Seasonal Influenza Vaccination Among Saudi Children: Parental Barriers and Willingness to Vaccinate Their Children in the Makkah Region.

INTRODUCTION: The influenza virus produces everything from seasonal epidemics to unexpected pandemics, making its prevention and management a worldwide public health challenge. The main method to prevent and control seasonal influenza is vaccination. Children responded quite successfully to influenza vaccinations, particularly live vaccines. Despite the strong recommendations and effectiveness of seasonal influenza vaccinations in children, some parents still hesitate and refuse to give their children the shot. OBJECTIVE: This study, given the importance of knowing the factors that contribute to parents' refusal of influenza vaccine, also aims to assess parental barriers and willingness to vaccinate their children in the Makkah region of Saudi Arabia. METHODOLOGY: This is a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted among Saudi parents in the Makkah region. For data collection, an online survey was conducted between December 1, 2022, and February 11, 2023. RESULTS: In total, 334 of the parents participated in our study. The result shows that there is a significant association between parents' gender and receiving the flu vaccine, with significantly more females (52.4%). Regarding the willingness to get the vaccine, the majority of the parents reported that they will get the vaccine and vaccinate their children, and the most common barrier that prevents parents from vaccinating their children is that they do not need it because they are healthy (21.48%). Furthermore, there is a strong relationship between educational level and knowledge about seasonal influenza vaccination; the majority of parents at each level of education have poor knowledge regarding influenza vaccines. In addition, nearly all of our participants (96.7%) believed the information provided by the Saudi Ministry of Health as well as the advice of their physicians. CONCLUSION: This study highlights the need to increase awareness, educate the parents in the Makkah region about the importance of the influenza vaccine, and encourage them to vaccinate their children.

Peripheral Primitive Neuroectodermal Tumor: A Rare Case in Pediatrics.

Primitive neuroectodermal tumors (PNETs) are a type of malignant tumors made up of small neuroectodermal-derived round cells that affect soft tissue and bone, with a wide range of clinical symptoms and histological commonalities depending on the site of the tumor. PNETs account for 4% of all pediatric and adolescent cancers. Here we report a case of a peripheral primitive neuroectodermal tumor in a five-year-old boy. Two days before admission, he complained of multiple attacks of vomiting and one episode of hematemesis, associated with subjective fever, abdominal pain, and distention. He also complained of weight loss and bruises on his face and lower extremities for the last four weeks. Upon physical examination, there was hepatomegaly to the right iliac fossa. Abdominal ultrasound showed that the liver is hugely enlarged with heterogeneous echo texture and smooth borders. A computed tomography scan with contrast showed hepatomegaly to the right iliac fossa region with no focal lesion. Bone marrow aspiration and bone marrow biopsy showed heavy infiltration by monomorphic cells. Moreover, liver biopsy was done for this patient, and it showed metastatic undifferentiated neuroblastoma. Before the liver biopsy results, the patient deteriorated rapidly and dead. Therefore, peripheral primitive neuroectodermal tumors (pPNETs) should be considered in the differential diagnosis of liver masses in young patients to early diagnosis and treatment, and to increase the survival rate.

Knowledge of and attitude toward attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) assessed among primary schoolteachers of Makkah City in Saudi Arabia.

Background: One of the most prevalent pediatric medical conditions is attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). It is characterized by symptoms of hyperactivity, impulsivity, and/or inattention. The first people to notice a child's ADHD symptoms are typically their teachers, who may then offer data that are typically helpful in its diagnosis. The purpose of this study was to assess teachers' knowledge of ADHD, its causes and etiology, as well as the key demographic factors that influence said knowledge. Method: The study was conducted among schoolteachers of primary schools located in different regions of Makkah City, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. We used a stratified random sampling technique to collect our sample, with the inclusion criteria being teachers who were working in a primary school and who were directly involved in teaching students. Data analysis was performed using the IBM SPSS Statistics software version 21. Results: We received 335 responses to our questionnaire. The age of the participants ranged from 18 to 59 years, with the mean age being 40.2 ± 13.8 years. About 66.9% of teachers were women. Most of the teachers in this sample had a bachelor's degree (73.4%), and only 21.8% had diplomas. Regarding the years of teaching experience, 34.6% had teaching experience exceeding 20 years, whereas 20.6% had less than five years of teaching experience. Regarding general knowledge of the teachers, (5.4%) of the teachers had a good level of knowledge. Only 63.6% of teachers were aware that ADHD students frequently struggled with task and activity organization, and only 7.5% of teachers had good knowledge of ADHD treatment, compared to 40.9% who had a good awareness of symptoms and diagnosis. Only the teachers' education level was significantly associated with their knowledge level of ADHD: 25% of teachers with a postgraduate degree had an overall good level of knowledge versus 2.7% of those with a diploma (P = 0.006). Conclusion: The findings of this study lead to the conclusion that elementary school instructors have an inadequate understanding of ADHD. Some teachers misunderstand the signs and general facts associated with ADHD, thereby indicating the need for further training in this area.

The Relationship Between Smoking and Multiple Sclerosis Severity in Saudi Arabia.

Introduction Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease that can be disabling to patients. Smoking has been proposed to be a risk factor for MS and to increase the risk of progression of the disease and its severity. However, it is still not clear how smoking affects people with MS (PwMS) regarding disease phenotype, symptoms, relapses, course, and disability. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of smoking on PwMS in Saudi Arabia. Methods This is an online questionnaire-based cross-sectional study. PwMS were randomly contacted through different MS societies and associations to participate in the study. The questionnaire inquired about demographics, MS phenotype and severity, and smoking status of the participants. Data were collected between May 30, 2021, and July 5, 2021. Results Four hundred twenty-nine PwMS participated in the study. The mean age was 33.7, with a mean disease duration of 8.1 years. About 61.1% of the participants were female. About 62.2% did not know the specific MS phenotype they have. About 35.7% were current or previous smokers, with a mean smoking duration of 13.9 years. Smoking was significantly associated with the presence of multiple MS symptoms (p-value = 0.009) and their number (p-value = 0.050). In addition, there was a significant positive correlation between pack-years smoking and the number of MS symptoms with a Pearson's r value of 0.165 (p-value = 0.001). No significant associations were found between smoking and recent relapses and disease progression, disability in terms of walking, needing a cane, or needing a wheelchair. Conclusion Smoking was shown to have a significant effect on the number of symptoms experienced by PwMS. Higher pack-years of smoking correlates positively and significantly with a higher number of MS symptoms. Further studies to examine these relations are hence warranted.