. Likert scales were used for job related characteristics. Data were analyzed for frequencies and mean scores for demographic and professional characteristics, while job related characteristics were analyzed with means and standard errors. RESULTS: Out of 174 male physicians participating in this study, 132 (75.8%) responded as always or usually, satisfied with their career as a physician with a mean score of 4.3 (SE 0.1). Ninety-seven (55.7 %) physicians reported their work related stress as either severe or moderate, with a mean score of 2.6 (SE 0.1). But 153 (87.9 %) physicians reported as always or usually being in control of their professional work-related activities, with a mean of 4.5 (SE 0.08), while mean level of stress at home/personal life was 2.2 (SE 0.06). CONCLUSION: Over seventy percent of male physicians in public-sector hospitals were satisfied with their jobs; however, links between working conditions and levels of job satisfaction were not clearly discernible.

Adult↗

PubMed2000

A multivariate method for estimating mortality rates among children under 5 years from health and social indicators in Iraq.

BACKGROUND: Many reports on Iraq suggest that a rise in rates of death and disease have occurred since the Gulf War of January/February 1991 and the economic sanctions that followed it. METHODS: Four preliminary models, based on unadjusted projections, were developed. A logistic regression model was then developed on the basis of six social variables in Iraq and comparable information from countries in the State of the World's Children report. Missing data were estimated for this model by a multiple imputation procedure. The final model depends on three socio-medical indicators: adult literacy, nutritional stunting of children under 5 years, and access to piped water. RESULTS: The model successfully predicted both the mortality rate in 1990, under stable conditions, and in 1991, following the Gulf War. For 1996, after 5 years of sanctions and prior to receipt of humanitarian food via the oil for food programme, this model shows mortality among children under 5 to have reached an estimated 87 per 1000, a rate last experienced more than 30 years ago. CONCLUSIONS: Accurate and timely estimates of mortality levels in developing countries are costly and require considerable methodological expertise. A rapid estimation technique like the one developed here may be a useful tool for quick and efficient estimation of mortality rates among under 5 year olds in countries where good mortality data are not routinely available. This is especially true for countries with complex humanitarian emergencies where information on mortality changes can guide interventions and the social stability to use standard demographic methods does not exist.

Child Welfare↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Malaria in Iraq].

Malaria control campaign started in Iraq in 1957. This made the country largely free of the disease. Since 1991, following the recent war, Iraq has been affected by serious epidemic of P. vivax malaria that started in 3 autonomous governorates and soon involved other parts of the country. There were 49,840 malaria cases in the country in 1995. The national malaria programme personnel did their best to contain and control the epidemic. Active and passive case detection and treatment were introduced. Free of charge drugs are provided at all levels in the endemic area. Vector control includes environmental management, distribution of Gambusia fish, larviciding, indoor residual spraying with pyrithroids. A total of 4134 malaria cases were recorded in the country in 1999.

Humans↗

PubMed2000

Impact of sanctions on the population of Iraq.

In this article the impact of sanctions on the Iraqi people is reviewed. The health services and situation in Iraq before sanctions were imposed in 1990 are described indicating their adequacy. The adverse effect of the sanctions on the health services and on health indicators are outlined, as evidenced by, among others, the increased malnutrition among children, increased infant and under-5 mortality rates and the increase in foodborne and waterborne diseases. The situation in Iraq illustrates the devastating effects of sanctions on people, particularly children, adolescents, women and the elderly, and highlights the need for more balanced and comprehensive humanitarian programmes.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1996

Infant mortality and the economic embargo in Iraq.

"The purpose of this study is to shed light on infant mortality rates in Iraq, including how they differ from place to place, and to identify the variables behind such differences. It also aims at showing the causes of change in the trend since 1991 when the allied forces launched a war against the country and imposed an economic embargo on it....Infant mortality rates can be divided into two main categories: a higher category near the eastern border, probably, owing in part to the Iran-Iraq war, and a lower category in the western part of the country (with the exception of An Najaf) and the extreme north."

Asia↗

PubMed1976

The karaite community of Iraq in Israel: a genetic study.

