Meningococcal, influenza virus, and hepatitis B virus vaccination coverage level among health care workers in Hajj

Abstract Background The objective of this study was to assess the compliance of health care workers (HCWs) employed in Hajj in receiving the meningococcal, influenza, and hepatitis B vaccines. Methods A cross-sectional survey of doctors and nurses working in all Mena and Arafat hospitals and primary health care centers who attended Hajj-medicine training programs immediately before the beginning of Hajj of the lunar Islamic year 1423 (2003) using self-administered structured questionnaire which included demographic data and data on vaccination history. Results A total of 392 HCWs were studied including 215 (54.8%) nurses and 177 (45.2%) doctors. One hundred and sixty four (41.8%) HCWs were from Makkah and the rest were recruited from other regions in Saudi Arabia. Three hundred and twenty three (82.4%) HCWs received the quadrivalent (ACYW135) meningococcal meningitis vaccine with 271 (83.9%) HCWs receiving it at least 2 weeks before coming to Hajj, whereas the remaining 52 (16.1%) HCWs received it within Conclusion The meningococcal and hepatitis B vaccination coverage level among HCWs in Hajj was suboptimal and the influenza vaccination level was notably low. Strategies to improve vaccination coverage among HCWs should be adopted by all health care facilities in Saudi Arabia.</p

Trends in infant nutrition in Saudi Arabia: compliance with WHO recommendations

<b>Background and Objective: </b> The WHO recommends exclusive breastfeeding in the first 6 months of life. Our objective was to evaluate trends in infant nutrition in Saudi Arabia and the degree of compliance with WHO recommendations. <b> Subjects and Methods: </b> A nationwide nutritional survey of a sample of Saudi households was selected by the multistage probability sampling procedure. A validated questionnaire was administered to mothers of chil--dren less than 3 years of age. <b> Results: </b> Of 5339 children in the sample, 4889 received breast milk at birth indicating a prevalence of initia--tion of 91.6&#x0025;. Initiation of breastfeeding was delayed beyond 6 hours after birth in 28.1&#x0025; of the infants. Bottle feeding was introduced by 1 month of age to 2174/4260 (51.4&#x0025;) and to 3831/4260 (90&#x0025;) by 6 months of age. The majority of infants 3870/4787 (80.8&#x0025;) were introduced to "solid foods" between 4 to 6 months of age and whole milk feedings were given to 40&#x0025; of children younger than 12 months of age. <b> Conclusions: </b> The current practice of feeding of Saudi infants is very far from compliance with even the most conservative WHO<b> </b> recommendations of exclusive breastfeeding for 4 to 6 months. The high prevalence of breastfeeding initiation at birth indicates the willingness of Saudi mothers to breastfeed. However, early intro--duction of complementary feedings reduced the period of exclusive breastfeeding. Research in infant nutrition should be a public health priority to improve the rate of breastfeeding and to minimize other inappropriate practices

Nasopharyngeal biofilm-producing otopathogens in children with nonsevere recurrent acute otitis media

Objective. Bacterial biofilms have been detected in biopsies of the adenoid and middle ear mucosa of otitis-prone children and children with chronic middle otitis media. However, the invasiveness of biopsy makes it unsuitable for routine clinical practice, especially in pediatrics. This study aimed to investigate nasopharyngeal biofilm-producing otopathogens (BPOs) of nasopharyngeal swabs (NPS) in children with a history of nonsevere recurrent acute otitis media (RAOM) and healthy controls.Study Design. A cross-sectional study with planned data collection.Setting. University of Milan.Subjects and Methods. Transoral NPS were taken from infants and children aged 10 months to 11 years with nonsevere RAOM or healthy controls without adenoid hypertrophy. Nasopharyngeal colonization by otopathogens was assessed by means of microbiological cultures and standard bacterial identification, as well as nasopharyngeal BPOs by means of spectrophotometric analysis.Results. The study involved 113 children (56.6% males; median age 40 months; range, 10-132 months): 58 with a history of nonsevere RAOM (51.3%) and 55 controls (48.7%). Otopathogens were significantly more frequently detected in the RAOM group (24/58, 41.4%) than in controls (8/55, 14.5%; P =.003); the main pathogens were respectively Haemophilus influenzae (12/24, 50.0%) and Streptococcus pyogenes (3/8, 37.5%). Nasopharyngeal BPOs were more frequently isolated in the RAOM group (17/58, 29.3%) than in controls (6/55, 10.9%; P =.02). H influenzae (12/17, 70.6%) was confirmed as the main pathogen in the RAOM group.Conclusion. The presence of nasopharyngeal BPOs is an important factor favoring RAOM; it is therefore useful investigating biofilms even in children with nonsevere recurrences of AOM without adenoid hypertrophy