The increasing trend of aerosol optical depth in the Middle East and a recent severe dust storm in Syria have raised questions as to whether dust storms will increase and promoted investigations on the dust activities driven by the natural climate variability underlying the ongoing human perturbations such as the Syrian civil war. This study examined the influences of the Pacific Decadal Oscill...

The conflict in Syria has led to an unprecedented humanitarian crisis that extends across multiple countries in the area. Mental health services were undeveloped before and now face huge strain and unmet need. The World Health Organization and others have developed a programme to build capacity in the delivery of mental health services in an integrated healthcare package to refugees and displac...

Leishmaniasis is a major health problem worldwide, with several countries reporting cases of leishmaniasis resulting in loss of human life or a lifelong stigma because of bodily scars. The Middle East is endemic for cutaneous leishmaniasis, with countries like Syria reporting very high incidence of the disease. Despite several countries establishing national control programs for containing the ...

I read with interest the recent published article (1) in your esteemed journal. The Presented data regarding the prevalence of hepatitis A virus (HAV) infection in this paper was very interesting. However, I would like to highlight some points for more clarification of the issue. The prevalence of HAV infection differs in various parts of the world based on the geographic area, sanitary conditi...

in the war between ottomans and safavids dynasty, two thirds of kurdistan area was separated from iran, and joined the ottoman territories. the ottoman empire was defeated in world war i and kurdistan was divided among turkey, iraq, syria, and a small part joined the soviet russia, i.e. armenia, azerbaijan, and georgia. concerning the kurdish governments which were established in iran being led...

The “European migrant crisis” is one of the greatest social, political, and cultural challenges since World War II. Hundreds of thousands of people exposed to multiple psychological traumas are trying to find shelter in Europe. It would be indispensable to gain more information about the mental health of these individuals. The aim of the present study was to explore the occurrence of Posttrauma...