Seroepidemiology of Brucellosis in Cattle Farm and Slaughterhouse Staff in Tehran, 2012

Background: Brucellosis is a zoonotic disease, which is mainly transmitted from animals to human through ingestion of unpasteurized dairy products or direct contact with infected animal secretions. Since the people in contact with animals are considered to be at risk of Brucellosis, the aim of this study was to estimate the seroprevalence of this disease in staff of cattle farms and slaughterhouses in Tehran in 2012. Methods: This analytical cross-sectional study was performed on 430 staff of cattle farms and slaughterhouses (regular and specialized slaughterhouses for slaughtering animals suspected to brucellosis) in Tehran, 2012. Serum samples were prepared and evaluated through Rose Bengal, Wright, and 2-Mercaptoethanol tests. Demographic information and occupational characteristics of the participants were collected using a questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Poisson regression via Stata 12. Results: The serologic test for brucellosis were positive in 5 patients and brucellosis seroprevalence rate was 1.16%. All participants in this study were male and 97.4 % of them were Iranian. The participants' mean age was 34.45 ± 9.46 years. The results showed that there was no significant relationship between a positive test and independent variables (including age, education, workplace, dangerous occupational exposure, past dangerous occupational exposure, consumption of unpasteurized dairy products, occupational background, and keeping livestock at home). Conclusion: Continuing implementing prevention programs such as educational programs and using personal protective equipment in at-risk groups are necessary

Iranian Nurses’ Behavioral Changes during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study

Background: The large-scale spread of COVID-19 affected communities with many deaths worldwide causing significant concerns. Due to being on the front line of fighting against this disease, a great number of healthcare providers lost their lives. Accordingly, this study aimed to explore the changes in nurses’ behavior and practice while taking care of COVID-19 patients.Methods: The present study was conducted using a qualitative conventional content analysis approach in 2020-2021. The participants were 14 nurses taking care of COVID-19 patients in the infectious diseases wards of a teaching hospital affiliated with Kerman University of Medical Sciences. The data were collected through interviews with the nurses, and data collection continued until data saturation. The collected data were analyzed based on the steps proposed by Graneheim and Lundman. After recording and transcribing the interviews, the participants’ statements were categorized into semantic units. Data analysis was performed using MAXQDA-10 software.Results: The majority of nurses reported significant behavioral changes that were categorized into five main themes including intensification of protective measures and increase in concentration, emergence of mental and psychological symptoms, increase in the sense of responsibility towards the family, recourse to prayer and religious rituals, and increased empathy with patients.Conclusion: The most important behavioral changes of nurses as a result of the COVID-19 crisis were the intensification of personal protective measures, the emergence of mental and emotional symptoms, the increase in the sense of responsibility towards the family, resorting to prayer and religious rituals, and increased empathy with patients. Providing material and spiritual incentives as well as support to personnel to increase their motivation and work productivity should be taken into consideration by officials during epidemics. Moreover, actions such as providing free psychological counseling are suggested to calm the personnel

The relation between climatic factors and malaria incidence in Kerman, South East of Iran

Background and objectives: Malaria is among the most important parasitic diseases, and is one of the endemic diseases in Iran. This disease is often known as a disease related to climate changes. Due to the health and economic burden of malaria and the location of Kerman province in an area with high incidence of malaria, the present study aimed to evaluate the effects of climatic factors on the incidence of this disease. Material and methods: Data on the incidence of malaria in Kerman province was inquired from Kerman and Jiroft Medical Universities and climatic variables were inquired from the meteorological organization of Kerman. The data was analyzed monthly from 2000 to 2012. Variations in incidence of malaria with climatic factors were assessed with negative binomial regression model in STATA11software. In order to determine the delayed effects of meteorological variables on malaria incidence, cross-correlation analysis was done with Minitab16. Results: The most effective meteorological factor on the incidence of malaria was temperature. As the mean, maximum, and minimum of monthly temperature increased, the incidence rate raised significantly. The multivariate negative binomial regression model indicates that a 1 °C increase in maximum temperature in a given month was related to a 15% and 19% increase on malaria incidence on the same and subsequent month, respectively (p-value = 0.001). Humidity and Rainfall were not significant in the adjusted model. Conclusion: Temperature is among the effective climatic parameters on the incidence of malaria which should be considered in planning for control and prevention of the disease

The experiences of Red Crescent relief workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Iran: a qualitative phenomenological study

Abstract Background The daily increase of infected individuals and mortalities related to COVID-19 in Iran increased public fear and anxiety and affected the job performance of many health workers, including the Iranian Red Crescent Society, as one of the organizations responding to COVID-19. Methods This study aimed to explore the experiences of Red Crescent rescuers, using a qualitative method with an interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA), and by conducting semi-structured and in-depth interviews with Red Crescent relief workers from Mashhad in September 2020. Participants were selected by purposive sampling. Results Rescuers in the Red Crescent Society, had gained different experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. The experiences were categorized into four main themes. These main themes were: (1) Psychological disorders, (2) Organizational support (3) Mis-management (both structural and human factors), and (4) Opportunities. Conclusion The COVID-19 epidemic did create unique opportunities to understand the pitfalls of the Red Crescent aid services. Red Crescent rescue workers suffered from psychological symptoms, and mismanagement was also present. Psychological support and organizational improvements should be implemented