Diarrheal diseases are a great public health problem; they are among the most causes leading to morbidity and mortality of infants and children particularly in developing countries and even in developed countries. Rotavirus is the most common cause of severe gastroenteritis in infants and young children in both developed and developing countries. The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence rate of Rotavirus infection, its genotypes, and risk factors among children with diarrhea in Taiz, Yemen. 795 fecal samples were collected from children (less than 5 years old), suffering from diarrhea and attending the Yemeni-Swedish Hospital (YSH) in Taiz , Yemen, from November 2006 to February 2008. Rotavirus was detected by enzyme linkage immunosorbent assay (ELISA) on stool specimens of children. Genotypes of Rotavirus were characterized by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE). The results showed that 358 (45.2%) were Rotavirus-positive and the most prevalent genotypes were G2P[4] (55%), followed by G1P[8] (15%). In addition, Rotavirus was found through the whole year; however, higher frequency during the summer season (53.4%) and lower frequency during the winter season (37.1%).

Background and Objective. Primary headaches is a major medical concern in certain Arabic countries, for example Oman, Jordan, and Qatar. This study was aimed at increasing understanding of the prevalence of headache in Arabic countries and identifying common medications used for treatment because of the lack of research done in this field in Yemen. Methods. This is a cross-sectional observational study conducted by recruiting case-series of adults and elderly who have primary headache within the age group from 18 to 85 years. 12640 subjects received a simple explanation for the aim of the study as ethical issue. The subjects were allowed to complete a self-conducted screening questionnaire. The data were diagnosed according to the International Headache Society's diagnostic criteria (2004). Results. The results showed that 76.5% of the primary headache is prevalent at least once per year, 27.1% of the tension type headache (TTH) was the maximum percentage of type of headache, and 14.48% of the migraine headache (MH) was the minimum percentage. On the other hand, the relationship between the primary headache and age of subjects was statistically significant (P < 0.05), while between primary headache and sex was not (P > 0.05). In addition, 70.15% of the subjects said that headache attacks affected their activity of daily livings (ADL). 62.26% of the subjects used the medications without medical advice regarding their headache. 37.73% of the subjects relied on medical professionals (physicians and pharmacist) regarding analgesics use. The most common agent used among the medications was paracetamol (38.4%). Others included ibuprofen, aspirin, diclofenac sodium, naproxen, mefenamic acid, ergotamine and (11.45%) were unknown agents. Conclusion. We concluded that absence of health attention from the Yemeni Community and education from the health system in the country regarding analgesics use and their potential risk led to abuse of such medications and could be a reason beyond high prevalence of headache in Yemen.

The study aims to assess the impact of rotavirus vaccine introduction on diarrheal diseases hospitalization and to identify the rotavirus genotypes most prevalent before and after vaccine introduction among children ≤ 5 years of age. Rotarix™ ® rotavirus vaccine is currently licensed for infants in Yemen and was introduced in 2012. The vaccination course consists of two doses. The first dose is administrated at 6 weeks of age and the second dose is completed by 10 weeks. Based on a longitudinal observational study, we assessed the impact of vaccination on rotavirus hospitalization before and after vaccination among children ≤ 5 years of age at the Yemeni-Swedish Hospital (YSH) in Taiz, Yemen. Prevaccination covered January 2009–July 2012 during which 2335 fecal samples were collected from children ≤ 5 years old. Postvaccination covered January 2013–December 2014 during which 1114 fecal samples were collected. Rotavirus was detected by Enzyme Linkage Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). The incidence of rotavirus hospitalization decreased from 43.79% in 2009 to 10.54% in 2014. Hospitalization due to rotavirus diarrhea was reduced by 75.93%. Vaccine coverage increased from 23% in 2012 to 72% in 2014. Also, the results showed that the most predominant genotypes in prevaccination period were G2P[4] (55.0%), followed by G1P[8] (15.0%), while in postvaccination period G1P[8] (31%) was the predominant genotype, followed by G9P[8] (27.5%). In conclusion, rotavirus vaccination in Yemen resulted in sharp reduction in diarrheal hospitalization. A successful rotavirus vaccination program in Yemen will rely upon efficient vaccine delivery systems and sustained vaccine efficacy against diverse and evolving rotavirus strains.

