THE NATIONAL CAMPAIGN FOR THE MASS TREATMENT OF TRACHOMA: MONITORING COVERAGE AND PRACTICES OF MASS DRUG ADMINISTRATION (MDA) IN YEMEN- FOLLOW-UP STUDY

Background: Trachoma is a communicable infection of the eye by certain strains of the Chlamydia trachomatis. It is the principal cause of loss of sight globally. Mass drug administration (MDA) with azithromycin is a foundation stone of World Health Organization (WHO)’s global struggle to eradicate trachoma by 2020. Aims: The main objectives of the campaign's third monitoring are to check improvement of interventions and improvement of quality across times and activities implemented in seven selected districts of Ibb and Al-Hodeida governorates, Yemen. Methods: A community based cross-sectional coverage survey was performed. 68 divisions were selected per selected districts of the two governorates. A disconnect Results Entry Form for each district surveyed was finished, saved and uploaded directly into the online Coverage Survey Analysis Tool to check improvement of interventions and improvement of quality across times and activities implemented. Results: The national campaign for MDA covers 966 villages in 6 districts of Ibb and Al-Hodeidah governorates by 1932 healthcare workers. A total number of beneficiaries who were monitored from 476 homes reached 3,077, of whom 2,755 (90%, coverage rate) took the dose. The availability rates of trachoma medicines were ranged from 82% to 91% . The improper arrangement of treatment sessions rate was 17%, the incorrect position of the dose pole was 6%, while the correct records of drugs scored the rate of 99%, and the proper storage of drugs rate was 70%. The community collaboration during the treatment campaign the acceptable rate was 92%, while 3% exhibited unacceptable behaviors towards the treatment campaign. Conclusion: In this survey, the national campaign for MDA in the 966 villages reach the target threshold (i.e. 90%) for effective coverage; with proper rates for the availability of trachoma medicines, good people reactions towards taking treatment, and the community collaboration; while bad rates for the improper arrangement of treatment sessions , the incorrect position of the dose pole and the preparation dosages by MDA team. Hence, programmatic enhancement should be made for the future campaign to achieve the estimated thresholds. Peer Review History: Received 8 March 2021; Revised 29 March; Accepted 25 April, Available online 15 May 2021 UJPR follows the most transparent and toughest ‘Advanced OPEN peer review’ system. The identity of the authors and, reviewers will be known to each other. This transparent process will help to eradicate any possible malicious/purposeful interference by any person (publishing staff, reviewer, editor, author, etc) during peer review. As a result of this unique system, all reviewers will get their due recognition and respect, once their names are published in the papers. We expect that, by publishing peer review reports with published papers, will be helpful to many authors for drafting their article according to the specifications. Auhors will remove any error of their article and they will improve their article(s) according to the previous reports displayed with published article(s). The main purpose of it is ‘to improve the quality of a candidate manuscript’. Our reviewers check the ‘strength and weakness of a manuscript honestly’. There will increase in the perfection, and transparency. Received file: Reviewer's Comments: Average Peer review marks at initial stage: 6.5/10 Average Peer review marks at publication stage: 8.0/10 Reviewer(s) detail: Dr. Bilge Ahsen KARA, Ankara Gazi Mustafa Kemal Hospital, Turkey, [email protected] Dr. Muhammad Zahid Iqbal, AIMST University, Malaysia, [email protected] Dr. A.A. Mgbahurike, University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria, [email protected] Similar Articles: BACTERIAL CAUSES AND ANTIMICROBIAL SENSITIVITY PATTERN OF EXTERNAL OCULAR INFECTIONS IN SELECTED OPHTHALMOLOGY CLINICS IN SANA’A CITY BACTERIAL CONJUNCTIVITIS OF ADULTS: CAUSES AND OPHTHALMIC ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE PATTERNS FOR THE COMMON BACTERIAL ISOLATES

G.I. Thomson. The current status of the issue of the treatment of retroversio - retroflexio uteri. (South Russian Medical Newspaper, 1894, No. 3-4)

Noting the frequency of posterior bending of the uterus and the severity of local and general symptoms caused by this incorrect position of the uterus, the author considers the treatment of this disease to be one of the most interesting gynecological issues of the day.

Free-Hand Cervical Pedicle Screw Placement by Using Para-articular Minilaminotomy: Its Feasibility and Novice Neurosurgeons’ Experience

Study Design.: Retrospective study. Objective.: Cervical pedicle screw (CPS) placement is technically demanding because of the great variation in pedicle size, dimension, and angulations between cervical levels and patients and the lack of anatomical landmarks. This retrospective study was conducted to analyze novice neurosurgeons’ experience of CPS placement by using the technique with direct exposure of pedicle via para-articular minilaminotomy. Methods.: We retrospectively reviewed 78 CPSs in 22 consecutive patients performed by 2 surgeons. All pedicle screws were inserted under the direct visualization of the pedicle by using para-articular minilaminotomy without any fluoroscopic guidance. We analyzed the direction and grade of pedicle perforation on the postoperative computed tomography scan. The degree of perforation was classified as grade 0 to 3. Grades 0 and 1 were classified as the correct position and the others, as the incorrect position. Results.: In total, the correct position (grade 0 and 1) was found in 72 (92.3%) screws and the incorrect position (grade 2 and 3) in 6 (7.7%). Among the 16 pedicle perforations (grade 1, 2, and 3 perforations), the directions were lateral in 15 (93.8%) and superior in 1 (6.2%). There were no neurovascular complications related to CPS insertion. Conclusion.: Free-hand CPS placement by using para-articular minilaminotomy seems to be feasible and reproducible.

The Impact of Prolonged Sitting Hours on the Correct Standing up Position of Elementary School Students in Developed Rural Area

At young ages the spinal column, which is the central support system of the human body, is susceptible to malformations, especially if the children are sitting in an incorrect position for long period. Our study examines the case of several elementary school students from a developed rural area. The aim of this study to analyze the impact of long sitting hours (5-6 hours) in incorrect position at on the normal standing up position at elementary school students. The study group for our study consisted of 80 elementary school students were recruited from a local rural elementary school. Each student was evaluated using a Kinect based system to determine their general standing up position. For 14 weeks, twice a week, each student has executed 5 type of Schroth exercises to improve their general body position. The first evaluation has shown that the students general standing up position is affected from the long sitting hours in the school benches. Most of them have shown misalignments at the shoulder and hip levels. In many cases one of the shoulders was higher than the other and the same is true for the hips as well. After 14 weeks of physiotherapy based on Schroth exercises the miss alignments were reduced to a bare minim. The results have shown that long sitting hours in incorrect positions can affect the spinal column and the standing up posture of the human body. In many cases malicious postures start to develop from childhood. If not treated they can transform in hyper-kyphotic and scoliotic postures which can induce other complications. If these malicious postures are observed in early stages of the children and with only 2 hours a week of physiotherapy based on Schroth exercise the postures can be corrected and the hyper-kyphotic and scoliotic postures can be avoided.

Reward Context: Influence on Hypotheses during Learning Set Formation by Preschool Children

Previous studies have shown that, compared to separate reward, a reward sticker attached to the underside of the positive stimulus facilitates solution of discrimination problems by preschool children. It is established here that the context of reward also affects the formation of learning set over a series of discrimination problems and that the improvement is characterized by a reduced frequency (from 19% to 7%) of incorrect position-related hypotheses (error factors) and an increased frequency (from 34% to 65%) of object-related hypotheses.