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Background: Allergic rhinitis (AR) affects 5% to 40% of the general population. In developing countries, AR is poorly documented and tracked due to a lack of appropriate diagnostic tools., Objective: 1) To validate a questionnaire standardised in industrialised countries to ascertain AR, the Score For Allergic Rhinitis (SFAR), in developing countries; 2) to better understand AR prevalence previously reported from developing countries by comparing results from the SFAR and the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) questionnaires., Methods: Six African countries were selected for their climates. In each country, 70 individuals with and 30 without nasal symptoms filled out the SFAR and the ISAAC questionnaires. Skin prick tests (SPTs) for allergens were performed by the physician if necessary., Results: The SFAR presented a close match with the gold standard (the physician's diagnosis of AR backed up by SPT where necessary) in terms of various performance parameters. In particular, it showed high sensitivity (0.84) and specificity (0.81). Compared to the ISAAC questionnaire, the SFAR had greater sensitivity and equal specificity., Conclusions: In the absence of a medical visit, the SFAR is a useful standardised screening instrument for the collection of information needed for the identification of AR in developing countries.

Background: The prevalence of asthma and other allergic diseases is increasing in many parts of the world., Objective: To determine the prevalence of asthma, rhinoconjunctivitis and skin allergy symptoms in Morocco as part of the International Study of Asthma and Allergic Diseases in Children (ISAAC)., Methods: The survey was conducted using the standardised method of ISAAC Phase III in four centres in Morocco-Casablanca, Marrakech, Ben Slimane and Boulmane-with respectively 1777, 1689, 1008 and 1254 13-14-year-old schoolchildren participating. A comparison of the results with ISAAC Phase I was carried out in two centres., Results: The prevalence of self-reported symptoms of wheeze in the last 12 months (6.4-16.2%), nasal symptoms (27.9-52.8%), rhinoconjonctivitis (8.8-28%) and eczema (13.3-20.2%) varied between centres, and were highest in Casablanca, the largest city in Morocco. Significant increases in almost all symptoms were found in the two centres of Casablanca and Marrakech between ISAAC Phase I and Phase III., Conclusion: Morocco could be classified as a country with an intermediate burden of asthma (between 10% and 15%) and other allergic disorders. The prevalence of these symptoms has increased in the past 5 years.

Setting: In 1990, a 6-month short-course regimen (2 SHRZ/4 RH) was introduced for the treatment of tuberculosis in Morocco., Objective: To assess the efficacy of the national tuberculosis control programme, a prospective study of primary drug resistance was conducted from April 1992 to July 1994 in Casablanca., Design: A total of 402 strains isolated from 402 patients living in Casablanca with no previous history of tuberculosis was included in the study., Results: The overall rate of primary drug resistance to at least one drug was 23.9%; it was 19.7% to streptomycin, 11.4% to isoniazid, and 8.2% to both streptomycin and isoniazid. The rates of resistance to rifampicin and ethambutol were both less than 1%. The survey was divided into two periods of 14 months each. The rates of primary drug resistance increased from 21.1% to 27.6% during these two periods (Odds Ratio [OR] 1.43; 95% Confidence Interval [CI] 0.88 to 2.32); this increase occurred only for streptomycin (15.9% to 24.7%, OR 1.73; 95% CI 1.02 to 2.93)., Conclusion: The rate of primary drug resistance of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Casablanca has risen in recent years to an ominous level. Urgent measures are needed in order to interrupt this trend.