Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Milestones along the road of infection prevention in Egypt

  • Review
  • Published:
European Journal of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Sequela of infectious diseases include not only morbidity and mortality, but are also associated with chronic illnesses that has long constituted public health problems and huge economic burdens. This review gives a brief idea about important infectious diseases (ID) in Egypt, the main lines taken to combat them, the challenges still existing, and the possible barriers keeping IDs still forming threats to the community. Egypt has the highest prevalence rates of HCV infection worldwide. Significant evidence points towards that the HCV epidemic was initiated and propagated by the anti-schistosomal mass campaigns during the last century. Though the rates of HCV infection are declining, still the decline has not yet met the full expectations. Therefore, infection control programs are gaining more ground all over the country, especially with the growing problem of antimicrobial resistance complicating healthcare-associated infections (HAI) worldwide. Also, mass immnunization of childhood, mycobacterial tuberculosis infections, and avian influenza will be discussed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. WHO (2012) Schistosomiasis progress report 2001–2011 and strategic plan 2012–2020 (www.who.intof). Programs targeting neglected tropical diseases through preventive chemotherapy: proving the feasibility at national scale. Am J Trop Med Hyg 84(1):5–14

  2. Jordan P (2000) From Katamya to Dakhla Oasis: the beginning of epidemiology and control of bilharziasis. Acta Trop 77(1):9–40

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Curtale F (2003) The school health programme in Behera: an integrated helminth control programme at governorate level in Egypt. Acta Trop 86(2–3):295–307

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Schistosomiasis: population requiring preventive chemotherapy and number of people treated in 2010. Weekly Epidemiological Record, 2012, 87:37–44. http://www.who.int/wer/2012/wer8704.pdf. Accessed May 2012

  5. Yahia M (2011) Global health: a uniquely Egyptian epidemic. Nature 474(7350 Suppl):S12–S13

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. El-Zanaty F, Way A (2009) Egypt demographic and health survey 2008. Egyptian Ministry of Health. Cairo; El-Zanaty and Associates, and Macro International. http://www.measuredhs.com/pubs/pdf/fr220/fr220.pdf. Accessed 10 July 2015

  7. Habib M, Mohamed MK, Abdel-Aziz F, Magder L, Abdel-Hamid M, Gamil F, Madkour S, Mikhail N, Anwar W, Strickland G et al (2001) Hepatitis C virus infection in a community in the Nile Delta: risk factors for seropositivity. Hepatology 33(1):248–253

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Lavanchy D (2011) Evolving epidemiology of hepatitis C virus. Clin Microbiol Infect 17(2):107–115

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Mahmoud Y, Mumtaz G, Riome S, Miller D, Abu-Raddad L (2013) The epidemiology of hepatitis C virus in Egypt: a systematic review and data synthesis. BMC Infect Dis 13:288

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Frank C, Mahmoud M, Strickland G, Lavanchy D, Arthur R, Magder L, El Khoby T, Abdel-Wahab Y, Aly E, Anwar W et al (2000) The role of parenteral antischistosomal therapy in the spread of hepatitis C virus in Egypt. Lancet 355(9207):887–891

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Strickland G (2006) Liver disease in Egypt: hepatitis C superseded schistosomiasis as a result of iatrogenic and biological factors. Hepatology 43(5):915–922

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Kamal S, Nasser I (2008) Hepatitis C genotype 4: what we know and what we don’t yet know. Hepatology 47(4):1371–1383

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Breban R, Doss W, Esmat G, Elsayed M, Hellard M, Ayscue P, Albert M, Fontanet A, Mohamed M (2013) Towards realistic estimates of HCV incidence in Egypt. J Viral Hepat 20(4):294–296

  14. Aceijas C, Rhodes T (2007) Global estimates of prevalence of HCV infection among injecting drug users. Int J Drug Policy 18(5):352–358

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. AbdulQawi K, Youssef A, Metwally M, Ragih I, AbdulHamid M, Shaheen A (2010) Prospective study of prevalence and risk factors for hepatitis C in pregnant women and its transmission to their infants. Croat Med J 51(3):219–228

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Talaat M, Kandeel A, Rasslan O, Hajjeh R, Hallaj Z, El-Sayed N, Mahoney FJ (2006) Evolution of infection control in Egypt: achievements and challenges. Am J Infect Control 34(4):193–200

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. CDC (2012) Progress toward prevention and control of Hepatitis C virus infection — Egypt, 2001–2012. CDC report 61(29):545–549

  18. Ford N, Singh K, Cooke GS et al (2012) Expanding access to treatment for hepatitis C in resource-limited settings: lessons from HIV/AIDS. Clin Infect Dis 54:1465–1472

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Cuadros D, Branscum A, Miller F, Abu-Raddad L (2014) Spatial epidemiology of hepatitis C virus infection in Egypt: Analyses and implications. Hepatology 60:1150–1159

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Vesikari T, Baer M, Willems P (2007) Immunogenicity and safety of a second dose of measles-mumps-rubella-varicella vaccine in healthy children aged 5 to 6 years. Pediatr Infect Dis J 26:153–158

