Highlights
- •Hajj tent environment may contribute to the spread of airborne infections during Hajj.
- •Important in determining the risks and contribution of the Hajj tent environment to pilgrim health.
- •Cross transmission that could progress to infection.
- •Performing microbial surveillance during Hajj.
- •Prevent outbreaks and provide cautionary information related to possible future epidemics.
Background
Objective
Methods
Results
Conclusions
Key Words
Purchase one-time access:
Academic & Personal: 24 hour online accessCorporate R&D Professionals: 24 hour online accessOne-time access price info
- For academic or personal research use, select 'Academic and Personal'
- For corporate R&D use, select 'Corporate R&D Professionals'
Subscribe:
Subscribe to American Journal of Infection ControlReferences
- Respiratory tract infections during the annual Hajj: potential risks and mitigationstrategies.Curr Opin Pulm Med. 2013; 9: 192-197
- Global public health implications of a mass gathering in Mecca, Saudi Arabia during the midst of an influenza pandemic.J Travel Med. 2010; 7: 75-81
- Health risk at the Hajj.Lancet. 2006; 367: 1008
- Respiratory infection during Hajj.Ann Thorac Med. 2009; 4: 50-53
- (n.d.). Factors involved in the aerosol transmission of infection and control of ventilation in healthcare premises.J Hosp Infect. 2006; 64: 100-114
- Mass gatherings and the spread of respiratory infections. Lessons from the Hajj.Ann Am Thorac Soc. 2016; 13: 759-765https://doi.org/10.1513/annalsats.201511-772fr
- WHO Guidelines for Indoor Air Quality: Dampness and Mould.Copenhagen, Denmark: World Health Organization, 2009 (Accessed November 24, 2013)
World Health Organization. Interim travel advice on MERS-Cov for pilgrimage to the kingdom of Saudi Arabia- 25 July 2013; Accessed September 9, 2014. http://www.who.int/ith/update/20130725/en/
- Transmission of COVID-19 virus by droplets and aerosols: a critical review on the unresolved dichotomy.Environ Res. 2020; 188109819
Peacocke EF, Heupink LF, Frønsdal K, Dahl EH, Chola L. Global access to COVID-19 vaccines: a scoping review of factors that may influence equitable access for low and middle-income countries.
- The Hajj! Communicable and non-communicable health hazards and current guidance for pilgrims.Euro Surveill. 2010; 15: 19671
- Circulation of respiratory viruses among pilgrims during the 2012 Hajj pilgrimage.Clin Infect Dis. 2013; 57: 992-1000
- Hajj-associated viral respiratory infections: a systematic review.Travel Med Infect Dis. 2016; 14: 92-109
- Albar MBacteria and viruses that cause respiratory tract infections during the pilgrimage (Hajj) season in Makkha, Saudi Arabia.Trop. Med Int Health. 1998; 3: 205
- Viral respiratory infections at the Hajj: comparison between UK and Saudi pilgrims.Clin Microbiol Infect. 2008; 14: 569-574
- Influenza and respiratory syncytial virus infections in British Hajj pilgrims.Emerg Health Threats J. 2008; 1: e2
- Tuberculosis is the commonest cause of Pneumonia requiring hospitalization during Hajj.J Infect. 1998; 36: 303-306
- WHO Guidelines for Indoor Air Quality: Dampness and Mould.Copenhagen, Denmark: World Health Organization, 2009 (Accessed November 24, 2021)
- Indoor airborne bacterial communities are influenced by ventilation, occupancy, and outdoor air source.Indoor Air. 2014; 24: 41-48
- Tuberculosis transmission: modelled impact of air-tightness in dwellings in the UK 60–67.in: Indoor Air Conference Proceeding, Hong Kong2014
- Environmental sampling for respiratory pathogens in Jeddah airport during the 2013 Hajj season.Am J Infect Control. 2014; 42: 1266-1269
- Air microbial contamination at the holly mosque, Makkah, Saudi Arabia.Curr World Environ. 2013; 8: 179-187
- MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry and identification of new bacteria species in air samples from Makkah, Saudi Arabia.BMC Res Notes. 2014; 7: 892
- Environmental investigation of respiratory pathogens during the Hajj 2016 and 2018.Travel Med Infect Dis. 2020; 33101500
- Bioaerosol biomonitoring: sampling optimization for molecular microbial ecology.Mol Ecol Res. 2019; 19: 672-690
- Operative and technical modifications to the Coriolis® µ air sampler that improve sample recovery and biosafety during microbiological air sampling. perative and technical modifications to the Coriolis® µ air sampler that improve sample recovery and biosafety during microbiological air sampling.Annals of work exposures and health. 2020; 64: 852-865
- Transmission of respiratory tract infections at mass gathering events.Curr Opin Pulmonary Med. 2020; 26: 197-202
- Multiplication of microorganisms in an evaporative air cooler and possible indoor air contamination.Environ Int. 1990; 16: 203-211
Alzeer AH, Smith T, Jaworski D. Tent air flow simulations and computational fluid dynamics analysis of an air cleaner design for Hajj tents: respiratory and critical care medicine. 2015, A4667-A4667
- Influenza a common viral infection among Hajj pilgrims: time for routine surveillance and vaccination.J Travel Med. 2004; 11: 82-86
- Serotypes of influenza during Hajj season, 1424H (2004).Saudi Epidemiol Bull. 2005; 12: 1-2
- Could influenza transmission be reduced by restricting mass gatherings? Towards an evidence-based policy framework.J Epidemiol Glob Health. 2011; 1: 33-60
- High risk of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection during the Hajj pilgrimage.Trop Med Int Health. 2005; 10: 336-339
- Al-Tawfiq JAHajj: infectious disease surveillance and control.Lancet. 2014; 383: 2073-2082
Article Info
Publication History
Publication stage
In Press Journal Pre-ProofFootnotes
Conflicts of interest: None to report.