Introduction: With the widely use of pesticides in agriculture, poisoning cases have started to be reported more frequently. One of the most common causes of pesticide poisoning is Endosulfan. Case presentation: 12 people having a dinner together applied to the district government hospital for medical care with the complaints of nausea and vomiting. 5 patients (71.4%) had undergone tonic-clonic seizures in the emergency department. Data of 8 patients who were transferred to 3 different hospitals in the City Center was obtained. One of the patients being transferred to City Center had cardiac arrest during the transferring and died in the emergency room. There was agitation in 3 patients before seizure. After seizure 3 patients, who had Glasgow Coma Score of 6, were intubated. Conclusion: Endosulfan is an organochlorine pesticide and non-fatal poisonings due to endosulfan are seen frequently. Poisoning cases are seen more frequently in developing countries such as our country. Endosulfan toxicity can be seen usually after spraying in people engaged in agriculture, while rarely is reported due to food contamination. In our patients, as a result of accidental mixing of endosulfan to dinner, toxicity developed and one of them (the one who prepared dinner) died.

The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of brucellosis in sheep, goats, cows and human who are at risk in Diyarbakir region. From ten locations obtained in Diyarbakir, blood samples were collected from sheep, goats and cows belonging to different herds and man who are at risk between 2007 and 2009 years. The blood samples were tested using the Microagglutination (MAT) technique. Seropositivity by using MAT technique on the collected blood samples were positive on 60 (35.2%) of 170 sera taken from the veterinarian, slaughterhouse staff, butchers and growers. Also the positivity rates were 20 (2.9%) of 680, 5 (0.7%) of 725 and 25 (4.3%) of 575 for sera samples taken from cows, sheep and goats, respectively. Consequently, seropositivity is obtained high for animals and individuals who are under risk according to the other regions in Turkey. It is considered that brucellosis can be decreased by informing the individuals who are under risk about the infection of this illness and the works about this subject.

Objectives: To determine the vaccination coverage of children living in the South-east Anatolian Project (SEAP) region; whether the vaccination coverage was similar to format reports, other studies and other countries; and which factors influence vaccination, in order to indicate how vaccination coverage can be improved.Study design: A descriptive cross-sectional. study conducted in nine provinces of the SEAP region in order to determine public health problems and their causes.Methods: A population-based sample of 1150 houses was selected from rural and urban areas of the SEAP region and visited by the researchers. Questionnaires were applied in 2001 and 2002.Results: In the SEAP region, only 30% of children had received a complete set of vaccines. The vaccination coverage was 76.7% for Bacille Calmette-Guerin; 62.0% for the third doses of diphtheria, tetanus toxoid, pertussis and polio vaccine; 62.7% for measles; 44% for the third dose of hepatitis B vaccine in children aged 12-23 months; and 13.3% for the second dose of tetanus toxoid in women who gave birth in the Last 5 years. In logistic regression analysis, residence type, number of siblings, birth interval, follow-up visits of midwives, and maternal Level of education were found to influence whether children were completely vaccinated.Conclusions: The findings of this study indicate that vaccination coverage is not acceptable in the SEAP region. Efforts must focus on family planning services, education of women, follow-up visits and strengthening health facilities, especially in rural regions, to improve vaccination. (c) 2005 The Royal Institute of Public Health. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

OBJECTIVES:Many trace elements have activator or inhibitor roles in the antioxidative defense systems in diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD). In this study, we aimed to show the levels of trace elements with action in oxidative stress, and to show the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) as a marker of oxidative stress, and the activity of paraoxonase (PON1) as an antioxidant in COPD and smokers. METHODS:We included 25 patients with COPD, and 20 healthy non-smokers in the study. We selected them from the hospitalized patients at the Hospital of Dicle University, Turkey, between April 2003 and January 2004. The clinical condition of the patients was stable. RESULTS:The serum copper (Cu) and MDA concentrations in COPD patients were higher than the control group. There were no differences in zinc (Zn) concentration and Cu/Zn ratio between COPD patients and the control group. We found lower serum PON1 activities in COPD patients compared with the control group. There was no statistically significant difference in Zn concentration and Cu/Zn ratio between smokers and non-smokers in COPD. There were statistically significant differences in Cu, MDA concentrations and serum PON1 activities between smokers and non-smokers in COPD. CONCLUSION:We could suggest that trace elements such as Cu, oxidants and antioxidants such as MDA and PON1 have roles in oxidative stress, and in COPD.

Objective To determine attitudes towards family size and last pregnancies in order to improve family planning services in the Southeast Anatolian Project (SEAP) region. Methods A questionnaire survey in the nine SEAP regional provinces was carried out under the auspices of the ‘SEAP Public Health Project’ from 2001 to 2002. The participants comprised 1756 women and 661 men from 1126 households. Results For men and women aged 15 years and over the median ideal number of children was three. The rate of unintended last pregnancies (43.1%) in the present study was very high compared to the national average of 18.8%. Some 30.1% of the last pregnancies were unwanted by either partner. Conclusions The number of pregnancies and children in this region is approximately twice as high as the ideal number. Families in the region are having more children than they want. Basic education must be given to women, particularly non-Turkish speakers, to improve their knowledge and use of family planning. Family planning education for men in rural areas also needs special attention.

