Workers In Qatar Research Articles

Comparison of intestinal parasitic infection in newly arrived and resident workers in Qatar

BackgroundThe rapid growth of Qatar in the last two decades has been associated with an enormous expansion of building programs in its cities and in the provision of new service industries. This in turn has attracted a large influx of immigrant workers seeking employment in jobs associated with food handling, domestic service and the building industry. Many of these immigrants come from countries in the tropics and subtropics where intestinal parasitic infections are common.MethodsWe analyzed intestinal parasitic infections recorded in 2008 among immigrant and long-term resident workers in Doha city, Qatar (n = 1538). Stool examinations were carried out at the Hamad Medical Corporation and at the Medical Commission in Doha using standard procedures.ResultsOverall, 21.5% of subjects were infected with at least one of the species recorded (8 helminth and 4 protozoan species; the highest prevalence was for hookworms = 8.3%) and there were strong regional effects on prevalence of helminths, with subjects from North East Africa and Nepal showing particularly high prevalence. Most helminths declined in prevalence in subjects that acquired residency status in Qatar, especially among female subjects, but there was a marked exception among male Nepalese workers, who continued to harbour helminth infections (notably hookworms) after they became residents. Contrary to all other regional groups the prevalence of Giardia duodenalis was higher among Nepalese residents compared with new arrivals, while Blastocystis hominis infections were more common among residents of all regions, and especially among North East Africans.ConclusionsOur analysis has identified male Nepalese workers as a particular risk group continuing to harbour hookworm infection and G. duodenalis as residents, and subjects from North East Africa are as particularly likely to acquire B. hominis infection after settling in the country. These conclusions have important implications for the health authorities in Qatar.

Attitudes toward expatriate and labor migrant workersin the Arab Gulf countries: mixed results from Qatar

This paper presents an overview of Qatari citizens’ attitudes toward expatriate and labor migrant workers in Qatar. It is based on the first ‘scientific’ survey of Qatari citizens and residents (expatriates and labor migrants) conducted by the Qatar University Social and Economic Survey Research Institute (SESRI) in May/June 2010. The main objectives of this paper were threefold: first, to assess Qatari attitudes towards the presence of these expatriate and labor migrant workers in Qatar. Do Qatari citizens support or oppose the restrictions on the number of foreign workers in the country? How do they evaluate the number of expatriate and labor migrant workers present in the country? Second, to evaluate whether these attitudes translate into negative or positive attitudes toward migrant workers and their contribution to Qatar? Do Qatari citizens think that expatriate and labor migrant workers strengthen their country and help to build its economy, or do they think they weaken the country and put a strain on its resources? Finally, the paper will present and analyze Qatari citizens’ attitudes toward the sponsorship system or Kafala. Do Qatari citizens support the change of the sponsorship system to make the migrant workers more dependent on their employees, less dependent on their employees, or do they want to maintain the status quo. The paper makes use of univariate, bivariate and multivariate analyses and differences will be determined using chi-squared and t-tests. The mean number of responses to certain questions will be compared across the demographic groups to highlight subgroup differences.

Enhancing the development impact of remittances: a study ofdirect payment and savings facilities for Filipino workers in Qatar

International remittances are playing an increasingly important role in the economies of developing countries. Aside from being an important source of foreign exchange for many recipient countries, recent research has shown that households that receive remittances are more likely to leave poverty status, to send their children to school and to invest in small enterprises, health, education and housing. While remittances bring numerous benefits to households in developing countries, little is known about the extent to which remittance flows are reduced by the fact that migrants have limited ability to monitor and control how remittances are spent by beneficiaries. This research aims to investigate whether the introduction of new, innovative financial services can enhance the ability of migrants to save, monitor and control how their remittances are utilized. In partnership with a financial institution in the Philippines, we have designed two new financial products that will be offered randomly via a field experiment, to a sample of Filipino migrants in Qatar enrolled in this study. The first financial product is a commitment savings account that has the potential to raise household savings for clients with self-control concerns. The second financial product is a direct (bill) payment facility that allows a migrant to pay vendors in the Philippines directly. The offer of financial services to the migrant is to enable them to either save more of their remittances (using the commitment savings account) and/or make payments directly to vendors in the Philippines (with the direct payment facility), as opposed to having their families back home arrange payments. All subjects in Qatar and their origin households in the Philippines will be administered a baseline survey covering employment, income and expenses, level of remittances, financial services used and desired and savings. A follow-up survey will be administered later to the migrant and their households in order to determine the use of the new products and its impact on the level and use of remittances or more generally household expenditures.

Pandemic influenza A/H1N1 vaccination uptake among health care workers in Qatar: Motivators and barriers

Influenza A/H1N1 new vaccine helps control disease spread. Cross-sectional survey was conducted at PHC & Emergency Departments in Qatar to determine influenza A/H1N1 vaccination rate among HCWs and associated factors, 523 HCWs were enrolled. The study showed that 13.4% HCWs received vaccination. Feeling protected strongly influenced vaccination decision (OR=14.5). Uncertainty about vaccine efficacy and fear of side effects strongly influenced decision to reject the vaccine (OR=0.3 and 0.2 respectively). Vaccination coverage was very low. The most common barriers were uncertainty about vaccine efficacy and fear of side effects. Health authorities should build message highlighting how the benefit of vaccination outweighs risk.

