Egypt / Arab Republic of Egypt
- Cross-Cultural Nursing Database

Language

Arabic (Ministry of Foreign Affairs HP Egypt)

nation

Mainly Arabs (and a few Nubians, Armenians, Greeks, etc.)
(in Japanese history)Ministry of Foreign Affairs HP Egypt)

religion

Islam 90% (mostly Sunnis), other sects include 91 TP3T congregations of the Coptic Church, the indigenous Christian church in Egypt, and 11 TP3T other Christians.
(Wikipedia Egypt)

Food culture taboos, etc.

In Egypt, a Muslim country, pork is legal. Meat such as lamb, beef, chicken, and pigeon are cooked and eaten.

Other customs and culture

If you cross your legs when you sit down, it is perceived as hostile toward the other person.
(Wikipedia Egypt)

Customs, habits, health, etc.

1. Respecting Egyptian religious and social customs, people should avoid going out in excessively revealing clothing and drinking in public, except in restaurants and other public places.
2. There is a custom called "baksheeshi," which means that the rich give alms to the poor. Some Egyptians ask for baksheeshi at tourist attractions, but it is important to clearly express your attitude by saying "rah" (meaning "no") if you do not intend to give it, except when you are giving it as a tip.
3. Regarding hygiene, raw water should be avoided and boiled or mineral water should be used. Raw vegetables and fish should also be avoided.
4. The area is endemic for hepatitis A, so vaccination is required.
5. The Nile River and its tributaries have resident blood-sucking insects, so care should be taken not to swim in the river or enter the river barefoot.
6. In mid-summer, outdoor temperatures can reach 40°C or higher, so it is important to avoid excessive sun exposure and to ensure that the body is well hydrated.
7. An outbreak of avian influenza (H5N1) has been observed in Egypt, and there have been scattered cases of human infection. The possibility of infection is considered extremely low if there is no contact with poultry, but adequate influenza countermeasures are necessary.

(Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, Overseas Safety Web Site)

Customs related to pregnancy and childbirth

Hospitalization is usually for one night, two nights for cesarean section, and 40 days for recovery after delivery. There is a postpartum ceremony called Subuh that celebrates the birth of the baby on the seventh day after birth. The baby is placed in a basket, and while making golden sounds around it, people pray that the baby will obey its parents well. Salt is sprinkled on the baby to ward off a lifetime of bad luck. A piece of paper with the baby's name and date of birth written on it is handed out, along with sweets called traje, and small souvenirs are also given to visitors.

(Care The World Overseas Childbirth & Child-Raising Information Net, World Childbirth)

Customs related to childcare

• Because of government subsidies, medicines for children can be purchased at low prices.
• The higher the class level, the more enthusiastic they are about their children's education, teaching multiplication and division in kindergartens.

(Care The World Overseas Childbirth & Child-Raising Information Net, Worldwide Child-Raising)

Customs related to end-of-life and funerals

According to Islamic teachings, funerals and graves must be simple. In fact, many Muslims simply wrap the body in cloth, place it in a coffin, and bury it in a simple grave, according to their teachings.
(Funeral Institute of the World)

• When a local Muslim dies, the body is perfumed with hot water at the mourning house, sprinkled with incense oil, and wrapped in a cotton cloth.
• The weeping woman joins the funeral service at the mosque, followed by a visit to the communal cemetery for separate burials for men and women.

(Funerals in the World: Shoto Hiromichi, Shincho-Sensho, 1991)

Medical taboos, etc.

Marriage after the discovery of pregnancy is taboo in Egypt.
(World Medical Corp.)

education

• Compulsory education is 8 years of primary (5 years) and secondary (3 years) education. Public education is free.
• The elementary school enrollment rate is 891 TP3T (1995). The school enrollment rate for girls in Upper Egypt is 651 TP3T (1987).
• Secondary school enrollment 65% (1995). Higher education enrollment rate 19% (1992).
• Some schools have a two- or three-part system due to a lack of teaching materials and teachers.

("Public Health Systems of the World," 1999, Japan Public Health Association)

National Health and Medical

• Government public health care facilities account for 2/3 of all health care facilities.
• The 60% of medical facilities provide services at health units and health centers under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Health in each province. Health units treat simple trauma, colds, and contraceptives; further patients are sent to health centers.
• There is a health insurance organization, which provides medical insurance for public employees.

("Public Health Systems of the World," 1999, Japan Public Health Association)

cause of death

• A marked decrease in gastrointestinal deaths from 1970-90, from one-third of total deaths to 5% of total deaths.
• Respiratory disease decreased slightly from 191 TP3T to 131 TP3T, circulatory disease increased nearly 4-fold, and other and unknown causes of death increased 251 TP3T.
• Universities rarely perform pathological autopsies, and cause-of-death statistics, including adults, are not very reliable.

Public Health Systems of the World, 1999, Japan Public Health Association.

Childbirth

• Maternal deaths 170 (100,000 births vs. 100,000 births, 90-96)
• Institutional Delivery 27% (1992)
• Stillbirth rate 11.9 (1980-85)
• If the pregnancy is low in weight, especially in the 3rd trimester, the child is also often low in weight.
• 70% of low-income mothers are mildly undernourished immediately after delivery and 15% are moderately undernourished.

Public Health Systems of the World, 1999, Japan Public Health Association.

immunization

BCG: 98
DTP1: 97
DTP3: 96
Hepatitis B: 96
Measles: 96
Tetanus: 86
Polio: 96

(2011) (WHO)

medical facilities

1997

Hospital (24871)
Public hospitals (13785)
Private hospitals (14545)
Health Office (354)
Rural Health Unit (2209)
Urban Health Unit (167)

Public Health Systems of the World, 1999, Japan Public Health Association.

Medical Occupations

• Physicians 2.4 (vs. 1000)
• Nurse-midwives 3.4 (same)
  (in Japanese history)World Health Statistics)
• Pharmacists 0.06 (same)
  Public Health Systems of the World, 1999, Japan Public Health Association.

total fertility rate

2.7 (2010) (WHO)

Infant mortality rate (thousands of births vs.)

19 (2010) (WHO)

life expectancy

Male: 69 (2009) (WHO)
Female: 73 (2009) (WHO)