Demographics and Epidemiology of Hepatitis B in the State of Qatar: A Five-Year Surveillance-Based Incidence Study

Background: Expatriates represent >80% of Qatar’s population, mostly arriving from countries in Africa and Asia that are endemic with many diseases. This increases the risk for introducing new pathogens into the country and provides a platform for maintenance of endemic pathogen circulation. Here, we report on the incidence and epidemiological characteristics of hepatitis B in Qatar between 2010 and 2014. Methods: We performed a retrospective epidemiological data analysis using the data available at the surveillance system of the Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) in Qatar. Data were collected from distinctive public and private incorporates around the nation. Reported cases of hepatitis B patients represent those who met the stringent case definition as per World Health Organization (WHO) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines and eventually reported to MOPH. Results: The annual incidence rates of hepatitis B cases were 30.0, 34.2, 30.5, 39.4, and 19.8 per 100,000 population in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014, respectively. There was no specific trend or seasonality for the reported cases. The incidence rates were higher in females compared to males between 2010 and 2012, but similar in 2013 and 2014. The highest incidence rates were reported among individuals between 25 and 34 years of age. No cases were reported in children younger than five years in 2013 and 2014. Rates of hepatitis B cases declined dramatically in 2014, in both Qataris and non-Qataris, as compared to the previous years. Conclusion: Our results indicate a dramatic decline of hepatitis B cases in Qatar but mandate improved surveillance and vaccination efforts in expatriates in the nation. View Full-TextMOP

Establishing a Plan of Action Implementing Integrated Disease Surveillance in Sudan

A recent assessment of the Sudan public health surveillance system found fragmented and siloed disease programs and an overburdened workforce due to vertical systems and inefficient processes. A plan of action was developed to support improving public health surveillance strengthening by: 1) implementing a strategic approach to achieving IHR (2005), 2) implementing One Health and IDSR aims, and 3) establishing an E-surveillance ICT platform for increasing public health surveillance capacity to safely and rapidly detect and report infectious diseases in Sudan

Dengue Fever in the Darfur Area, Western Sudan

© 2019 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). All rights reserved. We report an outbreak of dengue in Darfur, western Sudan, during September 2014-April 2015. Dengue virus-specific PCR testing of 50 samples from nonmalaria febrile illness case-patients confirmed 35 dengue cases. We detected 7 cases of dengue shock syndrome and 24 cases of dengue hemorrhagic fever

Evidence of pre-existing active Zika virus circulation in Sudan prior to 2012

Abstract Objective The purpose of this study is to provide the first evidence of Zika virus circulation (ZIK) in Sudan. Zika virus was first isolated in the Zika forest of Uganda in 1947, and in 2016, the World Health Assembly declared it a public health emergency of international concern. The discovery of Zika virus circulation in Sudan came as a secondary finding in a 2012 country-wide yellow fever prevalence study, when laboratory tests were done to exclude cross-reactions between flaviviruses. The study was cross-sectional community-based, with randomly selected participants through multi-stage cluster sampling. A sub-set of samples were tested for the Zika virus using ELISA, and the ones that demonstrated reactive results were subsequently tested by PRNT. Results The prevalence of Zika IgG antibodies among ELISA-tested samples was 62.7% (59.4 to 66.1, 95% CI), and only one sample was found positive when tested by PRNT. This provided the first documented evidence for the pre-existing circulation of Zika virus circulation in Sudan. This evidence provides the foundation for future research in this field, and further structured studies should be conducted to determine the epidemiology and burden of the disease

Factors associated with dengue fever IgG sero-prevalence in South Kordofan State, Sudan, in 2012: Reporting prevalence ratios.