Hepatitis E in Qatar imported by expatriate workers from Nepal: Epidemiological characteristics and clinical manifestations

Prompted by cases of acute hepatitis in expatriate workers presenting at Alkhor Hospital, Qatar, a limited prospective observational study was conducted from July 2005 to June 2006 to determine the epidemiological and clinical features of patients (predominantly Nepalese) presenting with acute hepatitis. Countrywide during that period samples from 86 Nepalese presenting at different centers were found to be anti-HEV IgG positive and 50 of these were also positive for anti-HEV IgM. Fifty-eight of those Nepalese were seen and treated at Alkhor Hospital and of them 43 were confirmed as cases of acute HEV, being positive for both anti-HEV IgM and IgG. The remaining 15 were diagnosed as probable cases of acute HEV on the basis of clinical and epidemiological similarity. It seems likely that transit in Kathmandu in reportedly unsanitary conditions was the focus of infection. In some of those examined at Alkhor, ultrasound detected a thickened gallbladder wall in 30 of 39 (76.9%) with two cases having clinical acalcular cholecystitis. Higher levels of alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase were associated with severe disease and derangement in coagulation. On the available evidence hepatitis E was imported by expatriate workers and it is clear that medical screening of these workers pre- and post-arrival must be improved to prevent further outbreaks. It is also essential that health care workers in Qatar are made aware of this ongoing problem of imported HEV and understand the variable presentation of the condition.

Patterns of infection with intestinal parasites in Qatar among food handlers and housemaids from different geographical regions of origin

Intestinal parasitic infections were surveyed among recently arrived immigrant workers in Qatar destined for employment in food handling occupations. Two overlapping datasets (female workers surveyed in 2005 and 2006, and both sexes in 2006) were analyzed. Seven species were detected, 3 nematodes ( Trichuris trichiura, hookworms and Ascaris lumbricoides) and 4 protozoans ( Entamoeba histolytica/ dispar, non-pathogenic Entamoebae, Blastocystis hominis and Giardia lamblia). Overall prevalence of infections, all species combined was 33.9% (13.6% for nematodes and 24.8% for protozoa). There was a significant female bias in the prevalence of all species combined, all protozoans combined, T. trichiura and A. lumbricoides. Among females, the prevalence of many species fell between 2005 and 2006, but G. lamblia almost tripled and E. histolytica/ dispar increased 10-fold. Africa workers were less likely to carry T. trichiura and hookworms but more likely to have gastrointestinal protozoa. The highest overall prevalence of T. trichiura was 26.3% among females from the Philippines in 2005. None of the Indonesian workers were infected with A. lumbricoides whereas those from the Indian sub-continent and the Philippines were more likely to carry hookworms. Quantitative data reflecting abundance of infection (summary statistics are provided), showed the same trends but could not be analyzed further because of the overall low prevalence of each of the species detected. Multiple species infections were not common, although some individuals (0.1%) had 5 species concurrently.

Prevalence and determinants of lower urinary tract symptoms among expatriate male workers in Qatar

<b>Objectives:</b>0 To estimate the prevalence and determinants of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), in male expatriate workers in Qatar and to assess the impact of LUTS on the quality of life (QoL). <b> MATERIALS AND Methods:</b>0 A number of 570 male expatriate workers aged 20 to 63 years, mostly of Indian origin (87%), were interviewed orally by trained interviewers. The International Prostate Symptoms Score (IPSS) questionnaire was used for the assessment of LUTS and QoL. <b> Results:</b>0 The mean age of the study population was 40 years (SD 9.2). Overall, 52% of the study population reported at least one urinary symptom. The most frequent symptom was nocturia (31%,) and the most infrequent straining (11%). Twenty-one percent of the men had moderate or severe LUTS (IPSS score > 7). The prevalence of storage symptoms was significantly higher than that of voiding symptoms in all age groups. LUTS was not associated with nationality, smoking, or body mass index. Men with diabetes (OR= 1.4, 95% CI 0.8-2.3) or hypertension (OR= 1.4, 95% CI 0.8-2.3) were slightly at higher risk of LUTS, than those without diabetes or hypertension. Men with moderate (OR = 4.1, 95% CI 2.3-7.4) or severe LUTS (OR = 12.8, 95% CI 4.6-36.0), had poorer quality of life, compared to those with no or mild symptoms. <b> Conclusions:</b>0 Lower urinary tract symptoms, especially storage symptoms, are common in young male expatriates in Qatar. LUTS has a strong negative impact on the quality of life.

“From Qatar to the World” Abstracts Presented at International Conferences /or Published in Medical Journals

Objectives: to estimate the prevalence and determinants of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), in male expatriate workers in Qatar and to assess the impact of LUTS on the quality of life (Qol).

Hepatitis E—An important cause of imported non‐A, non‐B hepatitis among migrant workers in Qatar

In 1985, Glynn et al. [Journal of Medical Virology 17:371-375] reported on epidemic viral hepatitis in Qatar and concluded that 72% (91/126) had acute enterically transmitted non-A, non-B viral hepatitis (ET-NANBH). Most of the patients (98%) presented within 8 weeks of arrival in Qatar and were migrant workers from the Indian subcontinent. The data was reanalysed for evidence of infection with hepatitis E virus (HEV). Seventy-eight of 91 (86%) of stored sera were still suitable for analysis since collection in 1981. A newly described enzyme immunoassay (EIA) for both IgG and IgM anti-HEV was used (Abbott Laboratories, Delkenheim, Germany); 59/78 (76%) were positive for either or both assays. All but two were from the Indian subcontinent. The data suggest that HEV was the major cause of ET-NANBH in Qatar in 1981, particularly among newly arrived migrant workers from the Indian subcontinent.