scholarly journals Enteric Fever in Mediterranean North Africa

2009 ◽  
Vol 3 (10) ◽  
pp. 753-761 ◽  
Author(s):  
Khalifa Sifaw Ghenghesh ◽  
Ezzedin Franka ◽  
Khaled Tawil ◽  
Momtaz Wasfy ◽  
Salwa F. Ahmed ◽  
...  

Typhoid fever is endemic in the Mediterranean North African countries (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Egypt) with an estimated incidence of 10-100 cases per 100,000 persons. Outbreaks caused by Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi are common and mainly due to the consumption of untreated or sewage-contaminated water. Salmonella enterica Paratyphi B is more commonly involved in nosocomial cases of enteric fever in North Africa than expected and leads to high mortality rates among infants with congenital anomalies. Prevalence among travellers returning from this region is low, with an estimate of less than one per 100,000. Although multidrug resistant strains of Salmonella Typhi and Paratyphi are prevalent in this region, the re-emergence of chloramphenicol- and ampicillin-susceptible strains has been observed. In order to better understand the epidemiology of enteric fever in the Mediterranean North African region, population-based studies are needed. These will assist the health authorities in the region in preventing and controlling this important disease.

Author(s):  
Matt Buehler ◽  
Kyung Joon Han

Given historically amicable relations between North Africa’s native citizens of Arab and African descent, it is counterintuitive that prejudice against foreign African migrants from sub-Saharan countries seems to be rising. Discrimination seems to be intensifying against African migrants who have recently arrived from Congo, Nigeria, Senegal, Cameroon, Mali, and elsewhere. Where conflict and poverty proliferate in these countries, migrants flee to North Africa seeking clandestine access to Europe by boat across the Mediterranean, or by foot through Spain’s North African enclaves of Melilla and Ceuta. In response, Spain, Italy, and North African countries have increased border and maritime security. Thus, as an alternative, many sub-Saharan African migrants have decided to resettle in North Africa. Previously, articles have appeared depicting North African states as “sender” countries of migrants. Yet, more recently, they have also become “recipient” countries of African migrants.


2015 ◽  
Vol 44 (4) ◽  
pp. 232-244 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pouria Heydarpour ◽  
Shayan Khoshkish ◽  
Shabnam Abtahi ◽  
Maziar Moradi-Lakeh ◽  
Mohammad Ali Sahraian

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is one of the most common neurological disorders and a leading cause of nontraumatic disability in young adults in many countries. Recent reports from the Middle East and North Africa have suggested a moderate to high risk of MS in these countries. Methods: A literature search was performed in August 2014 in MEDLINE, EMBASE, and IMEMR to retrieve original population-based studies on MS epidemiology in the Middle East and North African countries published between 1st January 1985 and 1st August 2014. We designed search strategies using the key words: MS, prevalence, incidence, and epidemiology. According to the inclusion criteria, 52 studies were included in this systematic review. Results: McDonald's criteria were the most widely used diagnostic criteria in the studies. Most studies were conducted in single hospital-based centers with a defined catchment area. The female/male ratio ranged from 0.8 in Oman to 4.3 in Saudi Arabia. MS prevalence ranged from 14.77/100,000 population in Kuwait (2000) to 101.4/100,000 in Turkey (2006). The overall MS prevalence in the region was 51.52/100,000. The mean age at disease onset ranged from 25.2 years in Kuwait to 32.5 years in Northeastern Iran, with an overall estimate of 28.54 years. Conclusions: Recent advances in MS registries will allow nation-wide studies and temporal comparisons between countries, provided that age- and sex-standardized estimates are available.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Audino Podda

Typhoid and Paratyphoid fevers (collectively, enteric fever) are indistinguishable, acute generalized febrile infections caused by Salmonella enterica serovars Typhi and Paratyphi A and Paratyphi B sensu stricto. Enteric Fever is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC), where social and sanitary conditions are poor. In 2017, approximately 14.3 million cases of disease and 135,900 deaths were reported. Antibiotic treatment reduces severity and duration of disease. However, the emergence of several multidrug resistant strains (MDR) and, more recently, of extensively drug-resistant (XDR) strains of S. Typhi has decreased treatment options. Due to significant disease burden and increasing antimicrobial resistance, particularly in South/South-East Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, it is essential to implement vaccination campaigns with safe and effective vaccines. Three vaccine types are available against S. Typhi: the live attenuated vaccine (Ty21a), the unconjugated Vi polysaccharide vaccine (Vi-PS) and the typhoid conjugated vaccine (TCV), while no vaccine is yet available against S. Paratyphi strains. Most recently licensed and WHO prequalified TCVs can be used for immunization of infants starting at 6 months of age. Field trials in endemic Asian and African countries have shown that TCV has a >80% clinical efficacy.


