There is strong evidence that razors, barber's scissors, nail files and body piercing instruments are risk factors for transmission of hepatitis B and C. to investigate the knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding hepatitis B and C virus among barbers in Sana'a city. KAP study was conducted from July-September 2011. Two hundred and thirty four barbershops were surveyed. Out of 234 barber shops, 73.1% heard about viral hepatitis B and C. The awareness of modes of transmission of hepatitis and the different sources/risk factors were moderate, ranging from 51.6% who knew that hepatitis can be transmitted through sexual transmitted to 82.1% who knew that hepatitis can be transmitted through blood transfusion. 54.9% of barbers did not agree that it was essential to have periodic tests for HBV and HCV; however, 67.5%would themselves like to be tested for these infections. 32% washed their hands before attending each client, 59% cleaned instruments with disinfectant between clients, 96.1% washed razors with tap water before use on a new client, 92.6% also washed their razors with an antiseptic solution after every use, 87% used a new blade on new clients and 55% used disinfectants for skin cuts. In Yemen, a large number of barbers are shaving clients with an old style razor with a permanent blade. There is moderate awareness about the various modes of transmission of hepatitis among the barbers.

Background. Fatal road traffic accidents constitute a significant public health problem. Aim. The aim of the study was to analyze road traffic accidents in Sana'a city, Yemen, during 2013-2015. Methods. The required information and data of accidents were collected, respectively, from police reported road accident statistics, Sana'a city. 11684 cases of road traffic accidents during period 2013-2015 were studied. Results. 840 people were killed and 9760 people were injured in RTAs during 2013-2015 in Sana'a city. The accident rates per 100000 of the population were 234.8 in 2013, 180.3 in 2014, and 92.2 in 2015. Mortality rates per 100000 of the population were 15.17 in 2013, 12.2 in 2014, and 8.9 in 2015. High speed was the single most important factor responsible for accidents, deaths, and injuries accounting for 38.1% of RTAs followed by drivers' fault accounting for 18.9% of the total RTAs. The most common age group involved was ≥18 years. Males accounted for 83.1% of killed and injured persons. Most frequent victims of road traffic accidents were vehicles motor (48.9%) followed by pedestrians (38.1%). More than half of RTAs occurred on the straight road. Conclusion. RTAs are a major source of public health concern in Sana'a city, Yemen. Preventive measures to reduce the burden of mortality and morbidity due to road accidents should be introduced.

Background: No published studies assess childhood cancer and obstacles to receive cancer treatment in Yemen. The aim of this study was to assess childhood cancer and obstacles to receive cancer treatment at National Oncology Center (NOC) in Sana`a city, Yemen. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study of 119 children with cancer was conducted at the NOC in Sana'a city, Yemen from March to May, 2012. Data was collected through face-to-face interview and retrospectively from patients' files. The data regarding sociodemographic characteristics, medical history of childhood cancer and obstacles to receive cancer treatment were collected by structured questionnaire. The collected data was analyzed using the SPSS. A p-value <0.05 (2-sided) was considered statistically significant. Results: One hundred and nineteen children with cancer and their parents were included in our study. The mean age and SD was 8.7 ± 4.5 years. 63.9% of the participants were boys. Lymphomas were the most common cancer diagnosed, representing 35.3% of all childhood cancers followed by leukemias (22.7%) and malignant bone tumors (12.6%). A high proportion of childhood cancer was diagnosed at advanced stages and constituted for 58%. Tumor grading was mentioned in 25.2% of cases. Histology diagnosis was achieved in 89.1% of cases. 80.7% did not receive cancer treatment on regular basis. Conclusion: The study concluded that at the National Oncology Center, lymphomas were the most common childhood cancer diagnosed, followed by leukemias and malignant bone tumors. The distribution of cancer was more in boys than girls. Poor service was the main obstacle to received cancer treatment regularly. The study recommends that a national cancer registry should be introduced. (El Med J 2:4; 2014

Background: The Infant's undernutrition is a significant health problem in Yemen. We aimed to determine the prevalence of malnutrition among infants attending maternal and child health centers in Sana'a city. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted among 400 Yemeni infants aged less than 1 year attended to MCHC in Sana'a city from March to May 2012. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to selected study participants. Data on demographic characteristics of infants and anthropometric measurements were collected using a structured questionnaire as a face to face interview. Data were analyzed using both WHO Anthro and SPSS software program. WHO Anthro was used to calculate the Z-score needed to determine the prevalence of malnutrition among infants. The final clear dataset are imported to SPSS. Results: The mean age of infants was 4.3±3 months. 47.5% were boys and 52.5% were girls. The prevalence of wasting 11.8% is classified as "high", the prevalence of stunting 40% is classified as "very high", and the prevalence of underweight 20.3% is classified as "medium". A statistical significant difference was not found by sex regarding wasting, stunting and underweight while statistical significant difference was found by age (χ 2test, P<0.05). Conclusion:The prevalence of malnutrition among infants was very serious problems in Sana'a city. Emergency nutrition programs should focus primarily on infants group.

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