BACKGROUND: Dengue fever (DF) is a vector-borne virus transmitted to humans by infected Aedes mosquitoes. In this study, we identified the most important factors associated with the prevalence of IgG antibodies in a border state between Sudan and the new republic of SouthSudan. OBJECTIVES: To quantify the association of specific factors with the prevalence of DF IgG antibodies in Lagawa among subjects aged 16-60 years in 2012. METHODOLOGY: Analytical cross-sectional community-based study conducted in Lagawa in 2012. RESULTS: Indoor mosquito breeding was the most significant predictor affecting DF IgG serology. Household water storage was also strongly associated with the presence of IgG antibodies. Residence in urban areas, younger age and a history of travel to the Red Sea State were significant predictors of DF IgG seroprevalence in South Kordofan state. CONCLUSION: Indoor (household) behaviors associated with DF infection should be modified to mitigate the infection risk in the study area. Awareness should be raised regarding DF in Lagawa to ensure community participation in all control measures, and the surveillance system at the border between Sudan and the republic of South Sudan should be strengthened

Duration of COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine Effectiveness against Severe Disease

Waning immunity following administration of mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines remains a concern for many health systems. We undertook a study to determine if recent reports of waning for severe disease could have been attributed to design-related bias by conducting a study only among those detected with a first SARS-CoV-2 infection. We used a matched case-control study design with the study base being all individuals with first infection with SARS-CoV-2 reported in the State of Qatar between 1 January 2021 and 20 February 2022. Cases were those detected with first SARS-CoV-2 infection requiring intensive care (hard outcome), while controls were those detected with first SARS-CoV-2 infection who recovered without the need for intensive care. Cases and controls were matched in a 1:30 ratio for the calendar month of infection and the comorbidity category. Duration and magnitude of conditional vaccine effectiveness against requiring intensive care and the number needed to vaccinate (NNV) to prevent one more case of COVID-19 requiring intensive care was estimated for the mRNA (BNT162b2/mRNA-1273) vaccines. Conditional vaccine effectiveness against requiring intensive care was 59% (95% confidence interval (CI), 50 to 76) between the first and second dose, and strengthened to 89% (95% CI, 85 to 92) between the second dose and 4 months post the second dose in persons who received a primary course of the vaccine. There was no waning of vaccine effectiveness in the period from 4 to 6, 6 to 9, and 9 to 12 months after the second dose. This study demonstrates that, contrary to mainstream reports using hierar-chical measures of effectiveness, conditional vaccine effectiveness against requiring intensive care remains robust till at least 12 months after the second dose of mRNA-based vaccines.Data collected as part of routine surveillance at the Ministry of Public Health was analyzed as part of this study. No separate funds were available for this study

Duration of COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine Effectiveness against Severe Disease

Waning immunity following administration of mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines remains a concern for many health systems. We undertook a study to determine if recent reports of waning for severe disease could have been attributed to design-related bias by conducting a study only among those detected with a first SARS-CoV-2 infection. We used a matched case-control study design with the study base being all individuals with first infection with SARS-CoV-2 reported in the State of Qatar between 1 January 2021 and 20 February 2022. Cases were those detected with first SARS-CoV-2 infection requiring intensive care (hard outcome), while controls were those detected with first SARS-CoV-2 infection who recovered without the need for intensive care. Cases and controls were matched in a 1:30 ratio for the calendar month of infection and the comorbidity category. Duration and magnitude of conditional vaccine effectiveness against requiring intensive care and the number needed to vaccinate (NNV) to prevent one more case of COVID-19 requiring intensive care was estimated for the mRNA (BNT162b2/mRNA-1273) vaccines. Conditional vaccine effectiveness against requiring intensive care was 59% (95% confidence interval (CI), 50 to 76) between the first and second dose, and strengthened to 89% (95% CI, 85 to 92) between the second dose and 4 months post the second dose in persons who received a primary course of the vaccine. There was no waning of vaccine effectiveness in the period from 4 to 6, 6 to 9, and 9 to 12 months after the second dose. This study demonstrates that, contrary to mainstream reports using hierarchical measures of effectiveness, conditional vaccine effectiveness against requiring intensive care remains robust till at least 12 months after the second dose of mRNA-based vaccines