Vaccination in Hajj: An overview of the recent findings

Abstract

Background:About two million people annually travel to Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to perform Hajj. The pilgrims may be at risk of exposure to communicable diseases in this mass gathering and their vaccination against contagious diseases can prevent many morbidities and mortalities. The aim of our study was to review the papers which evaluated effectiveness and compliance of the vaccines applied in Hajj.Methods:We used PubMed and Scopus to search international medical databases. The key words were as follows: Hajj, Haj, vaccine, vaccination, and immunization. The time interval of the search was from the beginning of 2010 to May 23, 2016. One hundred and thirty papers were extracted, and their contents were subsequently reviewed after title and abstract screenings. The original articles were included in the study and non-English articles were excluded from the study.Results:Considering the extracted papers, almost all pilgrims were vaccinated against meningococcal diseases. Using of influenza and pneumococcal vaccine rates were different among the pilgrims. The other vaccines have been taking according to specific conditions.Conclusions:The findings regarding influenza vaccine effectiveness are contradictory. A few studies confirmed the flu vaccine effectiveness while some others rejected its usefulness. Meningococcal immunization is an effective preventive tool with high compliance for Hajj pilgrims. Further investigations are recommended for the other vaccines.

Tracking Australian Hajj Pilgrims’ Health Behavior before, during and after Hajj, and the Effective Use of Preventive Measures in Reducing Hajj-Related Illness: A Cohort Study

“…Studies have consistently shown that there is an extensive variation in vaccine uptake among pilgrims based on their country of origin, demographics and vaccines received. Similarly, hand hygiene and other preventative practices also vary among pilgrims, making it more difficult for researchers to ascertain whether vaccine uptake and health behaviors overall have improved in comparison to previous years or studies [ 5 , 6 , 7 ]. Although there is some research linking knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs of Hajj pilgrims to their use of preventive measures, no studies have explored their knowledge, preparedness and preventive practices over the course of their travel (i.e., following the same cohort before, during and after Hajj) [ 5 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 ].…”

Assessment of knowledge, attitude and practice to promote hand hygiene among undergraduate medical and nursing students in a teaching hospital

“…Additionally, studies indicate that combining behavioral models with educational programs results in greater effectiveness. 13,14 Unsatisfactory levels of knowledge in the present study may be due to occasional presence of study groups for the hand hygiene workshops. It seems that we need to re-examine the efficacy of our hand hygiene training sessions and conduct these programs frequently to keep the health care workers sensitized and oriented about hand hygiene.…”

Health Risks, Preventive Behaviours and Respiratory Illnesses at the 2019 Arbaeen: Implications for COVID-19 and Other Pandemics

“…One study suggested that influenza vaccination does not reduce risk of respiratory symptoms in Haj pilgrims [ 45 ], though two other studies demonstrated its effectiveness [ 46 , 47 ]. This requires further research [ 48 ]. It also raises concerns of reliance on the newly developed COVID-19 vaccinations in controlling the spread of the disease in mass gatherings.…”