Author(s):  
Dr. Manish Kulshrestha ◽  
Dr. Anjali Kulshrestha

INTRODUCTION: Enteric fever includes typhoid and paratyphoid fever. Peak incidence is seen in children 5–15 years of age; but in regions where the disease is highly endemic, as in India, children younger than 5 years of age may have the highest infection rates. There are about 22 million new typhoid cases occur each year. Young children in poor, resource limited areas, who make up the majority of the new cases and there is a mortality figures of 215,000 deaths annually. A sharp decline in the rates of complications and mortality due to typhoid fever is observed as a result of introduction of effective antibiotic therapy since 1950s. MDR-ST became endemic in many areas of Asia, including India soon after multidrug-resistant strains of Salmonella enterica serotype typhi (MDR-ST) that were resistant to all the three first-line drugs then in use, namely chloramphenicol, amoxycillin and co-trimoxazole emerged in early 1990s. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Only blood culture or bone marrow culture positive cases were included. The patients with culture isolated enteric fever were included in the study. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was carried out by disk diffusion method using antibiotic discs. The analysis of the antimicrobial susceptibility was carried out as per CLSI interpretative guidelines. RESULTS: A total of 82 culture positive cases were included in the present study. 80 culture isolates were from blood culture and 2 from the bone marrow culture. Salmonella entericasubspecies enterica serovartyphi (S typhi) was isolated from 67 (81.70%) patients while Salmonella enterica subspecies entericaserovarparatyphi (S paratyphi A) was isolated from 13 (15.85%) cases and 2 (2.44%) were Salmonella enterica subspecies entericaserovarschottmuelleri (S paratyphi B). Of the 82 cases 65(79.3%) isolates were resistant to ciprofloxacin, 17 (20.7%) were resistant to nalidixic acid, one (1.2%) case each was resistant to Cefotaxime and ceftriaxone, 2 (2.4%) were resistant to chloramphenicol, 10 (12.2%) were resistant and to cotrimoxazole 3 (3.7%) were resistant. CONCLUSION: In a culture positive cases 65(79.3%) isolates were resistant to ciprofloxacin and 17 (20.7%) were resistant to nalidixic acid. Multidrug resistant isolates were 65(79.3%).


2021 ◽  
pp. 002190962098358
Author(s):  
Francesco Tamburini

North African nations, especially Egypt, Algeria, and Morocco, have been heavily affected by COVID-19 if compared to other African countries. Governments in North Africa took proactive legal measures to manage the virus threat, safeguarding population health, but also triggering repressive and invasive mechanisms that in some cases jeopardized basic freedoms and rights. This work will analyze comparatively the anti-COVID-19 legislations, pointing out how the legislative measures mirrored the level of transition of democracy, the opacity of some regimes, exploitation of the pandemic to foster repressive control, and highlighting the weakness of new democratic institutions unprepared to balance health security and democracy.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
pp. e59962
Author(s):  
Ana Beatriz Da Costa Mangueira ◽  
Filipe Reis Melo

Este artigo analisa como a Espanha securitizou fluxos migratórios irregulares do Norte da África na primeira década dos anos 2000. Esse processo realizou-se com medidas de segurança nas fronteiras, especialmente nas regiões de Ceuta e Melila. Por outro lado, os governos espanhóis ao longo daquela década reavivaram acordos firmados com os africanos ainda nos anos 1990 para readmissão de migrantes e para admissão de indivíduos no mercado de trabalho espanhol. A relação entre Espanha e países africanos foi contraditória, pois enquanto se buscava conter as migrações indesejadas, pretendia-se usar a mão de obra estrangeira para reduzir os custos trabalhistas. Essas contradições são influenciadas pela presença da União Europeia que delibera e atua na temática de migrações na região, um assunto que tem sido um dos principais interesses da agenda de segurança europeia nos últimos anos. Palavras-Chave: Espanha. Fluxos migratórios. Norte da África. ABSTRACTThis paper analyses how Spain securitized irregular migratory flows from North Africa in the 2000s first decade. This process was carried out by security actions at the borders, specially at Ceuta and Melilla regions. On other hand, over the years of 2000s Spanish governments renewed agreements that were signed with Africans in the 1990s to foster readmission of migrants and promote the admission of individuals to the Spanish labor market. Furthermore, the relationship between Spain and African countries was inconsistent due to the fact that at the moment which the contention of unwanted migration was the focus, it was intended to use foreign labor to reduce labor costs. These contradictions are influenced by the presence of the European Union, which deliberates and acts on the issue of migration in the region, a subject that has been one of the main interests of the European security agenda in recent years. Keywords: Spain. Migration flows. North Africa. Recebido em: 24 mai. 2021 | Aceito em: 01 out. 2021.


