- Yearly project
Qena from appendix to manuscript
Every year, a complete cardiac surgical team goes to a clinic in Egypt where the care is less accessible. In May 2022, I took part in this for the first time. Arriving at South Valley University in Qena, Egypt I felt like an appendix because my role was not yet clear at the time, but change came about very quickly.
The young age of the patients with severe valvular heart disease is striking. The heart valves are affected by the Streptococcus Group, a bacterium that causes strep throat in childhood. It is known that this condition is common in countries with lower socioeconomic status. In the past it was common in countries such as the Netherlands, but due to various factors such as hygiene, accessibility and organizational structure of medical care, the disease has now become a rarity.
Because I didn't understand what the source of the problem was, I started asking questions (do the children go to a doctor, is the throat infection treated properly, who prescribes which medication and so on). After several conversations, I found myself in a lecture theatre in front of interested students. I managed to get them excited about doing research so that together we could create a map of this disease.
Because we have no access to digital databases, a survey was issued to measure the state of knowledge and working methods of doctors in 20 Egyptian universities. The results of this survey have been processed in a beautiful manuscript which will soon be offered for publication in an endorsed journal.
From the start in May 2022 to the present, there have been regular online meetings between the students, Ghada Shahin and me via Zoom and Teams. Recently this contact was also "live" when we visited Qena. The foundation had been laid to continue and expand the research in the hope to execute an action plan with the aim of eradicating rheumatic heart valve disease, across Egypt. This will of course shall be done in consultation with the Ministry of Health.
The problem of rheumatic heart valve disease extends to a great part of the world. We start small, but other developing countries have already shown their interest in our research. Persistence and tenacity will triumph.
Parvin Azimullah,
November 2023