Ninety-eight of 136 (72%) individuals at least 6 years of age from a small isolate of the Karaite community, known to have lived in Iraq since the tenth century, were examined. In Iraq this group maintained a highly inbred existence but married Karaites from Egypt after their immigration to Israel in 1951. Observations of several unique gene frequencies for blood group and isoenzyme markers, not described among other Jewish groups, are explicable by isolation and genetic drift in a very small community.

ABO Blood-Group System↗

PubMed1961

Studies on bilharziasis endemicity in the vicinity of Basra, Iraq.

This paper reports on investigations into the distribution of snail genera and possible limiting environmental factors in the endemic and non-endemic areas of human bilharziasis in and near Basra, carried out in 1958 by the WHO Bilharziasis Control Project staff in Iraq. These investigations confirmed the existence of an abrupt line of demarcation between these areas immediately south of Basra.During June and October 1958, the known intermediate snail host, Bulinus truncatus, was not found in canals bordering on areas of either infected or non-infected human populations. From these findings and the evidence of previous investigations it is concluded that in southern Iraq, and particularly in Basra, B. truncatus has been demonstrated with difficulty, if at all. Nevertheless, transmission has continued to take place. Explanations of this apparent phenomenon are discussed and it is concluded that populations of B. truncatus may be completely absent for several years and that other snail genera may play a role in transmitting the disease.A study of environmental factors indicates that water velocities, salinity, turbidity, and pH in the endemic and non-endemic areas showed no significant differences, but that the continuous change in water flow may be a factor limiting B. truncatus colonization.It is also concluded that the salinity in the Shatt al Arab River originates from Lake Hammar and is not introduced from the Persian Gulf by tidal wave, as has been previously believed.

Animals↗

PubMed1961

Biological studies on the snail, Bulinus truncatus, in Central Iraq.

This paper presents some results of field and laboratory studies on Bulinus truncatus, the snail intermediate host of urinary bilharziasis in Iraq, made in 1958 as part of the work of the WHO Bilharziasis Control Project in that country.Observations on the linear distribution and size composition of Bulinus populations in the canals of central Iraq indicate that molluscicides might most suitably be applied in May before the entire snail population reaches breeding size, or early in November when most snails are juveniles. However, laboratory experiments appear to show that isolation of individual bulinid snails does not diminish, but may actually increase, their egg-laying capacity in comparison with that of grouped snails; this suggests that, even if the snail population were drastically reduced by treatment of the canals and all further importation of snails rendered impossible, the snail population would nevertheless soon renew itself from the few individuals remaining.Results are also given of laboratory experiments on egg masses, hatching and growth of B. truncatus and on the egg-laying of random populations of that snail.

Animals↗

PubMed2004

Army Ranger casualty, attrition, and surgery rates for airborne operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.

INTRODUCTION: Although numerous articles have been published documenting parachute injuries, a search of the medical literature revealed none that detail casualty, attrition, and surgery rates for airborne operations conducted into actual combat. This study examines observed airborne casualty, attrition, and surgery rates in U.S. Army Rangers during combat operations in order to identify risk factors attributed to static-line parachute injuries and provide a comparison to estimated attrition rates. METHODS: Data were recorded on standardized manual casualty cards and tracking forms while treatment was provided during two missions into Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom and two missions into Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom, and then consolidated onto an electronic database for further analysis. RESULTS: There were 4 airborne missions totaling 634 jumpers that resulted in 83 injuries sustained by 76 Rangers (12%). Of those, 27 Rangers (4%) were unable to continue the mission and were subsequently evacuated. There were 11 Rangers (2%) who required surgery following evacuation. The overall observed attrition rate differed from the estimated rate (p = 0.04). Although observed attrition rates did not differ from estimations in Afghanistan (p = 0.75), attrition rates in Iraq were greater than estimated rates (p = 0.02) and observed rates in Afghanistan (p = 0.05). DISCUSSION: Many factors impact casualty, attrition, and injury patterns. Terrain and equipment load were notable associations analyzed in this study. CONCLUSIONS: Medical, logistical, and operational personnel can optimize support for airborne forces through improved estimation of casualty, attrition, and surgical rates. Risk factors associated with military parachuting can potentially provide further accuracy in estimating attrition and are recommended for integration into current models.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2005

Development of a VR therapy application for Iraq war military personnel with PTSD.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is reported to be caused by traumatic events that are outside the range of usual human experiences including (but not limited to) military combat, violent personal assault, being kidnapped or taken hostage and terrorist attacks. Initial data suggests that 1 out of 6 returning Iraq War military personnel are exhibiting symptoms of depression, anxiety and PTSD. Virtual Reality (VR) exposure therapy has been used in previous treatments of PTSD patients with reports of positive outcomes. The aim of the current paper is to specify the rationale, design and development of an Iraq War PTSD VR application that is being created from the virtual assets that were initially developed for theX-Box game entitled Full Spectrum Warrior which was inspired by a combat tactical training simulation, Full Spectrum Command.

