Routine vaccination activities, such as detection, reporting, and management of adverse events following immunization (AEFIs), are generally handled by healthcare providers (HCPs). Safe vaccines against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) were introduced to control the Coronavirus Disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic. The study aimed to assess the knowledge, perceptions, and practice of HCPs in Iraq about reporting adverse events following COVID-19 vaccination, and their association with sociodemographic variables. The study was a cross-sectional study that was carried out between August and September 2021 at the COVID-19 vaccination centers in Iraq. This study used an online and paper-based questionnaire, which was distributed among HCPs (physicians and pharmacists) in COVID-19 vaccination centers. A total of 117 pharmacists and physicians responded to the survey. Two-thirds of respondents were pharmacists. The majority of the respondents (49.6%) had fair knowledge levels on AEFIs. The perception of 43% of the participants was very good, whereas the perception of 28%, 23%, and 6% of the participants was fair, good, and poor, respectively. The reporting practice of HCPs was inadequate in 53% of respondents. The number of pharmacists who had good knowledge of AEFIs was significantly higher than that of the physicians. The age group (30-39) years of HCPs was significantly associated with more positive perception towards AEFIs. The number of pharmacists that had good perception was significantly higher than that of the physicians. Furthermore, HCPs aged 30 to 39 years had significantly higher reporting practices than other age groups. The study highlighted that the HCPs working at the COVID-19 vaccination centers have low knowledge of AEFIs. On the other hand, HCPs had more positive perception towards reporting AEFIs. Education programs and reference materials are needed to increase their awareness about AEFIs.
The first known use of the term conspiracy theory dated back to the nineteenth century. It is defined as a theory that explains an event or set of circumstances as the result of a secret plot by usually powerful conspirators. It is commonly used, but by no means limited to, extreme political groups. Since the emergence of COVID-19 as a global pandemic in December 2019, the conspiracy theory was present at all stages of the pandemic.
The first known use of the term conspiracy theory dated back to the nineteenth century. It is defined as a theory that explains an event or set of circumstances as the result of a secret plot by usually powerful conspirators. It is commonly used, but by no means limited to, extreme political groups. Since the emergence of COVID-19 as a global pandemic in December 2019, the conspiracy theory was present at all stages of the pandemic.
In the last few years, following the relative stability of the political, economic, and security environments, Iraq has embarked on a transformation towards an ambitious program of automation across various sectors. However, this automation program faces numerous challenges, including significant investments in technology and training, addressing social impacts, and combating widespread illiteracy
Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is
one of the updated challenges facing the whole world.
Objective: To identify the characteristics risk factors that
present in humans to be more liable to get an infection
than others.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted for
positively confirmed 35 patients with polymerase chain
reaction in Wasit province at AL-Zahraa Teaching
Hospital from the period of March 13th till April 20th. All
of them full a questionnaire regarded by risk factors and
other comorbidities. Data were analyzed by SPSS version
23 using frequency tables and percentage. For numerical
data, the median, and interquartile range (IQR) were used.
Differences between categoric
One of these plants utilized in traditional medicine is Lactuca seriolla Linn., which belongs to the Asteraceae family. It goes by a variety of common names in the world, including prickly lettuce, wild lettuce, jagged lettuce, and Kahu and khas. The work aimed to isolate and characterize some bioactive constituent(s) from the aerial part of Lactuca serriola utilizing Combiflash NEXTGEN and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Lactuca serriola (aerial part) was extracted with 80% ethanol, then fractionated with hexane. Then 250 mg of hexane extract was mixed with 4 g of silica gel and loaded in cartilage, then bounded to the gold column of combi flash using a solvent system comprised of ethyl acetat
... Show MoreObjectives: To highlight the knowledge of Al-Kindy medical students regarding varicella infection and to assess their knowledge and attitude toward its prevention. Methodology: This descriptive cross-sectional study enrolled academic year 2020/2021 students at Al-Kindy College of Medicine from first to final year. We used an online questionnaire by Google forms to collect data, which were analyzed with SPSS 26. Results: A total of 208 students participated with 126 in the preclinical and 82 in the clinical grades. Generally, most clinical students were more aware about epidemiology, clinical manifestations, and complications of varicella infection than the preclinical students. Conclusion: Educational stage is a significant variab
... Show MoreThe study objectives were to 1) explore the real-world experience of hospital pharmacists with the differences in effectiveness safety, and interchangeability between biosimilar medicines and their reference biological counterparts, 2) reveal pharmacist recommendations to enhance the safety of biopharmaceutical medicines in public hospitals.
The study has a mixed-method design where the core component was qualitative (interviews) and the supplemental component was quantitative (adverse drug reaction, ADR, reports). This qualitative component included semi-structured (mostly face-to-face) interviews involving hospital pharmacists from different hospitals with experience with biological or biosimilar medicines. The interviews were c
... Show MoreVaccine hesitancy poses a significant risk to global recovery from COVID-19. To date however, there is little research exploring the psychological factors associated with vaccine acceptability and hesitancy in Iraq.
To explore attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccination in Iraq. To establish the predictors of vaccine uptake and vaccine hesitancy in an Iraqi population.
Using a cross-sectional design, 7,778 participants completed an online questionnaire exploring their vaccination status, likelihood of infection, perc
Compelling evidence proved that coronavirus disease (COVID-19) disproportionately affects minorities. The goal of the present study was to explore the effects of intersected discrimination and discrimination types on COVID-19, mental health, and cognition. A sample of 542 Iraqis, 55.7% females, age ranged from 18 to 73, with (M = 31.16, SD = 9.77). 48.7% were Muslims, and 51.3% were Christians (N = 278). We used measures for COVID-19 stressors, executive functions, intersected discrimination (gender discrimination, social groups-based discrimination, sexual orientation discrimination, and genocidal discrimination), posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety, status and death, existential anxieties, and health. We conducted in
... Show MoreHigh intraocular pressure (IOP) is a recognized risk factor for glaucoma and optic nerve injury, and it is one of the primary causes of vision loss globally. Anabasis articulata (AA) is a desert plant found in Iraq. The extract of AA is used to cure diabetes, fever, eczema, and kidney infections. The aim of the study is to evaluate the antioxidant effect of methanol extract of AA on intraocular pressure in the glaucoma rat model. Forty-two rats were allocated into seven groups, each with six animals:: group 1 (normal), group 2 (control), in which animals were induced to have elevated IOP by betamethasone suspension injection, groups 3,4 and 5 for evaluating the effect of 50,100 and 150 mg/kg/day of the tested extract, respective
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