Syrian Epidemiological Bulletin

Syrian Epidemiological Bulletin

www.moh.gov.sy

[email protected]

Inside This Issue- Opening of Pre Marriage Medical Check Clinic - The National Nutritional Strategy - Use of Pentamidine - Research 4 Life - The National Guidelines of Sexually Transmitted Infections

Quarterly bulletin published by MOH in Syria

Volume 5, No3, 2011

عــربــي

Opening of Pre Marriage Medical Check Clinic

in Qunitrah governorate

file:///C|/Documents and Settings/Administrator/Desktop/Information resources/Syrian Epidemiological Bulletins/Volume 5, No4, 2011.htm (1 of 15)08/02/2013 09:20:47

http://www.moh.gov.sy/

http://www.moh.gov.sy/pages/EpidemicBulletin/form.html

http://www.moh.gov.sy/pages/EpidemicBulletin/11-4/index.html


Editorial Director Dr. Ousama Sammak

Deputy Minister

Executive Editor Dr. Ahamad AL aboud Health Care Director

Editor in chief

Dr. Nidal Aboursheed Health Care Directorate

Editorial Board

Dr. Rustom Jafari Association of Public Health Doctors.

Dr. Isam Anjak

Professor, Damascus Univ. Syrian pediatrics Association

Dr. Maysaa Naji

Education Development Center

Dr. Kinaz cheikh communicable & chronic Diseases

Director

Dr. Hani Lahham Communicable and Chronic Diseases

Directorate

Dr.Hyam Bashour Professor, Damascus Univ.

Design: Education Development Center.MOH

Under the patronage of his Excellency the Minister Of Health, and in

compliance with the collaboration between the Ministry of Health and the

Syrian Medical Association for the sake of improving Syrian citizens’

health, the Pre Marriage Medical Check clinic in Qunitrah governorate

was opened in 1/ 11/ 2011. The clinic is to provide medical and laboratory

services for couples set to be married. This medical check plays an

important role in the detection of some genetic disorders (e.g.

Thalasemia) and communicable diseases (e.g. viral hepatitis) thus

enabling the couples to make an informed decision in light of their results

to avoid conveying such diseases to their partners or offspring. The

opening was attended by the Secretary of Baath party, the Governor of

Qunitrah, and the head of The Syrian Medical Association. They observed

the various sections of the clinic and the work mechanism.

Archive For more information contact NTP, Tel 011 -2758162


http://www.moh.gov.sy/pages/EpidemicBulletin/archives_e.html


The National Nutritional Strategy (Syria 2012-2019)

The directorate of Health Care/ department of Nutrition

has formed a national committee comprehensive of major

stakeholders in the field of nutrition to formulate the

National Nutritional Strategy. Furthermore it consulted

the health care departments in the Syrian governorates

to assess the current situation and the needs regarding

nutrition. As a result of these efforts and the coordination

with concerned parties, The National Nutritional Strategy

(Syria 2012-2019) was established and agreed upon by

his Excellency the Minister of Health. It will be

considered in the 2012 state budget.

The National Nutritional Strategy (Syria 2012-2019) is

based on the following conceptions:

● The contribution of boosting and protection children

nutritional status in supporting a healthy life start.

● The contribution of regular and constant provision

of healthy and safe foods in upgrading citizens'

nutritional status thus helping sustained

socioeconomic development in Syria.

● Creating nutrition database is a basic step to file:///C|/Documents and Settings/Administrator/Desktop/Information resources/Syrian Epidemiological Bulletins/Volume 5, No4, 2011.htm (3 of 15)08/02/2013 09:20:47


resolve relevant problems in Syria.

The strategy aims at improving the health of Syrian

citizens by insuring necessary and balanced nutrition

through increasing the efficacy of policies, programs, and

projects related to food and nutrition. It displays an

integrated analysis of the current nutrition situation in

Syria including the causes and the results. It also

identifies top priorities related to population groups,

needs, and procedures in addition to supporting

community involvement and resource mobilization.

The key points of the strategy can be summarized as

following:

Enhancing political commitment and improving

nutritional status along with monitoring and evaluation-

prevention of child malnutrition- promoting breastfeeding

and healthy waning- normal infant birth weight- reducing

pregnant and nursing mothers malnutrition prevalence

rate- reducing micronutrients deficiency prevalence rate-

reducing prevalence rates of chronic diseases (non

communicable) related to nutrition- building capacities to

respond to nutrition problems in emergencies- improving

food safety.



