Pneumococcal disease is a global public health concern as it affects the young, aged and the immunocompromised. The development of pneumococcal vaccines and their incorporation in the immunization programs has helped to reduce the global burden of disease. However, serotype replacement and the emergence of non-vaccine serotypes as well as the persistence of a few vaccine serotypes underscores the need for development of new and effective vaccines against such pneumococcal serotypes. In the Middle East, places of religious mass gatherings are a hotspot for disease transmission in addition to the global risk factors. Therefore, the periodic surveillance of pneumococcal serotypes circulating in the region to determine the effectiveness of existing prevention strategies and develop improved vaccines is warranted. Currently, there is a lack of serotype prevalence data for Iraq due to inadequate surveillance in the region. Thus, this review aims to determine the pneumococcal serotypes circulating in Iraq by drawing inferences from the global pneumococcal serotype prevalence data as well as recently published literature from neighboring countries to refine existing vaccination strategies and help in the development and introduction of improved pneumococcal vaccines in the country.
Background: Coronavirus disease (COVID19) is an infectious disease that has spread throughout the world. Several contact-tracing studies provide suggestive evidence that large gatherings were responsible for some infection clusters early in the epidemic. But few, if any, studies examine experimental variation in the frequency of large events. Aim of study: To estimate the effect of gathering on number of infection with COVID 19: during religious events in Iraq. Patients and Methods: This a retrospective study, conducted all the conformed cases of COVID 19 infection, by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), in Iraq, from the Ministry of Healthy report, within four Arabic months (during Muharram and Safar in which the religious gathering events in Iraq, and the previous two months), 2021. And compared the rate of infection with COVID 19 between these four months. The patients divided into two groups middle and southern provinces (in which the high gathering occurred), and western and northern provinces (in which less gathering occurred),and compared the rate of infection with COVID 19 between them. Results: The average incidence of COVID-19 in Iraq during Muharram and Safar was 51117 confirmed cases.
Background: viruses are responsible for a large proportion of lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs). Other causes of LRTIs are bacteria: Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Staphylococcus aureus being the most common. Sputum samples are commonly used in the microbiological laboratory for diagnosing lower respiratory infections. Objective: The aim of this study to evaluate the causative bacteria and antibiotics sensitivity in culture of sputum samples. Patients Methods: A retrospective study performed in the microbiology department of Al Immamin Al Kahdimin Medical laboratory in Baghdad. The results of sputum cultures collected from the files between 2016 and 2019. A total number of 131 included in the study of adults and both sexes. Organisms were identified and tested for the antibiotic susceptibility did for selected cases which ordered by the doctor needed. Results: The number of 131 were enrolled. The age of patients was between 17-85 years with mean age 46.69. The higher incidence of patients between ages 51-60 years (21.4 %). The female were 40.5%, the male 59.5%. 65 (49.62%) patients from the medical ward, 50 (38.17) from respiratory care unit (RCU). Acinetobacter spp was the most common bacteria isolated, in forty four (33.59%) cases, which was resistant to most antibiotics. followed by Streptococcus pneumonia (22.90%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (16.03%),Escherichia coli in eleven (8.40) cases, with variable antibiotics sensitivity and resistance. Conclusion: sputum culture and sensitivity may help in identifying the organism and choosing the antibiotic, which may be resistant to many drugs as in Acinetobacter spp.
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