Health Issues of Mass Gatherings in the Middle East

Alqahtani, Amani S.; Alshahrani, Amal; Rashid, Harunor

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-36811-1_46

Cited by 6 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 50 publications

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“…72,73 Additionally, religious mass gatherings occurring within this region act as hotspots for pathogen dissemination among pilgrims (especially those with comorbidities) during Hajj, Umrah, and Arba'een. [74][75][76][77] Thus, the active surveillance of pneumococcal serotypes prevalent within this region would help determine the effectiveness of the adopted immunization strategies and aid in developing novel measures to control disease transmission and outbreaks. Currently, the EMR has a vaccination coverage of 52% for 3 doses of PCV.…”

Section: S Pneumoniae Serotypesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Emerging pneumococcal serotypes in Iraq: scope for improved vaccine development

Dawood

Al-Jumaili²,

Radhi³

et al. 2023

F1000Res

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Pneumococcal disease is a global public health concern as it affects the young, aged and the immunocompromised. The development of pneumococcal vaccines and their incorporation in the immunization programs has helped to reduce the global burden of disease. However, serotype replacement and the emergence of non-vaccine serotypes as well as the persistence of a few vaccine serotypes underscores the need for development of new and effective vaccines against such pneumococcal serotypes. In the Middle East, places of religious mass gatherings are a hotspot for disease transmission in addition to the global risk factors. Therefore, the periodic surveillance of pneumococcal serotypes circulating in the region to determine the effectiveness of existing prevention strategies and develop improved vaccines is warranted. Currently, there is a lack of serotype prevalence data for Iraq due to inadequate surveillance in the region. Thus, this review aims to determine the pneumococcal serotypes circulating in Iraq by drawing inferences from the global pneumococcal serotype prevalence data as well as recently published literature from neighboring countries to refine existing vaccination strategies and help in the development and introduction of improved pneumococcal vaccines in the country.

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Section: S Pneumoniae Serotypesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Emerging pneumococcal serotypes in Iraq: scope for improved vaccine development

Dawood

Al-Jumaili²,

Radhi³

et al. 2023

F1000Res

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“…Therefore, the current monkeypox virus strain should have only accrued a few mutations when it first began circulating in 2018. 1,2 The DNA from 15 monkeypox virus samples was recently analyzed, and the resulting genetic reconstruction revealed a true mutation rate six to twelve times higher than had been predicted. 7 According to reports, the estimated increase in the monkeypox virus mutation rate is far higher than what would be expected based on earlier estimations of the substitution rate for Ortho-pox viruses.…”

Section: Risk Of Emergence Of Zoonotic Diseasesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Novel viral diseases have emerged over the last two decades, causing significant mortality and morbidity and leaving a huge impact on health systems, society, and the economy of not only the affected states/ countries but also the global economy. 1,2 Examples include severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), influenza A/H1N1(09), Middle east respiratory syndrome (MERS), Nipah virus disease, Ebola hemorrhagic fever, and the current COVID-19. Even though zoonotic illnesses that cause periodic outbreaks/epidemics have become more common in the last three decades, most countries still lack the comprehensive preventative measures needed to stop them.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…That means it might not be ready to handle some health problems. 1,2 Over a million people will visit Qatar, share a common stadium accommodating just under a million, and reside in the newly built hotels that are expected to fall short of accommodating all the guests visiting the country. The proximity of the stadiums will encourage a large number of people to live within a limited radius, increasing the likelihood of the subsequent spread of infectious diseases if there is an outbreak of disease.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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FIFA World Cup 2022 and the Risk of Emergence of Zoonotic Diseases

Subedi¹,

Pantha²,

Chandran³

et al. 2022

J. Pure Appl. Microbiol.

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The 2022 Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World Cup will take place in Qatar and will be a one-of-a-kind mega-crowd gathering. This is the first time in history that people from all over the world would gather in such a concentrated place. There is a higher chance of spreading zoonotic illnesses from one community to another among those who travel internationally, therefore tourists should be aware of the dangers they may face and take precautions. The public health system of the country hosting the event must be equipped to avoid the spread of zoonotic diseases considering the current global climate. The potential for an increase in cases of COVID-19 and monkeypox is notably heightened by this event. Possible exotic diseases such as the Marburg virus disease could also be spread. Due to Qatar’s inexperience in hosting such major events, it is crucial to invest heavily in training for the early identification of infectious illnesses and the prevention of their spread among event attendees. Visitors to Qatar 2022 should acquire the most up-to-date information available and be aware of the usual precautions that should be followed. Your immunization record must be up to date. Hospitals and other medical facilities in Qatar would be wise to increase their readiness for mass casualty occurrences given that this small location is hosting such an event for the first time. To better meet the health needs of its population, the government of Qatar should promote health advice materials in different languages and keep an adequate supply on hand. The potential for the emergence of zoonotic diseases is briefly reviewed here considering the upcoming FIFA World Cup in 2022.

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“…Among the walking pilgrimage routes, the Najaf‐Karbala route is the most popular (72 km) (Al‐Ansari et al., 2020; Lami, Hameed, et al., 2019), and the farthest route is the one that starts from Basra, around 500 km southeast of Karbala (Christia et al., 2016). This religious activity, as is the case for other mass gatherings (e.g., Hajj), can raise multiple health concerns related to communicable and non‐communicable diseases (Al‐Ansari et al., 2020; Albujeer & Almahafdha, 2018; Alqahtani et al., 2021; Hamdanieh & Ostadtaghizadeh, 2021; Lami et al., 2021; Memish, 2010; Memish et al., 2019; Obaid et al., 2020). For example, many pilgrims can be susceptible to temperature extremes due to prolonged exposure to outdoor climates (Kang et al., 2019; Memish, 2010; Noweir et al., 2008; Saeed et al., 2021; Yezli et al., 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Heat Stress During Arba’een Foot‐Pilgrimage (World’s Largest Gathering) Projected to Reach “Dangerous” Levels Due To Climate Change

Choi

Eltahir

2022

Geophysical Research Letters

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Arba'een, a Muslim pilgrimage, is one of the largest annual mass gatherings in the world, with a date fixed according to the lunar calendar. Most pilgrims start their long walking journey from Basra/Najaf toward Karbala (about 70–500 km) and are significantly affected by outdoor weather conditions during this period. Here, based on simulations performed using carefully‐selected climate models, we project that heat stress during the pilgrimage is likely to reach a “dangerous” level, defined according to the US National Weather Service criteria, by the end of this century. Moreover, a significant increase in consecutive occurrence of hot days and hot nights is expected within the coming decades, which may cause a high incidence of heat‐related disorders as the human body may not recover from the daytime heat loads. Our study suggests that sound adaptation measures and stringent mitigation actions must be established to ensure a safe pilgrimage in the future.

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Health Issues of Mass Gatherings in the Middle East

Cited by 6 publications

References 50 publications

Emerging pneumococcal serotypes in Iraq: scope for improved vaccine development

Emerging pneumococcal serotypes in Iraq: scope for improved vaccine development

FIFA World Cup 2022 and the Risk of Emergence of Zoonotic Diseases

Heat Stress During Arba’een Foot‐Pilgrimage (World’s Largest Gathering) Projected to Reach “Dangerous” Levels Due To Climate Change

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