Department of Nutrition

Directorate of Health Care

Use of Pentamidine for Prevention of Pneumocystis

Jiroveci Pneumonia (PCP)

The artical was approved for publishing by Damascus university Gornal of Health Science.



Summary

Background and aim:

TMP-SMX is the first drug to prevent

Pneumocystis jiroveci pneumonia (PCP) in

hemato-oncology. The utilization of alternative

drugs (Pentamidine) was suggested in some

protocols in hemato-oncology. It seems that

there is an increase in the utilization of

alternative drugs. The aim of the study was to

evaluate the utilization of different drugs to

prevent PCP and to identify the reasons which

led to the utilization of alternative drugs.

Methods:

The population of the study was records of

patients treated in the haemato-oncology units

of Sainte-Justine hospital, Montreal- Canada

(leukemia, lymphoma, solid tumors and

bone-marrow transplantation). The majority of

these patients received prophylactic treatment

against pneumonia due to Pneumocystis

jiroveci. The definitions of confirmation criteria

for utilization of alternative drugs were allergy,

digestive intolerance, hepatic enzyme elevation

Results:

The total number of patients who had

Pentamidine was 135 while the number of

patients who had TMP-SMX was 409.

Bone-marrow transplantation was done in 48

of 135 patients in the alternative treatment.

TMP-SMX was used as initial drug in 87

patients. The alternative drug was justified

in 93 patients. Motives of alternative drug

were: allergy in 26 patients, digestive

intolerance 16 patients, neutropenia in 66

patients, hepato-toxicity in 8 patients, G6PD

deficit in one patient, and other reasons in

12 patients. The resolution after 3 months of

stopping the TMP-SMX was affirmative in 29

patients and the reprise of it was 46

patients.

Conclusions:

There was an increase in the utilization of

alternative treatment to TMP-SMX which was

justified in some cases and not justified in

the others. Alternative treatment is still

utilized in some cases where it can be



and neutropenia which had impact on patients'

treatment. Collection of knowledge was done

on 31st of May, 2010 for three periods 2000,

2005 and 2010 for the utilization of TMP-SMX

and Pentamidine.

replaced by standard drug.

Prof. Isam Anjak



Now you can keep up to date with the latest research from around the world for free or at very low cost by using

Research 4 Life:Research 4 Life is a public-private

partnership of the WHO, FAO, UNEP, WIPO,

Cornell and Yale Universities and the

International Association of Scientific,

Technical & Medical Publishers, working

together with technology partner Microsoft.

This partnership’s goal is to reduce the

scientific knowledge gap between

industrialized countries and the developing

world. The concept of Research 4 Life is

simple but important: National research in

health, agriculture and the environment is

better informed when it is based on the

most recent, high quality and relevant

scientific knowledge.

It enables developing countries to gain

online access to over 8100 peer-reviewed

international

scientific journals, books, databases and

allows to download hundred of full-text

articles for saving, printing or reading on

screen, and searching by keyword, subject,

author or language resources available in

several languages including Arabic

language.

Research 4 Life is empowering nonprofit

universities, research institutes and

government ministries as well as

non-governmental agencies and hospitals,

with access to scientific knowledge that

was never before imagined.

Dr. Maysaa Naji

Education Development Center



For more information you can ask your institutional director

for a password or visit:

HINARI www.who.int/hinari

AGORA www.aginternetwork.org

OARE www.oaresciences.org

The National Guidelines of Sexually Transmitted Infections


http://www.who.int/hinari

http://www.aginternetwork.org/

http://www.oaresciences.org/


The National AIDS prevention program in the Directorate of Communicable and Chronic diseases/ the

Ministry of Health has published “The National Guidelines of Sexually Transmitted Infections”. It is meant

to be a tool to educate health workers at health care settings about these conditions. It contains three

sections (divided into chapters) and five appendixes.

Main topics found in the Guidelines include:

The burden of sexually transmitted diseases STIs, their detection methods, and prevention against them-

education and management of STIs- special situations such as pregnancy and delivery- STIs

complications.

Those who are interested can get a copy of the Guidelines at the Department of AIDS prevention/ MOH.

Communicable Diseases Quarterly Report Second Quarter (April to June 2011)





Print

Table

Communicable Disease Quaterly Report by Governorates Second Quarter (April to June 2011)


http://www.moh.gov.sy/pages/EpidemicBulletin/11-4/pdf/06.pdf



Print

Table





Age Distribution of Communicable Diseases Second Quarter (April to June 2011)



Print

Table