Objectives The aim of this study was to evaluate contraceptive use by women of reproductive age in the Southeast Anatolian Project Region and the promotion of the use of family planning services. Methods An optimum sample size to represent the rural and urban area of the region was determined and the sample was chosen by sampling method proportional to the size. A total of 1126 houses were visited and questions about reproductive health were asked of 1019 ever-married (currently married, widows and divorced) women. Results The study showed that 48.2% of the ever-married women of reproductive age had never used any method of family planning; 37.4% were currently using a family planning method, and 14.4% had used a family planning method in the past. Of the women who were currently using a family planning method, 73.1% were using an effective method. The result of the logistic regression analysis showed that educational level, knowledge of Turkish, type of residence, and total number of living children were the main variables that affected the use of family planning methods. Conclusions Use of family planning methods in the region was not at the expected level. In order to decrease the barriers to family planning in developing countries, we must provide obtainable, acceptable, integrated health services.

Untreated waste water usage in agriculture is an important health-threatening issue which could affect both workers' and the public's health. In this study we researched hepatitis E infection in 46 of 57 farmers who used untreated waste water in agriculture. We compared them with 45 persons of the same socio-economic status and age. Anti-HEV seropositivity was 34.8% in the workers and 4.4% in the control group. We suggest that this type of irrigation is an important potential risk for hepatitis E infection.

BACKGROUND:Mycoplasma pneumoniae is a well known causative agent of infection in childhood but clinical presentation may be variable. History and physical examination may not be so helpful for the diagnosis. It is difficult to culture this infectious agent, with the culture technique for the multiplication of the organism for routine investigation hard to obtain. The determination of exposure and prevalence of the disease of any region should be helpful for clinical diagnosis. In this study, we aimed to determine the seroprevalence of M. pneumoniae in children aged 0-14 years in Diyarbakir and establish the distribution of infection prevalence of various age groups of children. METHODS:Thirty streets were determined according to the cluster method for the 0-6 years age group. In this age group, a total of 180 blood samples were collected; so that there were 30 samples for each age. For children aged 7-14 years, elementary school children were selected. There were 70 elementary schools in the city and 14 schools were randomly selected according to the randomized numbers table with a 20% sample. Finally, 276 blood samples were collected. Mycoplasma pneumoniae was determined by using the enzyme immunoassay method. For this method MELOTEST Mycoplasma IgG reagent was used. RESULTS:The highest seropositivity rate was encountered at 10 years of age (65%) and lowest was at 2 years of age (0%). The overall M. pneumoniae seropositivity was 27% when all ages were considered together. The first 2 years of age excluded this rate and was 31.9%. A sudden increase of seropositivity was observed at 7 years of age. CONCLUSIONS:Increasing seroprevalence rates of M. pneumoniae after 2 years of age should alert clinicians to consider the organism in the differential diagnosis of infectious diseases in this age group. The low seroprevalence rates in the first 2 years of age was thought to be due to low risk of community-based spread of the organism in this age group. The most prominent increase in seroprevalence was at 10 years of age. This data indicated that M. pneumoniae should be kept in mind while making differential diagnosis of infections. The spreading of disease and community-based transmission is also important to consider. In our study, seroprevalence rates increased at 6 and 7 years of age, at the beginning of the school age as community-based transmission takes place most commonly in crowded circumstances. In conclusion, M. pneumoniae should be thought as an important infectious agent in childhood for all age groups.

This study was performed to describe the prevalence rates of allergic diseases among children in southeast Anatolia. A questionnaire survey of children six to 15 years old was conducted using a modified version of the Turkish translated ISAAC protocol, with additional questions concerning sociodemographic and environmental characteristics of children that could be potential risk factors for allergic disorders. Questionnaires were distributed to parents of all children aged below 11 years and to children themselves aged over 11 for completion. A total of 3,040 children returned the questionnaires. The lifetime prevalence rates of asthma, wheezing, allergic rhinitis and atopic dermatitis were 14.1%, 22.4%, 12.9%, and 7.8%, respectively. The prevalence of wheezing, rhinitis and chronic rash in the last 12 months were 14.7%, 39.9%, and 11.8%, respectively. The prevalence rates of symptoms and diagnoses of allergic disorders were similar in boys and girls. Passive smoking, pet ownership, number of household and socioeconomic status were not significant risk factors for allergic diseases. Family history of atopy was the most prominent risk factor for all types of allergic diseases, high prevalence rates of asthma, rhinitis and eczema exist among schoolchildren in southeast Anatolia.