Author(s):  
Henry George Farmer

Among the folk instruments of music in North Africa the primitive lute, guitar, or pandore known as the gunbrī or gunībrī stands facile princeps. Look where you will from Egypt to Morocco, from the Mediterranean to the southern confines of the Sūdān, and you will find this instrument in some form or other, although its name may have slight variation.2 It is essentially an instrument of the people, and is but rarely found in the hands of the professional musician of the town orchestra (ribā'a al-āla), who usually confines his attention to the more refined 'ūd (lute), kūītra (mandoline), or ṭtunbūr (pandore) among the stringed instruments whose strings are plucked. All and sundry among the people at large who are impelled to try their hand at music, take up the igunbrī or gurībrī——the noisy youth, the whining beggar, the strolling minstrel, the industrious workman, the respectable merchant, and the faqīr of the religious fraternity (zāwiya)——each thinking himself an adept as a performer.


2002 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 90-93
Author(s):  
Michihiro Nohara

Summary Since the end of the sixties, numerous Japanese contractors have been active in heavy industry work in Algeria and other North African countries. This has opened a large market for Japanese-French liaison interpreters. Such interpreters are hired by specialized agencies in Europe and Japan. With one or two exceptions, they are Japanese nationals. Most of them are young and have no previous experience as interpreters. Neither are they properly briefed before they are sent to the site, but they become proficient in their work with experience. Their tasks range from interpreting at various levels to translation and even participation in negotiations and report drafting. Material working conditions are comparatively good, but the duration of contracts is short and long-term stability of employment is uncertain. The precariousness of interpreting jobs and the temporary nature of the Japanese companies' contracting work in North Africa make this activity a provisional and highly volatile one. Japanese liaison interpreters in North Africa do not feel like professional interpreters and do not aspire to become professionals.


Subject EU's migration policies towards North Africa. Significance A common European vision for migration management has gradually emerged that relies on third countries in North Africa and elsewhere to handle most aspects of migration management on the EU’s behalf. Impacts The Joint Declaration with Morocco on June 27 may provide the model for closer migration cooperation with other countries. North African countries will develop more securitised borders and stronger legal frameworks to deal with migration and asylum issues. Sahelian countries are also likely to be part of this EU strategy.


2012 ◽  
Vol 15 (10) ◽  
pp. 1835-1844 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mahdieh Golzarand ◽  
Parvin Mirmiran ◽  
Mahsa Jessri ◽  
Karamollah Toolabi ◽  
Mehdi Mojarrad ◽  
...  

AbstractObjectiveMiddle Eastern and North African countries are undergoing nutrition transition, a transition which is associated with an increased burden of non-communicable diseases. This necessitates the evaluation of dietary patterns in these regions. The present study aimed to assess changes in dietary patterns in Middle Eastern and North African countries between 1961 and 2007.DesignAvailability of energy and fifteen main food items during 1961–2007 was examined using FAO food balance sheets from the FAOSTAT database.SettingFifteen countries including nine in the Middle East and six in North Africa were selected and the average availability of total energy and different food items in these regions were compared.ResultsOver the 47 years studied, energy and food availability (apart from animal fats and alcoholic beverages) has increased in the Middle East and North Africa. In both regions the proportion of energy derived from meat and vegetable oils has increased significantly while that from cereals decreased significantly. In addition, the proportion of energy from milk and dairy products and vegetables has shown an ascending trend in North Africa while the proportion of energy from fruits has shown a descending trend in the Middle East.ConclusionsThe study results reveal an unfavourable trend towards a Westernized diet in the Middle East and, to a certain extent, in North Africa. Tailored nutritional education encouraging healthy eating for prevention of the burden of chronic diseases in these countries seems essential.


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