The ethnic distribution of sickle cell disease in Sudan

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is one of the most common inherited disorders of haemoglobin in Africa and it is expected that sickle cell trait varies in frequency in different areas in Sudan. An extensive literature search was carried out accessing the US National Library of Medicine, the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region  resources, the Catalogue for Transmission Genetics in Arabs and papers and documents published in Sudan  that included data on the prevalence of sickle cell anaemia and trait. Rates of SCA and trait varied in different areas in Sudan with the highest rates reported from Western and Eastern Sudan where one in every 123 children born in Messeryia tribe in Western Sudan is at risk of having SCD. High consanguinity rates and malaria endemicity are strong related factors with sickle cell gene in Sudan. This review will present what is known about the rates of sickle cell gene in different ethnic groups in Sudan

Willingness to vaccinate against COVID-19 among healthcare workers: an online survey in 10 countries in the eastern Mediterranean region

BACKGROUND: Willingness of healthcare workers to be vaccinated is an important factor to be considered for a successful COVID-19 vaccination programme. This study aims to understand the willingness of health workers to receive a COVID-19 vaccine and its associated concerns across 10 countries in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR). METHOD: A cross-sectional study was conducted in January 2021 among healthcare workers in EMR using an online survey. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS software package version 20.0. RESULTS: A total of 2806 health workers (physicians, nurses and pharmacists) completed and returned the informed consent along with the questionnaire electronically. More than half of the respondents (58.0%) were willing to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, even if the vaccination is not mandatory for them. On the other hand, 25.7% of respondents were not willing to take COVID-19 vaccine while 16.3 % were undecided. The top three reasons for not willing to be vaccinated were unreliability of COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials (62.0%), fear of the side effects of the vaccine (45.3%), and that COVID-19 vaccine will not give immunity for a long period of time (23.1%). CONCLUSION: Overall, the study revealed suboptimal acceptance of COVID-19 vaccine among the respondents in the EMR. Significant refusal of COVID-19 vaccine among healthcare professionals can reverse hard-won progress in building public trust in vaccination program. The findings suggest the need to develop tailored strategies to address concerns identified in the study in order to ensure optimal vaccine acceptance among healthcare workers in the EMR

Prevalence and factors associated with unintended pregnancy among married women in an urban and rural community, Khartoum state, Sudan

Introduction: Unintended or unplanned pregnancy has been a distressing reality among females in the reproductive age group particularly in developing countries. The repercussions of such events range from illegal abortions to various health related problems associated with pregnancy in mothers. The current study aimed to determine the prevalence of unintended pregnancy among married women in an urban and rural community in Khartoum state, to determine the associated factors of unintended pregnancy and to verify the reasons behind unintended pregnancy as perceived by the married women in the area. Methodology: It was a community?based; cross sectional study conducted in Riyadh and Alshekh Elfadni areas in Khartoum state. The sample size was calculated as 341. The study population were married women of reproductive age (15?49 years), selected by multistage stratified sampling. Data was collected by a pre?tested questionnaire and analysed by SPSS software. Chi square test was used to test the association between the dependent and independent variables. Level of significance was determined at 95% (P value < 0.05 was considered as significant). Results: Prevalence of unintended pregnancy was high at 30.2% among the study sample. Significant association (95% CI, p<0.05) was seen between unintended pregnancy and education, household size, parity and use of modern contraceptives methods Conclusion: This study concluded that the prevalence of unintended pregnancy among married women in rural and urban communities in Khartoum state is high. The unintended pregnancy increases as the level of education increases. Women with big household size and high parity are more likely to have experienced unintended pregnancy. The most important reason behind unintended pregnancy is less spacing between one pregnancy and the other

Perceived Vaccine Availability and the Uptake of Measles Vaccine in Sudan: The Mediating Role of Vaccination Hesitancy

This study aimed to evaluate whether measles vaccine uptake can be predicted directly or indirectly by parental perceptions about the availability of measles vaccine services with parental hesitancy towards the measles vaccine as a potential mediator. This was a community-based cross-sectional study conducted at Omdurman locality in Khartoum state, Sudan in February 2019. The study population included parents/guardians having at least one child aged 2&ndash;3 years old. Mediation analysis was conducted using two models, the ordinary least squares path analysis and multiple logistic regression. These models considered perceived vaccine accessibility and availability as independent factors, vaccine uptake as dependent factors, and vaccine hesitancy (PACV scores) as a mediator. A total of 495 responded and the mean age of the mothers who participated in the study was 31.1 (SD = 5.73). Half of the respondents (50.1%) completed university education and nearly three-quarters of the respondents (74.7%) were housewives. After controlling for the other factors, including the mother&rsquo;s age and the number of children, parental perception about the accessibility and availability of the measles vaccine influences the uptake of the measles vaccine indirectly through the mediation effect of measles vaccine hesitancy. We suggest that intervening in measles vaccine hesitancy in addition to measles vaccination access issues will have a positive impact on the uptake and coverage of the measles vaccine in Sudan

The global health challenge of counterfeit vaccination certificates: The case of yellow fever vaccination among travelers departing from Khartoum International Airport in Sudan

Abstract Background Counterfeit travel vaccination certificates pose a significant threat to public health and compromise disease control measures. We investigated the self‐reported vaccination status, the validity of yellow fever vaccine (YFV) certificates (ICVPs), and knowledge and perception about the disease and its vaccine among Sudanese travelers departing through the Khartoum International Airport (KIA). Methods This was a cross‐sectional survey using a non‐probability convenience sampling technique among Sudanese travelers departing through KIA between October and November 2021. We assessed the self‐reported uptake of YFV and subsequently verified the ICVPs among those reported to be vaccinated. We also assessed participants’ knowledge about the disease in addition to their knowledge and perception of YFV. Results Four hundred travelers were interviewed. Most participants (88.0%) reported being vaccinated. However, two‐thirds of their ICVPs (63.0%) were counterfeit. More than one‐third of the participants (35.3%) had poor knowledge of YF and YFV. Carrying a valid ICVP was associated with participants' overall good level of knowledge about YFV (p = 0.030), knowledge about the nature of infection (p‐value = 0.008), disease transmission (p = 0.016) and prevention (p = 0.028), and countries that require a mandatory YFV proof (p = 0.005). Many participants perceived YFV as important (93.3%), safe (86.5%), and effective (82.0%). Conclusion The proportion of counterfeit ICVPs was high. Many of the participants had a poor level of knowledge about YF and YFV. Counterfeit ICVPs have grievous implications for YF prevention and control in Sudan and other countries. There is an urgent need to revisit the implementation of the International Health Regulations in Sudan to leverage recent technological advancements in immunization information systems such as electronic certification