Knowledge of mpox and its determinants among the healthcare personnel in Arabic regions: A multi-country cross-sectional study.

Background & aim: The monkeypox virus (MPXV), an Orthopoxvirus family member, is the zoonotic agent that causes mpox (formerly known as monkeypox). The ongoing mpox pandemic has caused cases across continents involving 110 countries. This study aimed to assess mpox knowledge and its determinants among healthcare personnel. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted from June 6 to June 25, 2022, among 17 Arab countries. The self-administered questionnaire consists of 53 questions assessing the knowledge about the monkeypox virus. Results: In total, 5874 medical students and clinical doctors from 17 Arab countries participated in this study. Only 13.8% (n = 812) of respondents have ever received information about mpox during their studies in medicine. The mean knowledge score was 13.84, and the median score was 15 (range 1-34). More than half (51.3%, n = 3012) have heard about mpox before. A low proportion of the participants had a good level of knowledge on mpox. Only 11.7% of respondents had correctly identified the natural host and the incubation period of mpox. More than half (58.9%) were aware of the signs and symptoms of mpox. Few respondents (28%) believed that mpox and smallpox have similar signs and symptoms. Specialist doctors had higher knowledge of mpox (AOR = 2.96, 95% CI = 2.24-3.92, p < 0.001) than other cadres. Conclusion: Mpox awareness among Arabic medical students and practitioners is low; hence immediate action in creating awareness among arab healthcare professionals is the need of the hour. This is crucial in the mpox early detection and prevention of its spread.

Heterotopic Gastric Mucosa Presenting as Lower Gastrointestinal Bleeding: An Unusual Case Report.

Heterotopic gastric mucosa (HGM) is gastric mucosal tissue outside the stomach. It can be discovered anywhere throughout the gastrointestinal tract and is mostly asymptomatic. HGM, although rare beyond the ligament of Treitz, should be included in the differential diagnosis in a young patient with a polyp causing obstructive symptoms or bleeding. Very few cases are published in literature. We describe a case of young male who presented with an episode of large amount of melena, from a bleeding jejunal lesion, diagnosed by endoscopy. Laparotomy and wedge resection of the jejunal lesion was done, and histopathology showed gastric heterotopia in a small jejunal diverticulum.