Is Iran threatened by Zika virus?

Zika virus is an Arbovirus identified first time in 1947 in Uganda. Zika epidemic is a threat far greater than the Ebola outbreak. The World Health Organization has urged Asian countries to be vigilant about the risk of spreading Zika virus and preventive measures to control it. In Iran, 64 species of mosquitoes from Culicidea family have been reported three of which belong to the Aedes genus, and one of which is Aedes albopictus. Iran also has suitable climate for endemic transmission of Zika virus. Immigrants from neighboring countries for economic reasons, could increase the risk of disease transmission in Iran. The destination countries of Iranian passengers, especially in East Asia, are at risk or have been reported to have cases of Zika. So, traveling to areas where active Zika virus exists and its transmission is common, could potentially increase the risk of transmission of Zika. Close supervision alongside the borders is necessary when foreign people arrive in the country

Addiction: A big challenge of social security in Iran

Due to special conditions of Iran; i.e., neighboring to major centers of drug production in Afghanistan during the last few decades, it was the passageway of the drug to Europe. Moreover, because of appropriate context of social, economic and cultural situations, there was an increased addiction and drug trafficking in Iran. It is obvious that a lot of people would be involved directly and indirectly with drugs; so the drug has become a major problem in Iranian society, especially in the provinces near Afghanistan and Pakistan borders. The reports have indicated an increasing spread of drug addiction in Iran. Addiction among all social classes and occupational groups, age and sex, are raised. In fact, an important part of social problems, directly or indirectly related to drug dependence. Therefore, prevention of addiction as the basis of many diseases is vital priority for Iran. Fair distribution of facilities and services in society and equal opportunities for all members of society can legitimately, step forward in to deal with social ills such as addiction

Scabies contamination status in Iran: A review

Background and aims: Scabies is a common worldwide parasitic contagious disease caused by Sarcoptes scabiei of the order of Astigmata of the family of Sarcoptidae. Therefore, this review is to determine the exact status of scabies in Iran in order to manage it better. Methods: On the whole, out of the 120 articles and books, 56 ones were covered based on items such as study purpose, date of publication, journal’s credibility, indication of the subject in them, transmittance, way of prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. Results: Due to the non-uniform geographical distribution of scabies in Iran, diagnosis and treatment of the disease is different. Studies show that scabies is on increase in Iran. Thus, scabies is a burden to the economy and the health care system. Prevalence of this disease has been rather high in Iran during war, prisons, and geographical humid areas which are variable in different provinces due to various climates. Conclusion: By regular monitoring and controlling the way the disease spreads, health of the population at risk can be maintained in order to bring health to the society that is among the main aims of every organizations and health providing institutions. This review focuses on scabies in Iran and other countries the entire world over to find ways for preventing and giving health care to control the diseas

A report on Platyceps ventromaculatus (Colubridae) from Fereydan County in Isfahan province-Iran

Snakes are among the predatory reptiles in the wild. Due to the importance of knowing the habitats of these reptiles and their distribution, this study has been done. During the study, the specimen snake was found in the garden of a house in the region of Afus, of Fereydan County, in the west of Isfahan province. The city of Afus is 2800 meters above the sea level, on the roof of Iran. Afus is located at 50°5’, 646 East longitude, and at 33°1’, 464 North Latitude. Afus is a mountainous region with a moderate climate, its winters are cold and snowy while its summers are mild and pleasant. The mountainous nature of Afus and the sudden changes in temperature cause seasonal winds to blow. Temperature changes in this city are such that in winter and especially in January reaches minus 30°C and in summer and on the hottest day of the year will be 31°C. This suitable climate and soil type cause the growth of varieties of herbaceous plants and medicinal herbs in this region. The presence of these plants causes Afus land to be green and fertile in the hot season. After initial identification of this species according to the available sources, its photos and videos were presented to a high expert herpetologist who confirmed the identity of the snake. On the basis of morphological characters, the specimen was Platyceps ventromaculatus belong to the Colubridae family and is considered as a non-venomous snake

Complications of Scorpion Stings in Patients Admitted in Afzalipour Hospital in Kerman

Background: Scorpion sting is one of the medical health problems in tropical and subtropical regions of Iran. This study deals with the frequency of complications of scorpion sting, in patients referred to Afzalipour Hospital in Kerman.Methods: This retrospective descriptive-analytical study was performed using the census sampling method of patients, who referred to Afzalipour Hospital in Kerman following scorpion sting. The statistical population included all patients from 2016 to 2018. After collecting and extracting the data, the results were analyzed by SPSS software.Results: A total of 111 stings were reported, 61 females (55%) and 49 males (45%). Local signs included pain (55), swelling (15.3), erythema (21.6), skin ecchymosis (18.9), tenderness (10.8), and bleeding (1.8%). Systemic symptoms included nausea and vomiting (9), pain (1.8), numbness and paresthesia (3.6), weakness (9) and (86.5) without systemic symptoms. The average number of hospitalization days was 1.77.Conclusion: Clinical manifestations of patients show that species belonging to two families, Buthidae and Hemiscorpidae, are the cause of stings in this province. Stings has been more common in women and in the age group of 21 to 40 years old and more in July. Due to different species with neurotoxic and hemotoxic poison, the development of treatment protocols by trained physicians, who are familiar with clinical manifestations of these arthropods, are essential

Investigating the Influence of Mass Media on Cosmetics Usage among Women in Kashan during 2015

