Evaluation The Activities of Health Control Staff and Laboratories Staff for The Control of Cholera Epidemic In Al-Hilla City

Abstract

Background: Cholera is one of intestinal disease conceded life-threatening can spread rapidly from place to another and cause epidemic, affecting the population. The causative agent of cholera is gram-negative bacterium called Vibrio cholera. In 2015 Iraq was faced an outbreak of cholera .There are many activities for the control of cholera epidemic that provided by health control staff and laboratories staff which included measuring the ratio of chlorine in the water and the health control.Objective: To evaluate the activities of health control staff and laboratories staff for the control of cholera epidemic in Al-Hilla city, and determine the relationship between the activities of staff with demographic variables.Methodology: descriptive study was conducted in primary health care centers of Al-Hilla city, from the period November 4th 2015 to March 10th 2016, the samples (simple random sample) collected from 20 centers for primary health care. The sample were collected through a structured interviewing questionnaire constructed with the staff of health control unit and laboratories through using the Likert scales three-level (always, sometimes, never) according to a national plan to control of cholera epidemic. Reliability of the questionnaire estimated through a pilot study and the validity through (14) experts. The data analyzed by using descriptive and inferential statistical measures.Result:The findings of the study show that the majority (93.3%) of the health control staff are moderately active toward control of cholera. No significant relationship between the activities of health control staff and their demographic data at (P <0.05) except with their occupation, levels of education, and years of services, the study results indicate that there is a significant relationship. The activities of laboratory staff toward cholera control is moderate.No significant relationship between the activities of laboratory staff and their demographic data at (P <0.05).Conclusion: most the staff of the health control units were men and the laboratories of primary health care centers do not investigate any sample, collect the samples and send it to laboratory of public health, This might delay the emergence of the results.Recommendation: The study recommended increasing the focus on the importance of the activities for control the epidemic of cholera, especially the activities that provided by primary health care centers because it is the first line of defense and the closest to the community and the provision of materials for the investigation of samples in primary health care centers and out the results of the initial then sent it to the laboratory of public health for confirm .and the need to increase female staff work in health control units to deal with women when visiting homes or places for women, such as bathrooms in schools, Institutes and colleges.