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Ministry of Health and Population (MOHP) (2005) Achievements of the Expanding Programme of Immunization 1996–2005. MOHP/ EPI: Egypt

  22. Ministry of Health and Population (MOHP) (1995) Ministry of Health and Population/Child Survival Project: The Expanding Programme of Immunization in Egypt; 1984–1994. MOHP/ EPI, Egypt

  23. WHO (2014) DHS Preliminary report: WHO vaccine-preventable diseases monitoring system 2014 global summary. WHO

  24. WHO (2014) Global tuberculosis report 2014. www.who.int/tb/publications/global_report/en/. Accessed 10 July 2015

  25. Chiang C-Y, Trebucq A, Billo N, Khortwong P, Elmoghazy E, Begum V, Aditama T, Ansari A, Baral S, Vianzon R (2007) A survey of TB services in hospitals in seven large citiesin Asia and North Africa. Int J Tuber Lung Dis 11(7):739–746

    Google Scholar 

  26. Elmoghazy E (2010) The impact of orientation and training of private medical practitioners on the notification of TB patients to the NTP Sharkia governorate, Egypt. Open access research in tropical and other communicable diseases, results portfolio 3, EMRO 01/2010

  27. WHO (2014) CDC Factsheet: TB in Egypt, Supplement to the Global tuberculosis report. World Health Organization, pp 121.

  28. WHO (2010) Strategic plan for the prevention and control of multidrug-resistant and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (2010–2015), WHO-EM/TUB/257/E, pp. 1–73.

  29. El-Shesheny R, Kayali G, Kandeil A, Cai Z, Barakat AB, Ghanim H (2012) Antigenic diversity and cross-reactivity of avian influenza H5N1 viruses in Egypt between 2006 and 2011. J Gen Virol 93:2564–2574

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  30. Arafa A, Suarez DL, Hassan MK, Aly MM (2010) Phylogenetic analysis of hemagglutinin and neuraminidase genes of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 Egyptian strains isolated from 2006 to 2008 indicates heterogeneity with multiple distinct sublineages. Avian Dis 54(Suppl):345–349

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  31. Younan M, Poh MK, Elassal E, Davis T, Rivailler P, Balish AL (2013) Microevolution of highly pathogenic avian influenza A(H5N1) viruses isolated from humans, Egypt, 2007–2011. Emerg Infect Dis 19:43–50

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  32. El-Kholy A, Basseem H, Hall G, Procop G, Longworth D (2003) Antimicrobial resistance in Cairo, Egypt 1999–2000; a survey of five hospitals. J Antimicrob Chemother 51:625–630

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  33. Ahmed S, Daef E, Badary M, Mahmoud M, Abd-Elsayed A (2009) Nosocomial blood stream infection in intensive care units at Assiut University Hospitals (Upper Egypt) with special reference to extended spectrum B-lactamase producing organisms. BMC Res Notes 2:76

    Article  CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  34. Fam N, Damarawy M (2008) CTX-M-15 extended-spectrum Beta-lactamases detected from intensive care unit of an Egyptian medical research institute. Res J Med Med Sci 3:84–91

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  35. Fam N, Leflon-Guibout V, Fouad S, Aboul-Fadl L, Macron E, Desouky D, El-Defrawy I, Abou-Aitta A, Klena J, Nicolas-Chanoine M (2011) CTX-M-15-producing Escherichia coli clinical isolates in Cairo (Egypt), including isolates of cloncal complex ST10 and clones ST131, ST73, and ST405 in both community and hospital settings. Microb Drug Resist 17:67–73

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  36. See I, Lessa F, Abo ElAta O, Hafez S, Samy K, El-Kholy A, El Anani M, Ismail G, Kandeel A, Galal R, Ellingson K, Talaat M (2013) Incidence and pathogen distribution of healthcare-associated infections in pilot hospitals in Egypt. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 34:1281–1288

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  37. Al-Hassan L, El Mehallawy H, Amyes S (2013) Diversity in Acinetobacter baumanii isolates from paediatric cancer patients in Egypt. Clin Microbiol Infect 19(11):1082–1088

  38. Zafer M, Al-Agamy M, El-Mahallawy H, Amin M, Ashour S (2014) Antimicrobial resistance pattern and their Beta-lactamase encoding genes among Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains isolated from cancer patients. Biomed Res Int 2014:101635

  39. Gayathri D, Eramma N, Devaraja T (2012) New Delhi metallo beta-Lactamase-1; incidence and threats. Int J Biol Med Res 3:1870–1874

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Cancer Institute, Cairo University, Kasr el-Eini, Kornish el-Nil, Fom el-Khalig, Cairo, 11796, Egypt

    H. A. El-Mahallawy

  2. Kasr Al-Aini School of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt

    L. M. Mohsen & M. Wassef

Authors
  1. H. A. El-Mahallawy
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. L. M. Mohsen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. M. Wassef
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to H. A. El-Mahallawy.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

El-Mahallawy, H.A., Mohsen, L.M. & Wassef, M. Milestones along the road of infection prevention in Egypt. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis 34, 1923–1928 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10096-015-2444-4

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10096-015-2444-4

Keywords

Search

Navigation