Measuring Students’ Awareness Of Using Antibiotics In Treating Respiratory Tract Infections In Universities Of Baghdad, 2020-2021.

Background: The emergence and spread of pathogenic bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics have become a major public health concern. The incorrect prescription, inappropriate consumption, and excess use of antimicrobial drugs, specifically antibiotics, are possibly the main factors contributing to the widespread antibiotic-resistant bacteria.This study aims to assess the prevalence of students who use antibiotics without consulting doctors in Baghdad Universities, check which antibiotic is more frequently being used as over-the-counter (OTC), and determine the regularity of antibiotics intake. Subjects and Method:  This cross-sectional study was conducted between 2020/October and 2021/January in Baghdad (Iraq) in which 150 students from many universities completed an online questionnaire that included student’s name , gender , age , university & college, stage, smoking status, and clinical information about the disease and the antibiotics regarding the type, duration, and improvement. Statistical calculations were conducted using SPSS Statistics and Microsoft Office Excel. Results: High rates of antibiotics without a prescription were identified in our study: 62.7%. The drug most often used for self-medication was amoxicillin (60.6%). Antibiotic use, duration of treatment and outcome did not show an association with any of the cross-tabulated variables (p > 0.05). On the other hand, antibiotic type showed a significant association with gender (p=0.015) and smoking status (p=0.023) but no significant association with other variables (p > 0.05). 32.5% ofamoxicillin and azithromycin users took the antibiotics regularly in the full course. Regularity of amoxicillin or azithromycin intake did not show a significant association with either gender or stage. Conclusion: Self-medicated antibiotics are a very common practice among students in our study, especially medical ones. Amoxicillin is the most widely used antibiotic. Many students who participated in our study don’t have any idea about the full course of using antibiotics. Keywords: Antibiotics, awareness, Respiratory Tract Infection, Students of Baghdad Universities

SARS-CoV-2 vaccination modelling for safe surgery to save lives: data from an international prospective cohort study

Background: Preoperative SARS-CoV-2 vaccination could support safer elective surgery. Vaccine numbers are limited so this study aimed to inform their prioritization by modelling. Methods: The primary outcome was the number needed to vaccinate (NNV) to prevent one COVID-19-related death in 1 year. NNVs were based on postoperative SARS-CoV-2 rates and mortality in an international cohort study (surgical patients), and community SARS-CoV-2 incidence and case fatality data (general population). NNV estimates were stratified by age (18-49, 50-69, 70 or more years) and type of surgery. Best- and worst-case scenarios were used to describe uncertainty. Results: NNVs were more favourable in surgical patients than the general population. The most favourable NNVs were in patients aged 70 years or more needing cancer surgery (351; best case 196, worst case 816) or non-cancer surgery (733; best case 407, worst case 1664). Both exceeded the NNV in the general population (1840; best case 1196, worst case 3066). NNVs for surgical patients remained favourable at a range of SARS-CoV-2 incidence rates in sensitivity analysis modelling. Globally, prioritizing preoperative vaccination of patients needing elective surgery ahead of the general population could prevent an additional 58 687 (best case 115 007, worst case 20 177) COVID-19-related deaths in 1 year. Conclusion: As global roll out of SARS-CoV-2 vaccination proceeds, patients needing elective surgery should be prioritized ahead of the general population