Reproductive Health and Infectious Disease in the Middle East

First published in 1998, this book covers a variety of health issues in the contemporary Middle east. Its thirteen chapters, contributed by a total of 23 authors and co-authors, reflect several different disciplines relevant for health studies, including epidemiology, economics and anthropology. In the field of reproductive health, there are chapters on maternal health indicators, fertility, infertility and the utilization of family planning services. In the field of infectious disease there are chapters on schistosomiasis, HIV/AIDS, hepatitis C, and Rift Valley Fever. Several different parts of the Middle East and North Africa are covered, including Tunisia, Egypt, Israel, Palestine and Lebanon. Problems of reproductive health and infectious disease in the region are seen to be more serious than generally recognised. There are significant cultural and political obstacles in both areas. A particular need is for greater empowerment of women as both clients and providers within the health care systems.

Robin Barlow, Joseph W. Brown

Part 1. Reproductive Health. 1. Introduction to Reproductive Health in the Middle East. Joseph W. Brown. 2. Profiling Maternal Health in Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, and Syria. Oona Campbell and Gillian Lwando-Hundt with Members of the Maximizing Arab Maternal Health (MAMAH) Network. 3. Contraceptive Use Dynamics and Reproductive Morbidity in Lebanon: Evidence from Family Planning Clinic Data. Nada Moudallal and Kannan Navaneetham. 4. Evaluation of Factors Influencing the Cost-Effectiveness of Mobile Family Planning Units in Tunisia. Dayl S. Donaldson. 5. Fertility and Family Planning in a West Bank Village. Aida J. Hudson. 6. Infertility and the Quest for Conception in Eqypt. Marcia C. Inhorn. Part 2. Infectious Disease. 7. Introduction to Infectious Disease in the Middle East. Robin Barlow. 8. Schistosomiasis in Egypt: A Current Assessment. F. DeWolfe Miller. 9. A New Procedure to Assess Individual Risk of Exposure to Schistosomiasis Cercariae. Maha Talaat, Knut M. Wittkowski, Mohamed H. Husein and Rashida Barakat. 10. Knowledge of Risks of HIV Infection and Methods of Prevention among Women in Three Beirut Hospitals. Knut M. Wittkowski, Karl G. Damiani, Hassan A. Dbouk, Ghassan I. Gholmieh, Ali H. Hashem, Rabieh H. Hijazi, Sarah I. Husseini and Jean-Elie S. Tabbal. 11. Politics and the Spread of HIV/AIDS in the Middle East. Inon I. Schenker. 12. Rift Valley Fever in the Middle East: An Example of Medical Poltical Cooperation in the Control of Zoonotic and Emerging Infectious Diseases. Sanford F. Kuvin. 13. Hepatitis C Virus Epidemiology in Egypt. F. DeWolfe Miller.