Background: A cross-sectional analytic method was used to assess health and safety risks that really matter in restaurants of universities and hospitals in the Gaza strip, Palestine.  Materials and methods: A 40-item questionnaire was completed by workers in all university and governmental hospital restaurants in the Gaza strip. Another 30-item questionnaire was completed by unive...

This study proposes an empirical approach that can lead to the sustainable management of groundwater resources. This approach enables a comprehensive understanding of an aquifer, delineates distinct hydrological scenarios, and recommends a set of operational activities for each sub-region of the aquifer. The paper focuses on the Coastal aquifer of the Gaza Strip region which has been divided in...

CONTEXT Little is known about the impact of trauma in postconflict, low-income countries where people have survived multiple traumatic experiences. OBJECTIVE To establish the prevalence rates of and risk factors for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in 4 postconflict, low-income countries. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Epidemiological survey conducted between 1997 and 1999 among surv...

Background and Objectives: The prevalence of Post Traumatic Stress Disorders (PTSD) comorbid with Major Depressive Episodes (MDE) were explored in four areas of West Bank of Palestine in the aftermath of the second intifada. Methods: The sample consisted of 916 adult Palestinians representative of the general population. The interview was personal with the use of DSM IV criteria for PTSD and MD...

We report the first multidrug-resistant Proteus mirabilis strain producing the carbapenemase OXA-48 (Pm-OXA-48) isolated at Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza, Palestine. Draft genome sequencing of Pm-OXA-48 identified 16 antimicrobial resistance genes, encoding resistance to β-lactams, aminoglycosides, fluoroquinolones, phenicols, streptothricin, tetracycline, and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. Complet...

UNRWA's noncommunicable disease screening activities were evaluated among 7762 refugees screened for hypertension and type 2 diabetes in Jordan, Syrian Arab Republic, Lebanon, Gaza Strip and West Bank in June 2007. People were referred for screening most commonly because of age (both sexes), followed by smoking (males) and family history (females). Atotal of 9% ofscreened people were diagnosed ...

Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region’s current challenges for political and economic transformation. This MENA Trends Report focuses on the following issues: youth unemployment, gender, education, economy, the financial system, and the rule of law. It examines ten Arab countries: Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Libya, Tunisia, West Bank and Gaza, Syria, and Yemen. When comparisons ...

The conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq and the more recent war in the Gaza Strip have emphasized the need for novel platforms which provide for greater situational awareness in the urban terrain. Without intelligent systems, which can accurately provide real-time information, collateral damage to property will result, together with unnecessary civilian deaths. This situation is exacerbated by th...

Although many studies have been carried out regarding the etiology and prognosis of ocular trauma in children but perhaps there are very few studies highlighting the ocular trauma in children in conflict zone. Most of the previous studies carried out may not reflect our own experience, although some studies from Pakistan, Israel, west bank and Gaza strip may be most relevant. In this study we h...