Epidemiological Features of COVID-19 Epidemic in Basrah-Southern Iraq-First Report
Background: COVID- 19 expanded from an outbreak in China to a devastating pandemic across the world. .Objective: To describe the epidemiology of COVID-19 in Basrah Province-Southern IraqMethods: Data were obtained from the Department of Public Health in Basrah and the daily communique of the Ministry of Health. Data on population were obtained from the Ministry of Planning. For all provinces the total number of cases and their fate in terms of being under treatment, cured or died was obtained. For cases in Basrah, data on age, sex, residence, fate, travel history and presence of co-morbidity for 152 cases.Results: In Basrah, The mean age was 46 years (Median 45 years) and the range was 13-98 years. No difference in the risk of COVID-19 was related to sex. Geographical variation was inconclusive The time trend of the epidemic is modest in both new daily cases and in cumulative numbers. At one point in time (April 10) the incidence rate was 56.28 per million , which was at intermediate level among other provinces.The total cases used for Iraq was 1279. The highest numbers were reported in Baghdad, Najaf, Erbil, Basrah and Sulaymaniyah.The lowest incidence rate was in Salah Al-Din (0.61 per million) and the highest was in Najaf (170.16 per million). The case fatality ratio for closed cases and for all cases was variable among provinces.Conclusion: COVID-19 in Basrah and Iraq is modest until today the 10th of April 2020.
Omran S. Habib, Abbas K Al Kanan, Alaa A Abed, Nihad Q Mohammed
The Medical Journal of Basrah University