Malaria is the biggest killer of African children, yet it is cheaply preventable and curable with insecticides spraying, impregnated bednets and effective drugs. This study aimed to evaluate the quality of Chloroquine (CQ) tablets available in selected African countries. Twenty-six samples of antimalarial CQ tablet of 100, 150 and 250 mg were collected from 12 African countries and evaluated for their quality in the Drugs Quality Control Laboratory of Rabat, Morocco. The identification and dosage of active pharmaceutical ingredients in the tablets, dissolution rate, hardness and the friability of CQ tablets were performed according to the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) and European Pharmacopoeia (Eur.Ph.) recommended methods. The results showed that 7.7% of the sampled CQ tablets available in Burkina Faso were of low quality. Failure in dissolution profile was found in 50% of CQ tablets sampled from Benin, Burkina Faso, Comoros Union, Mali and Senegal. The findings showed poor quality of CQ tablets available in the African market. This problem may affect the efforts to control malaria in Africa. Efficient regulatory systems of drugs quality control should be implemented.

Caralluma is a plant that possessing a great therapeutic potential in folk medicine in Yemen, namely, Caralluma penicillata (C. penicillata) as antiulcer. The study aims to evaluate the anti-inflammatory properties and gastritis protection activity of C. penicillata against indomethacin in adult guinea pigs. The study was divided into four parts: firstly, the optimum dose of extract as anti-inflammatory effect was determined. Secondly, the acute anti-inflammatory effect of extract were estimated. Thirdly, the repeated doses of extract against chronic inflammation was estimated. The anti-inflammatory activity of extract was compared with indomethacin as a prototype of drug against inflammation. Fourthly, the gastritis protection properties of extract with/without indomethacin were performed. The results showed that a 400 mg/kg of 10% ethanol extract produced the maximum of anti-inflammatory effect. Also, the single dose of extract was equipotent for indomethacin (10 mg/kg), but shorter in duration with regard to acute anti-inflammatory effect. In addition, the repeated doses of extract against chronic inflammation were less potent than indomethacin with regard to ulcerogenic effect. On the other hand, extract-indomethacin combination reduced the gastritis effect of indomethacin based on ulcer index and histological study.

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Introduction: Malaria and dengue fever are the most prevalent vector-borne diseases in tropical areas and represent major public health problems. They are transmitted by mosquito namely Anopheles and Aedes aegypti, respectively. Hodeidah is a high density with these vectors. Also, co-infection of these diseases has (malaria and dengue) become undetected due to lack of suspicious clinical suspicion and overlapping symptoms. Aim of the Study:The study aimed to detect the prevalence of co-infection with malaria and dengue fever, determine the clinical presentation within febrile patients in Hodeidah city and determine some potential risk factors associated with co-infection. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted (from January to December 2017) in febrile patients. All patients were designed into three groups: Group A (co-infected with malaria and dengue); Group B (malaria as mono-infection) and Group C (dengue as mono-infection). The diagnosis of malaria was by microscopic and rapid diagnostic test (RDT) and the dengue virus was Al-Areeqi et al.; IJTDH, 40(3): 1-10, 2019; Article no.IJTDH.54064 2 detected using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The diagnosis was performed in Center of Tropical Medicine and Infectious Diseases (CTMID), Authority of AL-Thawra Public Hospital-Hodeidah, in collaboration with the Tihama Foundation for Medical-Pharmaceutical Studies and Research (TFMPSR), Hodeidah, Yemen. Results: Out of 270 febrile patients, 82 cases (30.4%) patients were malaria -dengue coinfection, 100 cases (37.0%) of malaria, 21 cases (7.7%) of dengue and 67 cases (24.8%) were non-malaria and non-dengue. The most common symptoms were fever, headache, arthralgia, myalgia and retro-orbital pain, where the clinical symptoms of co-infected patients were more like dengue than malaria. One death was reported in malaria -dengue coinfection, with a case fatality rate (CFR%) of 1.2% (1/82). Conclusion: Our results show a high prevalence of malaria -dengue coinfecion in Hodeidah, Yemen as the first time. These due to a high density of vectors in this region and endemic areas for malaria and dengue. Furthermore, surveillance strategies, preventive measures and healthcare worker's education are critical for curtailing this problem and lifesaving. Original Research Article