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Measles, mumps, rubella and varicella are diseases that are tracked by the World Health Organization (WHO) as common and serious vaccine-preventable diseases. Aim of the Work: To evaluate the immune status and susceptibility against measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella in primary school children and to study the effects of some sociodemographic factors on the seroprevalence. Subjects and methods: This is a cross-sectional study conducted on 180 children. All children included in this study were subjected to thorough history taking and laboratory investigations; to measure serum levels of specific measles, rubella, mumps and varicella immunoglobulins (IgG) Results: (88.9%) of the surveyed children were seropositive to measles, (77.8%) to mumps, (86.7%) to rubella and (38.9%) to varicella. Seropositivity was higher in males than in females for measles (57.7%), mumps (60.7%), rubella (62.2%) and varicella (68.6%) with significant difference for measles. Younger age groups were less seropositive than older age groups for measles (32.5% vs 35%), mumps (34.4 % vs 37.9%), rubella (30.8 % vs 39.7 %) and for varicella (21.4%) vs 48.6%). The highest level of seronegativity was seen with regard to varicella specific antibodies (61.1%). Conclusion and recommendations: There is an urgent need for a planned program with different strategies to prevent and control these diseases .

Background: A prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is relatively low in children as it was 3% and 9% in the upper and lower Egypt areas, respectively. Most chronic hepatitis C patients are asymptomatic and unaware of their disease before diagnosis. Similarly, hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a major cause of chronic liver disease, particularly cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma, though HBV incidence and infection has been markedly reduced after mass vaccination programs. Objectives: To identify the prevalence and risk factors of asymptomatic HCV infection and evaluate response of hepatitis B vaccination among Egyptian children. Materials and Methods: Six hundred children (6-17 years) were screened for HCV antibodies (HCV Ab) and hepatitis B surface antibody concentration (HBsAb) was quantitated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. HCV Ab-seropositive was tested for HCV ribonucleic acid by real-time-polymerase chain reaction, complete blood count, and liver function tests. Results: 4.7% were diagnosed as HCV Ab-seropositive and 58.5 % as HBsAb-seroprotective (HBsAb ≥10 mIU/ml). History of exposure to blood transfusion, frequent intravenous injection, history of prior hospitalization and blood exposure were significantly more likely to be among HCV seropositive. Blood transfusion was considered the most predictable risk factor for HCV infection. There was a significant decrease in HBsAb concentration with increasing age. Conclusion: Booster dose of hepatitis B vaccine should be considered to enhance immune protection of the vaccine especially in our endemic area. ABSTRACT Access this article onlineWebsite: http://www.ijmsph.com Quick Response code

The combination of patent ductus arteriosus, valvular pulmonary stenosis and/or peripheral pulmonary stenosis is very rare. We examined 23 children with this entity. In 9 children there were findings suggestive of rubella syndrome. 17 of the 23 children were born predominantly between October and March. Most of them showed low birth weights. Regarding the cardiac involvement there was no difference between the children with signs of rubella syndrome and those without noncardiac manifestations. In many children the symptoms of the patent ductus are leading. On evaluation of the noninvasive diagnostic procedures the ECG showed often a right ventricular hypertrophy and the x-ray of the chest showed in most cases a cardiac enlargement. In all patients a heart catheterization was necessary to establish the diagnosis. The review of the literature and the interpretation of our findings seems to suggest that the combination of a patent ductus arteriosus with pulmonary stenosis is a typical manifestation of rubella infection in the heart.

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