Computer Simulation↗

PubMed2003

Knowledge, attitudes and practices survey among health care workers and tuberculosis patients in Iraq.

A cross-sectional study was made of 500 patients and 500 health care workers randomly selected from 250 primary health care centres throughout Iraq to evaluate knowledge, attitudes and practices towards tuberculosis (TB). Using structured questionnaire interviews, the study showed 64.4% of patients had good knowledge, while 54.8% had negative attitudes and practices towards TB. The 2 most important sources of patient information about TB were physicians and television. Of health care workers, 95.5% had good knowledge about TB and this was significantly associated with age and job duration. By contrast, health care workers' practice was poor: only 38.2% handled suspected TB cases correctly. The national TB programme in Iraq has had a good impact on knowledge of TB patients and health care workers.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2005

Risk factors for asthma among primary school children in Baghdad, Iraq.

OBJECTIVE: Asthma is one of the most common chronic diseases of children. To fill the gap in data concerning this disease in Iraq, we investigated the socio-demographic and other risk factors related to asthma occurrence among primary school children. METHODS: A case control study was conducted in Baghdad, Iraq among primary school children aged 6-12 years, for the period between October 2000 and June 2002. Six hundred and forty-four children with asthma were investigated with a control group of 1618 children without asthma. Well-constructed standardized modified questionnaires of International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood were completed by the parents of the chosen children. RESULTS: From the studied risk factors, the following were found as significant risk factors for asthma development: crowding rate of > or = 5 (odds ratio [OR]=1.65, 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.1 - 2.4), lower educational level of parents, prematurity (OR=1.61, 95% CI=1.003-2.59), low birth weight (OR=2.41, 95% CI=1.87-3.09), family history of asthma whether father (OR=3.86, 95% CI=2.54-5.87), or mother (OR=8.27, 95% CI=5.21-13.15) or sibling (OR=4.33, 95% CI=3.24-5.8) and environmental exposure to tobacco smoking during pregnancy or currently from both parents. On the contrary, our study failed to detect significant association for the following factors: gender, residency, type of birth, breast feeding and duration. CONCLUSION: Crowding, low parental education, prematurity, low birth weight, family history of asthma and smoking are significant risk factors for asthma development among our primary school children. Efforts must be concentrated for hygienic environment, good antenatal care and quitting smoking habits in order to overcome this health problem.

Asthma↗

PubMed2005

Zinc deficiency among a healthy population in Baghdad, Iraq.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of zinc deficiency and the current zinc status among a sample selected from the healthy population in Baghdad, Iraq. METHODS: We carried out a community-based study in Baghdad City, Iraq from November through June 2002. We selected a sample of 2090 healthy subjects (aged 1 month to 85 years). We used a pre-tested questionnaire, designed to obtain information on gender, birth dates, height, weight, residence, habitual food consumption patterns, and social status. We performed laboratory assessment of serum zinc level, dietary assessment of food frequency and usual zinc intake. We considered subjects with serum zinc concentration of <7.7 umol/l zinc deficient and >/-7.7 to 12.3 umol/l mild to moderately zinc deficient. RESULTS: The prevalence of zinc deficiency among the studied sample was 2.7%. We found mild to moderate zinc deficiency among 55.7% of the study sample. Dietary zinc intake assessment showed that 74.8% of the studied sample consumed less than the recommended intake, and in 62.3%, the intakes were deficient and grossly deficient. Mean daily zinc ranged from 5.2 mg in children to 8.5 mg in adults. CONCLUSION: We observed a high prevalence of mild to moderate zinc deficiency, with inadequate dietary zinc intake among a considerable proportion of the studied sample. Zinc supplementation may be an effective public health intervention means to improve the zinc status of the population.

Adolescent↗