No abstract

In the 1940s Anopheles mosquitoes were abundant about the wells and marshy areas in Saudi Arabia. Nearly 100% of the population in many villages and oases had suffered from malaria at one time or another. However, the progress made in the malaria program in Saudi Arabia from the time of its inception in 1948 is possibly one of the most significant achievements in public health in the Kingdom over the last 40 years. The challenge which the country now faces is to control malaria in the Southern Province and in the residual foci in the Western Province, while maintaining the rest of the country malaria free.

The article discusses the prevalence of schistosomiasis in Saudi Arabia and the problems facing its control. Saudi Arabia is located between two of the major endemic schistosomiasis areas in the world, the Nile River and the Tigris and Euphrates valleys. Four species of snail vectors exist in the country. The main natural habitat of the vector snails appears to be in the Sarawat mountains where there are various natural water sources. About 6.5% of the population suffer from schistosomiasis. The disease in general is predominant among the lower age group and affects males more than females. The infection rate is heavy along the permanent and main streams and moderate to low in remote areas. If control measures are carried out appropriately, schistosomiasis need not be a problem in Saudi Arabia by the year 2000.

Growth and nutritional status of rural preschool children in Saudi Arabia. Acta Paediatr Stand Suppl 346: 104, 1988.The attained growth was assessed in a cross-sectional study of Saudi children 0-71 months of age, from 3 different geographical areas of rural Saudi Arabia. individual data on weight, height, weight for height and head circumference were expressed in SD scores of international standards, and data on upper arm muscle and fat areas in percent of the reference median values. The mean (SEM) weight, height, weight for height and head circumference of the entire material were -1.7 (0.05), -1.6 (0.06), -0.9 (0.05) and -1.6 (0.06), respectively. The median upper arm muscle area was 79 percent, and fat area 57 percent of the reference medians. The differencies in mean weight, height and weight for height were trivial between the 3 geograhical areas. All mean values , except that of weight for height were clearly below the means of the reference in children 0-5 months. All mean values declined significantly, however, during the next 6 months. The growth deficits thus obtained remained unchanged or increased slightly up to 6 years. According to WHO criteria, 41 percent were classified as chronically, and 12 percent as acutely undernourished. The growth pattern of rural Saudi children was similar to that of children in most developing countries and distinctly different from that of privileged Saudi children, whose growth pattern resembled that of Western reference populations.

A total of 292 randomly selected subjects belonging to two indigenous Arab tribes (Harbi and Ghamid) and two immigrant tribes (Mograbi and Mowallad), residents in Western Saudi Arabia, have been tested for genetic variants of six blood groups, four serum proteins, and five red cell enzyme systems. The distribution of the polymorphic systems was different between indigenous and immigrant tribes, and the present Arab population shows a considerable degree of admixture from the surrounding countries, in particular Africa.