: Vaccines are one of the best interventions developed for eradicating COVID-19,. The aim of this study to provide evidence on Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine side effects. : A cross-sectional survey study was conducted between January and April 2021 to collect data on the effects of COVID-19 vaccine among individuals in the UAE. Demographic data. vaccination, and the response of people not willing to take COVID-19 vaccine were reported. : The most common side effects of post 1st dose (≤49 years old vs >49 years) were normal injection site pain, fatigue, and headache, while pain at the vaccination site, fatigue, lethargy, headache, and tenderness were the most side effects of the post 2nd dose in both groups. All the side effects in both doses were more prevalent among the participants ≤ 49-year-old group. Among female's vs males, side effects were more common in females compared with males in both doses. . The most common reason of not willing to take the COVID-19 vaccine were the vaccines are not effective. : The 1st and 2nd dose post-vaccination side effects were mild, predictable, and there were no hospitalization cases, this data will help to reduce the vaccine hesitancy.

Background: Knowledge, attitudes, perception, and preventative practices regarding coronavirus- 2019 (COVID-19) are crucial in its prevention and control. Several studies have noted that the majority of people in sub-Saharan African are noncompliant with proposed health and safety measures recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) and respective country health departments. In most sub-Saharan African countries, noncompliance is attributable to ignorance and misinformation, thereby raising questions about people’s knowledge, attitudes, perception, and practices towards COVID-19 in these settings. This situation is particularly of concern for governments and public health experts. Thus, this scoping review is aimed at mapping evidence on the knowledge, attitudes, perceptions, and preventive practices (KAP) towards COVID-19 in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Methods: Systematic searches of relevant articles were performed using databases such as the EBSCOhost, PubMed, Science Direct, Google Scholar, the WHO library and grey literature. Arksey and O’Malley’s framework guided the study. The risk of bias for included primary studies was assessed using the Mixed Method Appraisal Tool (MMAT). NVIVO version 10 was used to analyse the data and a thematic content analysis was used to present the review’s narrative account. Results: A total of 3037 eligible studies were identified after the database search. Only 28 studies met the inclusion criteria after full article screening and were included for data extraction. Studies included populations from the following SSA countries: Ethiopia, Nigeria, Cameroon, Uganda, Rwanda, Ghana, Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, and Sierra Leone. All the included studies showed evidence of knowledge related to COVID-19. Eleven studies showed that participants had a positive attitude towards COVID-19, and fifteen studies showed that participants had good practices towards COVID-19. Conclusions: Most of the participants had adequate knowledge related to COVID-19. Despite adequate knowledge, the attitude was not always positive, thereby necessitating further education to convey the importance of forming a positive attitude and continuous preventive practice towards reducing contraction and transmission of COVID‐19.

Candida auris, a newly-emerging Candida species, is a serious global health threat due to its multi-drug resistant pattern, difficulty to diagnose, and the high mortality associated with its invasive and bloodstream infections. Unlike C. albicans, and C. dubliniensis which can form true hyphae, C. auris grows as yeast or pseudohyphae and is capable of developing biofilms. The reasons for the inability of C. auris to form true hyphae are currently unknown. Metabolites secreted by microorganisms, including Candida, are known as important factors in controlling morphogenesis and pathogenesis. Metabolic profiling of C. auris and C. albicans cultures was performed using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). Compared to C. albicans, C. auris secreted several hyphae-inhibiting metabolites, including phenylethyl, benzyl and isoamyl alcohols. Furthermore, a biofilm-forming metabolite—tyrosol—was identified. On the other hand, several other biomarkers identified from C. auris but not from C. albicans cultures may be produced by the organism to overcome the host immune system or control fungal adaptations, and hence ease its invasion and infections. The results from this study are considered as the first identification of C. auris metabolic activities as a step forward to understand its virulence mechanisms.

Introduction: The emergence of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has rapidly transformed the pre-existing worldwide sexual and reproductive health environment. The provision and supply of contraceptives, and a wide variety of sexual health, new-born, and maternal health services have been seriously affected. Thus, this scoping review mapped the available evidence on the impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak on sexual and reproductive health. Methods: Arksey and O’Malley’s methodological framework guided this scoping review. A search was conducted from the following databases: Embase, PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus, WOS, and AJOL. The preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) chart and PRISMA extension for scoping reviews (PRISMA-ScR) checklist were used to document the review process. The McMaster critical review checklist was used to determine the quality of the included studies. Thematic analyses were conducted using NVivo version 12. Results: Three studies showed evidence on the impact of COVID-19 and family planning services, six studies reported on maternal and child services and eleven studies reported on sexual health (sexual behavior). Limited access to family planning use, reduction in multiple sexual partnership, decreased transactional sex, and maternal and child services disruption were some impacts reported in the included studies. Conclusion: This study has demonstrated the impacts of COVID-19 on family planning access, multiple sexual partnership, transactional sex, and disruption of maternal and child health services. Interventions that will consider the immediate availability of and access to all sexual and reproductive health services should be prioritized.

Since the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is a worldwide pandemic, many countries’ authorities, including the Iraqi authorities, started responding and taking action to control the spread of the pandemic. The public’s knowledge and practices play an important role in curbing the spreading of the virus by following the health guidelines. This study aimed to assess the socio-demographic correlate of knowledge and practices of Iraqi living in Mosul-Iraq towards COVID-19 during its rapid rise. A cross-sectional online survey of 909 participants was conducted among a sample of the Mosul-Iraq population between 20^th June to 1^st July 2020. The survey included three parts: 1) socio-demographic characteristics, 2) participants’ knowledge, 3) participants’ practices. T-test, ANOVA, chi-square, and binary logistic regression were used. A p-value less than 0.05 (p < 0.05) was considered statistically significant. The results showed a knowledge and practice mean score of (12.91±1.67) and (21.56± 2.92) with cumulative knowledge and practice of 86% and 76% respectively towards COVID-19. Socio-demographic characteristics such as age, marital status, gender, level of education and employment were statistically related with a higher mean score of knowledge and practice towards the virus as P<0.05. We concluded that the majority of the respondents demonstrate a high level of knowledge and practices towards COVID-19 except for respondents with socio-demographic characteristics such as those who were younger, male respondents, those with lower education and those unemployed as such campaigns that will increase the knowledge and encourage adequate preventive practice towards COVID-19 should be targeted towards this group.

Foodborne illnesses are a widespread and growing public health concern worldwide. The aim of this study was to investigate the knowledge, practices, and risk perception pertaining to food safety among females living in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE). A questionnaire-based cross-sectional study was undertaken consisting of 827 female participants between January to April 2020. The study showed that the overall food safety risk perception was below satisfactory (53.3%). The highest score was seen in the “recognition of foodborne illnesses” aspect (76.7%). The participants were aware of “personal hygiene and cleaning” (61.7%), “cross-contamination prevention” (62.5%), “food purchasing” (60.0%), and “storage of frozen foods” (55.6%). The participants had a low level of knowledge pertaining to “food cooking” (26.0%) and “risk of microbiological infection” (13.3%). There was a statistically significant (p ≤ 0.05) association between knowledge and practices of respondents with employment status, age, and educational levels. In conclusion, the female respondents might act as vehicles for the spread of foodborne illnesses. To reduce this risk, providing food safety awareness programs to this portion of the population is paramount.