Data from 183 animals raised in 61 flocks were collected to investigate the morphological characteristics of the Northern Morocco goat. Nine zoometric measures and seven combined indices were obtained. Three zones were defined based on geo-climatic characteristics and environ-mental influences: Mediterranean, Atlantic and Dual. The morphological variables showed the absence of sexual dimorphism in the northern Morocco goat population. Measures were generally very similar (n.s. at p<0.05) for male and female, except shin girth was high in males compared with females. A few variables including height at withers, ear length, rump length, length led and ears index were significantly (p<0.05) influenced by geographical area. Mahalanobis distances and Canonical analyses showed a greater distance between the most geographical separated subpopulations (Atlantic and Dual) and animals from these areas were the most heterogeneous. The stepwise procedure showed that length led, ear length, rump length and shin girth were the most discriminate variables between areas. Results suggest that the goat population of north Morocco, exhibiting different morphological variables by location, maybe due to the environmental adaptation or the differences in origin and recent influences by introgression or crossbreeding.

Background: Despite the importance of the postnatal consultation, in Morocco, only 22% of women attended these consultations. The aim of this study was to identify associated factors with these consultations and offer suggestions to improve their use.Methods: This study was conducted in 2014 in Marrakech. A sample of women in reproductive age (15-49 yr) giving birth during 2013 year was enrolled. They were examined in the public health centers for postnatal consultation or for the BCG. A descriptive and analytic cross-sectional survey was conducted. All participants (n=1029) provided consent before participating in the survey. A questionnaire makes it possible to collect information about socio-demographic, knowledge and perception of women regarding these consultations.Results: The proportion of women who attended a postnatal consultation was 30.1%. Lack of information (87%), lack of complications (68.6%); health professional poor reception (42%) and financial difficulties (3.3%) were the main reasons that hinder these consultations. In addition, women of rural origin, low education level, and low socioeconom-ic status are important determinants associated with non-use of postnatal consultation.Conclusion: This study confirmed the low rate of these consultations. Various determinants explain this fact. The fight against illiteracy, improving household living standards, sensitization of women on the importance of postpartum care, awareness and capacity building of health professionals in the postnatal consultation and communication, and the development of a system of home visits for non-users of postnatal care allow improving the postnatal consultation rate.

The purpose of this work is to evaluate the regional seismic hazard for Morocco, following the deterministic approach proposed by Costa et al [1], based on the computation of complete P-SV and SH synthetic seismograms. The input for the computations is represented by source and structural models. Seismic sources are parameterized using the knowledge about past seismicity and the tectonic regime. The regional structural model we adopted is the one proposed by Cherkaoui [2], modified in its shallower part to account for the effects of the uppermost sedimentary layers. Maps of peak acceleration, velocity, and displacements are used for the general representation of the hazard. Accelerations are in good agreement with the values determined by Jimenez et al [3] with the standard probabilistic approach.

Among the 45 collected and identified species, one genus (Scoliocephalus Becker, 1903) and nine species of shore flies (Diptera, Ephydridae) are recorded for the first time in Morocco of which seven species are new to the North African region (Gymnoclasiopa aulisioi (Canzoneri, 1976), Gymnoclasiopa flavoantennata (Strobl, 1900), Hydrellia fascitibia (von Roser, 1840), Philotelma rossii (Canzoneri & Meneghini, 1979), Scatophila mesogramma (Loew, 1862), Scatophila quadriguttata (Meigen, 1830) and Scatophila signata (Loew, 1860)). New data on the distribution of 23 other species are provided: twenty, six and two species are, respectively new for the Rif, the High Atlas, and the Middle Atlas Mountains, whereas one species is new for each of the Central Plateau and the Anti Atlas Mountains. These findings increased the number of Ephydridae species recorded in Morocco to 126 species in 44 genera. They contribute significantly to the understanding of the biodiversity and biogeographical distribution of the Ephydridae family in Morocco and North Africa. The Ephydrids fauna of Morocco account for 6. 1% of the world’s known species.

Background: In Morocco, there is no official data on the prevalence of congenital abnormalities (CAs). Available data are mostly derived from hospital-based retrospective epidemiological analyses. Objectives: This study aims to describe the prevalence, distribution, and risk factors of CAs in the Beni Mellal-Khenifra region of central Morocco. Methods: Epidemiological data were obtained from delivery files of 163,842 births recorded by local medical services from January 2017 to December 2021. Additionally, a case-control study was conducted to analyze the risk factors. Results: The prevalence of CAs in this study area was 6.02 per thousand births. Musculoskeletal system anomalies were the most common (32.88%), followed by nervous system anomalies (22.20%). Genital organ abnormalities represented 7.37%, and cleft lip and palate accounted for 7.03%. Analysis by type of CA revealed that clubfeet were the most commonly reported anomalies in the study area, with a prevalence of 18%, followed by spina bifida (9%), anencephaly (7%), and cleft lips and palate (7.9%). The sex ratio (males/females) for all CAs was 1.24. Risk factors identified in this study included rural residency, maternal age over 35 years, parity, consanguinity, family history of CA, medication use before and during pregnancy, and infection episodes during pregnancy. Conclusions: The relatively high prevalence of congenital abnormalities in the Beni Mellal-Khenifra region highlights the need for prevention strategies through preconception care counseling and pregnancy monitoring, especially in rural areas. It is urgent to establish a teratovigilance registry in Morocco.