The use of cosmetics is very common among women in Iran. Given the importance of the use of mass media and the impact on the consumption of cosmetics, this study attempted to consider the influence of mass media on the use of cosmetics among women in Kashan. Using a standard designed questionnaire, the data were obtained from 800 women. Multi-stage cluster sampling was randomly carried out. The data were analyzed using SPSS statistical software. The findings showed that 59.9% of the participants believed that satellite programs have the greatest impact on the use of cosmetics. 33% of the participants who believed that mass media had significant influence in this regard; they had a constant tendency to use cosmetics. Mass media advertisements encourage women to consume cosmetics; therefore, introducing the real and appropriate cultural models via advertisements on mass media may have positive impacts on women to consume cosmetics properly

Studying the environmental health status of beauty salons of Kashan

Background and aims: Beauty salons are considered as the places which the environmental health and renovation are adhered too. they can improve the society’s health and influence controlling the diseases. Not considering this issue causes the spread of skin and hair diseases and infections and louse. This study was aimed to determine the health status of beauty salons of Kashan in 2014. Methods: This descriptive-analytical study was done in 2014 in Kashan. Out of 320 beauty salons in Kashan, 220 were selected at random. Collecting the data was through observation, interview, filling the questionnaires and check lists in the beauty salons. Data collection was done on the basis of the environmental health evaluation form for beauty salons. The check list related to each beauty salon was completed and the data were analyzed by SPSS software. Results: The results of this study showed that 45.5 of the salon employees had participated in the special course of public health and 54.5 had personal health card. Fifty one point four percent of them were acceptable in terms of personal hygiene and 52.7 shared the tools and equipment. Half of the beauty salons had been sanitized and 52.3 of them had soaps and towels. Conclusion: The results showed that the beauty salons in Kashan had acceptable building status. Some personal hygiene factors such as personal health card, public health certificate and observing personal hygiene needs more training. Also, more supervision and inspection must be carried out by the environmental health experts

Investigating the rate and factors of approach to desalinated water in Kashan and Aran-Bidgol cities

Objectives: In recent years, due to the inappropriate quality of distributed water by the public water network in many parts of Iran, especially in the central areas, the use of desalinated water has been widely developed. Therefore, for any planning and intervention, it is very important to have information about the current situation and social, cultural and economic factors affecting this development. As a result, this study was conducted with the aim of Investigating the rate and factors of approach to desalinated water in Kashan and Aran-Bidgol cities in 2018.Methods: This study is an ecological study on the samples of Kashan and Aran-Bidgol people. The tool is a questionnaire completed over the phone. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and SPSS16 software.Results: About 83.2% of the samples in Kashan and Aran-Bidgol cities use desalinated water for drinking, cooking and tea making, 44.2% of the samples use a small household water purifier and 39% buy purified water from sales centers. The filtration technology in both categories is reverse osmosis.Conclusion: In the studied cities, the salty taste of water taken from the public network and samovar sediments are the most important reasons for consumers to switch to purified water, and demographic characteristics such as age, gender, educational and economic level, etc. did not play a significant role in this approach

A Review on Scorpionism in Iran

Background: Scorpions are one of the most important venomous animals in Iran. Their sting has more prevalence in the south and southwest areas. The aim of this study was to introduce their sting agent species in the country. Methods: Data were extracted by a mini review on scorpion stinging articles in Iran until early 2018 and then the sting agent species in each area were studied. Geographical and provincial distribution of each species also was provided. Results:  Twelve scorpion species are causative agents of sting. According to their deadly rate and clinical symptoms, some of them are considered the most dangerous venomous animals in Iran. Some death cases have been reported be­cause of the sting of 3 species of Hemiscorpius lepturus, H. acanthocercus and Androctonus crassicauda. Remaining species have not deadly sting but because of their frequency, they encounter the individuals and cause the stinging. Conclusion: The highest number of sting agents is in Khuzestan, however Gilan and Mazandaran have the lowest fre­quency. Because of the high prevalence of sting agent species in that province, the necessity of providing control and prevention programs is very important

Determining the Concentration of Particulate Matters and Microbiological Quality of Indoor Air in Intensive Care Units of Kashan Hospital, Iran

Introduction: Maintaining hospital air quality is very important, especially in intensive care units (ICUs), where patients undergo invasive procedures. Therefore, the present study was conducted with the aim of determining the relationship between particulate matters (PMs) and bioaerosols in pediatric ICU (PICU), neonatal ICU (NICU), and ICU open heart (ICU OH) of Shahid Beheshti Hospital in Kashan. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted for six consecutive months, i.e., autumn and winter of 2021. PM samples were taken using a Grimm Dust Monitor and microbial samples were taken using a Quick Take 30 sampler. Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was used for analysis and then ANOVA and LSD were used for further tests. Results: The maximum and minimum PM10 concentrations in the PICU and ICU OH were 59.19 and 9.71 μg/m3, respectively; and the maximum and minimum PM2.5 concentrations were 20.23 μg/m3 in the NICU and 4.69 μg/m3 in PICU. The mean PM concentration and the number of bacterial and fungal colonies were consistent with the WHO and EPA guidelines. Gram-positive Staphylococcus were the most abundant bacteria (90.96%). The most abundant fungi were Aspergillus (54.23%), Penicillium (15.64%), and Cladosperium (12.17%) species. There was also no significant relationship between PMs and bioaerosols. Conclusion: The mean concentrations of PMs and bioaerosols match with the guidelines, which can be attributed to more observance of health protocols and restrictions on the movement of people into ICUs due to the COVID-19 outbreak