First confirmed case of human rabies in Saudi Arabia

Alknawy, Moataz; Mohammed, Ismailkhan; Ulla, Syed Nazar; Aboud, Ahmad Al

doi:10.1016/j.idcr.2018.03.001

Cited by 12 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) is the largest country in the Arabian Peninsula, yet there is little information about its rabies situation. During the period 2007–2009, the Saudi Ministry of Health reported more than 11,000 human bite cases [ 32 ]. The majority of animal bites were from dogs (50%) and cats (26.7%), with rodents and camels playing a minimal role [ 32 ].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A Perspective on Rabies in the Middle East—Beyond Neglect

Baghi

Alinezhad

Kuzmin

et al. 2018

Veterinary Sciences

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Rabies is a neglected but preventable viral zoonosis that poses a substantial threat to public health. In this regard, a global program has been initiated for the elimination of human rabies caused by rabid dogs through the mass vaccination of canine populations. Geographic areas vary greatly towards attainment of this objective. For example, while dog-mediated and wildlife rabies have been largely controlled in major parts of the Americas and Western Europe, the Middle East still grapples with human rabies transmitted by unvaccinated dogs and cats. Rabies prevention and control in the Middle East is quite difficult because the region is transcontinental, encompassing portions of Africa, Asia, and Europe, while consisting of politically, culturally, and economically diverse countries that are often subject to war and unrest. Consequently, one over-riding dilemma is the misinformation or complete lack of rabies surveillance data from this area. This communication is an attempt to provide an overview of rabies in the Middle East, as a cohesive approach for the honing of disease management in each area, based on data compiled from multiple sources. In addition, the related regional transboundary movement of rabies was investigated through phylogenetic studies of available viral gene sequences. Thereafter, the epidemiological status of rabies was assessed for the region. Finally, localities were classified first by the Stepwise Approach towards Rabies Elimination framework and then categorized into four different groups based on management theme: “rabies free”; owned dog and domestic animal vaccination; community dog vaccination; and wildlife vaccination. The classification system proposed herein may serve as a baseline for future efforts. This is especially important due to the severe lack of rabies information available for the Middle East as a whole and a need for a comprehensive program focusing on the entirety of the region in light of renewed international commitment towards canine rabies elimination.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…During the period 2007–2009, the Saudi Ministry of Health reported more than 11,000 human bite cases [ 32 ]. The majority of animal bites were from dogs (50%) and cats (26.7%), with rodents and camels playing a minimal role [ 32 ]. A seasonal difference was reported in the occurrence of bites.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Perspective on Rabies in the Middle East—Beyond Neglect

Baghi

Alinezhad

Kuzmin

et al. 2018

Veterinary Sciences

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“…Especially in the case presented here, the chief complaint of chest pain deviated the medical team's attention/focus away from a diagnosis of rabies to heart disease. Though uncommon, such cases have been reported ( Table 2) [4][5][6][7][8] , since rabies can caused focal interstitial myocarditis as discussed by Park et al 9 In the case series reported by Mani et al 10 , all cases presented without evidence of chest pain, so the clinical presentations of rabies vary. Furthermore, concerning the classical sign of fear of water, in our case, the patient 11 In terms of the forensics aspect, since a rabies investigation is not performed on every case with an unknown cause of death examined by only external examination, the forensic physician thought of rabies infection as the cause of death based on the review of the history recorded on the first emergency room visit and the numerous dogs observed by the forensic physician at the crime scene during the post-mortem visit at the patients residence.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Unusual Chief Complaint of Patient with History of Vaccination Leading to Unrecognized Human Rabies with Extreme Risk of Saliva Exposure for Medical Personnel-A Case Report and Literature Review

Sripong

2020

J Health Sci Med Res

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The aim of this case report is to present an unrecognized case of human rabies with an unusual chief complaint-chest pain-at presentation. The patient had been vaccinated for rabies, presented multiple times at the emergency room, was discharged each time, and was eventually found dead at his house with an unknown cause of death. A post-mortem examination along with a trans-orbital necropsy and real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction test were performed. The results showed rabies virus in the brain tissue.

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“…In spite of these facts, there are very few studies available, and no case of human rabies has been reported in recent decades from Saudi Arabia [40]. However, in March 2018, a scientific work was reported as the first confirmed case of human rabies in Saudi Arabia from Makkah City, which has now been published [41]. Indeed, several previous global epidemiological data confirmed that rabies accounted for 24,000 to 60,000 human deaths per year [42], and more than 40% of these cases occur in children < 15 years of age [43].…”

Section: Viral Zoonosesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…His past medical history was significant for hypertension and diabetes type 2. During the clinical diagnostic procedure of this case, he developed respiratory distress and tachycardia, for which he was transferred to the intensive care unit [41]. Because, his case worsened with chest pain and ventricular tachycardia he was referred to the King Abdullah Medical City in Makkah for further management.…”

Section: Viral Zoonosesmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Overview of the Most Significant Zoonotic Viral Pathogens Transmitted from Animal to Human in Saudi Arabia

Al-Tayib

2019

Pathogens

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Currently, there has been an increasing socioeconomic impact of zoonotic pathogens transmitted from animals to humans worldwide. Recently, in the Arabian Peninsula, including in Saudi Arabia, epidemiological data indicated an actual increase in the number of emerging and/or reemerging cases of several viral zoonotic diseases. Data presented in this review are very relevant because Saudi Arabia is considered the largest country in the Peninsula. We believe that zoonotic pathogens in Saudi Arabia remain an important public health problem; however, more than 10 million Muslim pilgrims from around 184 Islamic countries arrive yearly at Makkah for the Hajj season and/or for the Umrah. Therefore, for health reasons, several countries recommend vaccinations for various zoonotic diseases among preventive protocols that should be complied with before traveling to Saudi Arabia. However, there is a shortage of epidemiological data focusing on the emerging and reemerging of zoonotic pathogens transmitted from animal to humans in different densely populated cities and/or localities in Saudi Arabia. Therefore, further efforts might be needed to control the increasing impacts of zoonotic viral disease. Also, there is a need for a high collaboration to enhance the detection and determination of the prevalence, diagnosis, control, and prevention as well as intervention and reduction in outbreaks of these diseases in Saudi Arabia, particularly those from other countries. Persons in the health field including physicians and veterinarians, pet owners, pet store owners, exporters, border guards, and people involved in businesses related to animal products have adopted various preventive strategies. Some of these measures might pave the way to highly successful prevention and control results on the different transmission routes of these viral zoonotic diseases from or to Saudi Arabia. Moreover, the prevention of these viral pathogens depends on socioeconomic impacts, available data, improved diagnosis, and highly effective therapeutics or prophylaxis.

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First confirmed case of human rabies in Saudi Arabia

Cited by 12 publications

References 8 publications

A Perspective on Rabies in the Middle East—Beyond Neglect

A Perspective on Rabies in the Middle East—Beyond Neglect

Unusual Chief Complaint of Patient with History of Vaccination Leading to Unrecognized Human Rabies with Extreme Risk of Saliva Exposure for Medical Personnel-A Case Report and Literature Review

An Overview of the Most Significant Zoonotic Viral Pathogens Transmitted from Animal to Human in Saudi Arabia

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