This study in 2006 estimated the hepatitis B virus (BHV) vaccination coverage in the Islamic Republic of Iran at the national and district levels in urban, rural and remote populations of 41 university health service areas. Of 21 905 children recruited to the study, vaccination coverage based on vaccination card records was 100% in 14, 15 and 10 of the 41 university areas for the 1st, 2nd and 3...

The increasing incidence of tuberculosis (TB) is a major concern to public health policy-makers. To assess knowledge about TB and the DOTS strategy among medical students in a high incidence area of the Islamic Republic of Iran, a questionnaire designed around the national TB programme guidelines was given to 80 interns in Golestan and Mazandaran medical schools in December 2007. The overall me...

In response to the growing number of the HIV-positive patients in the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Iranian Ministry of Health and Education established several special clinics in all Iranian provinces to provide treatment and care to HIV-positive patients. The Rafsanjan AIDS Clinic is one such clinic that was set up in 1996. Running such a clinic is not without difficulties, given the nature o...

Knowledge and attitudes about vaginal versus caesarean section delivery were assessed in 204 pregnant women attending a maternity centre in Kerman, Islamic Republic of Iran. Overall, 63.5% of women scored weak on knowledge questions. Knowledge was higher in women who had a history of miscarriage. Of the women, 96.5% and 33.0% had positive attitudes towards vaginal delivery and caesarean section...

This study was designed to estimate the burden of urologic diseases in the Islamic Republic of Iran as a practical method for defining public health priorities. Using World Health Organization guidelines for national burden of disease studies, 6 steps were performed: selecting diseases to include; dynamic modelling of diseases; gathering data about urologic diseases; computing the local disabil...

This study was carried out on 1600 rectal swabs from children under 5 years of age admitted at the health centre in Islamshahr, Tehran province, Islamic Republic of Iran, during 1998-99. The specimens were examined for various bacterial pathogens. Isolation rates were: enteropathogenic Escherichia coli 6.8%, Shigella spp. 3.4%, Salmonella spp. 2.9%, Campylobacter spp. 0.9%, Yersinia spp. 0.7%. ...

Data on home accidents for a 3-year period (2000-2002) were collected from health houses, health centres and hospitals involved in a home accident prevention programme in Shiraz, Islamic Republic of Iran. A total of 15 402 accidents were registered, with a mortality rate of 1.3%. Accidents were more common in women than in men (52.1% versus 47.9%) and urban than rural areas (66.3% versus 33.7%)...

A cross-sectional study in Ahwaz city, Islamic Republic of Iran, described children's indoor and outdoor play patterns. A total of 952 pupils aged 7 and 9 years and 942 parents completed questionnaires. Children's favourite activities were: playing football (22.3%), cycling (13.2%) and watching television (12.3%). This differed from those perceived by the parents who reported watching televisio...

After a successful programme to prevent iodine deficiency disorders in the Islamic Republic of Iran in the 1990s and early 2000s, evidence emerged that urine iodine levels in the population were falling. This paper reviews efforts to monitor and enforce the iodization of salt production and shows the resulting improvements in iodization levels of factory table Salt and in urine iodine concentra...

Chlamydia trachomatis is a common cause of sexually transmitted disease which can cause severe consequences. Effective prevention requires knowledge of prevalence of infection in order to target interventions in a cost-effective manner. To determine the prevalence of chlamydial infection in Mashhad, northeastern Islamic Republic of Iran, this study was performed among male patients with urethri...