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Epidemiology of Communicable and Non-communicable disease

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sdg3

Tracking and managing outbreaks positively lowers death and morbidity rates and contributes to SDG 3. The epidemiology of communicable and non-communicable diseases provides insight into prevention tactics, which aim to reduce premature mortality from NCDs by early detection and lifestyle interventions, in line with SDG 3.

health and wellbeing

Description of Subtheme:

Medicine is an ever-changing field with epidemiology being among its fastest fields, because it involves studying the distribution and determinants or risk factors of health-related states or behavior in specified population and the applicability of these studies in the best ways in order to prevent and control health problems.

Research on epidemiological studies is being of extreme importance worldwide for a number of reasons. If you got a non-communicable disease, such as diabetes mellitus, knowing its risk factors, causes, current modes of therapy and preventive measures are of extreme importance to help understand the disease even better. The same applies to communicable diseases, such as tuberculosis, where having enough data on such a disease including its causes, way of transmission and preventive measures are essential so as to minimize transmission of it.

Beirut Arab University epidemiological research is the leader of many different ongoing projects including communicable and non-communicable. One of its major ongoing research is trying to determine the prevalence of latent and active tuberculosis infection among an underserved population in Lebanon and referring patients with active tuberculosis infection to get treated by the Ministry of Public Health. Another epidemiological study is also ongoing studying children’s injuries in Lebanon, trying to find the most common causes and types of injuries among children in Lebanon. In addition, ongoing interesting project related to habits of people who do sports and their intakes of supplements, smoking or alcohol habits, is underway.

Quotes aside: Patricia Buffler (important epidemiologist) “The work of epidemiology is related to unanswered questions, but also to unquestioned answers”. Doctor John Snow (father of modern epidemiology ) “Epidemiology is the knowledge of the way in which the disease is propagated which will cause them to disappear”.

Quotes aside: Patricia Buffler (important epidemiologist) “The work of epidemiology is related to unanswered questions, but also to unquestioned answers”. Doctor John Snow (father of modern epidemiology ) “Epidemiology is the knowledge of the way in which the disease is propagated which will cause them to disappear”.

Research Action Plan:

  1. Disease Surveillance and Outbreak Investigations: This research project involves monitoring the occurrence and spread of communicable diseases through surveillance systems and investigating disease outbreaks to identify the source, mode of transmission, and risk factors. Researchers use epidemiological methods such as case-control studies, cohort studies, and molecular epidemiology to characterize the epidemiology of specific diseases and inform public health interventions.
  2. Vaccine Effectiveness and Immunization Coverage: Researchers conduct studies to evaluate the effectiveness of vaccines in preventing communicable diseases and assess immunization coverage rates within populations. These studies may involve randomized controlled trials, observational studies, or systematic reviews to measure vaccine efficacy, vaccine safety, and the impact of immunization programs on disease incidence and transmission dynamics.
  3. Antimicrobial Resistance: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses a significant threat to global public health. This research project investigates the epidemiology of antimicrobial-resistant pathogens, including the prevalence, distribution, and mechanisms of resistance. Researchers conduct surveillance studies to monitor AMR trends, assess risk factors for resistance development, and evaluate interventions to combat antimicrobial resistance in healthcare settings and communities.

Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs):

  1. Risk Factor Surveillance and Epidemiological Studies: This research project focuses on identifying and quantifying risk factors for NCDs such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, and chronic respiratory diseases. Researchers conduct population-based surveys, cohort studies, or case-control studies to assess the prevalence of risk factors such as smoking, unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, obesity, and alcohol consumption, and their association with NCD outcomes.
  2. Genetic and Environmental Determinants of NCDs: NCDs result from complex interactions between genetic susceptibility and environmental factors. This research project investigates the genetic and environmental determinants of NCDs, including gene-environment interactions, epigenetic modifications, and the influence of socio-economic, behavioral, and built environment factors on disease risk and progression.

Prominent Research:

  1. Hisham F. Bahmad, Eman Saleh, Azza Abou-El-Naga, and Bilal Azakir, Estimation of Stature from Hand Anthropometric Measurements in the Adult Lebanese Population Journal of Forensic Identification, 70, 1, 125, (2020).
  2. N Salem, S El Rawas, R Abou Chahine, Z Alwan, R Halime, L Chehade. Pain detection threshold and pain tolerance threshold in shisha smokers in lebanon-a health hazard. BAU Journal-Health and Wellbeing 2 (2), 4 (2020).
  3. “Unveiling the sleep‐cardiovascular connection: Novel perspectives and interventions—A narrative review” Accepted in “WILEY” Annals of Medicine and Surgery on December 4, 2023.
  4. “Insights into craniosynostosis management in low- and middle income countries: A narrative review of outcomes, shortcomings and pediatric neurosurgery capacity” Published in “Sage Open Medicine” in December 2023.
  5. “The measles outbreak in Indonesia an assessment of the Sthe2023 epidemic, published in September 2023 in the international journal of surgery: Global Health
  6. “Long term cognitive dysfunction after COVID-19 pandemic: a narrative review. Published in Annals of Med Surgery in September 2023
  7. “Pancreatic Cancer: from early detection to personalized treatment approaches” published in Annals of Med Surg in May 2024
  8. “Acute spinal injury in Africa: exploring long-term outcomes and future directions of acute spinal cord injury- short communication” published in august 2023 in Annals of Medicine and Surgery
  9. “Unveiling the sleep-cardiovascular connection: Novel perspectives and interventions- A narrative review” published in December 2023 in Health Science Reports Q3
  10. “Epidemiology and clinical characteristics of headache among COVID-19 patients in Lebanon: A retrospective cohort Study” published in The Egyptian Journal of neurology, Pschiatry and Neurosurgery in 2024
  11. “Insights into craniosynostosis management in low and middle income countries: A narrative review of outcomes, shortcomings and paediatric neurosurgery capacity” published in 2024 in Sage open Medicine
  12. “Severe Hyponatremia and bilateral sequential facial palsy: A case report” published in RCR Radiology case reports in August 2023
  13. “Dementia challenges in Africa: Journey through forgetfulness” Published in Health sciences reports in September 2023
  14. “Exploring strategies for building a sustainable healthcare system in AFRICA: Lessons from Japan and Switzerland” published in Annals of MEDICINE AND Surgery in January 2024

“Cholera outbreak in MALAWI: empirical assessment and lessons learnt” published in the international Journal of surgery global health in May 2024