Evaluation of knowledge and behavior of workers in Prince Mohammed International Airport in Western Saudi Arabia regarding public health emergency measures

نب دمحم ريملأا راطم يف ينلماعلا كولسو ةفرعم مييقت :فادهلأا للاخ راطلماب ةذفنلما ةماعلا ةحصلا ئراوطو تايلآ نع يلودلا زيزعلادبع .م2014 ماعلا جح مسوم نب دمحم ريملأا راطم يف ةيعلاطتسلاا ةساردلا هذه تيرجأُ :ةقيرطلا ءانثأ كلذو ةيدوعسلا ةيبرعلا ةكلملما ،ةرونلما ةنيدلما ،يلودلا زيزعلادبع عمج تم دقل .م2014 ربمتبس ىلإ سطسغأ نم ةرتفلا للاخ جلحا مسوم دقو .ةيصخشلا تلاباقلماب مايقلا ءانثأ نايبتسا لأم قيرط نع تانايبلا كاكتحا مهل صاخشأ ةلباقم ىلإ يئاوشع ريغلا تانيعلا رايتخا فده رثكأ نيرفاسلما نم ىودعلا لاقتنا رطلخ ينضرعلما كئلوأو ،نيرفاسلماب رشابم .مهريغ نم روكذلا ينكراشلما ةبسن تغلب دقو ،اًصخش 186 ةساردلا تلمش :جئاتنلا ةفلتخم تاعاطق 8 يف نولمعي ثحبلا يف ينكراشلما ناك دقلو .92.5% عاطقلا ىلإ نومتني ثحبلا يف ينكراشلما نم 26% ناك ثيح ،راطلماب رثكأ ةيحص ريغلا تاعاطقلاب نولماعلا ناك دقلو .راطلماب لماعلا يحصلا ةنراقلماب كلذو راطلماب مهلمع ءانثأ ىودعلاب مهتباصا ةيلامتحا نم اًقلق ةيدعلما ضارملأا رثكأ تناكو .)p=0.023( يحصلا عاطقلاب ينلماعلاب تغلب ثيح يسوريفلا لاوبيلإا ضرم جلحا مسوم ءانثأ فواخملل ةريثلما يف ينلماعلا نم 30% ىودعلاب مهتباصإ نم ينقلقلا صاخشلأا ةبسن ىدبأ دقلو .ىرخلأا تاعاطقلا يف ينلماعلا نم 47%و ،يحصلا عاطقلا مهتفرعم مدع يحصلا عاطقلاب ينلماعلا ريغلا صاخشلأا نم 47% يلاوح ةبسن تناكو .راطلماب ةماعلا ةحصلا ئراوط تلااح يف ةعبتلما تايللآاب تاعاطقلا يف ةماعلا ةحصلا ئراوطب اًقلعتم اًبيردت اوقلت نيذلا صاخشلأا صاخشلأا ةبسن نع ةيئاصحلإا ةيحانلا نم ةحضاو ةروصب لقأ ةيحص ريغلا .)p<0.00001( يحصلا عاطقلا يف بيردتلا كلذ اوقلت نيذلا ينلماعلا بيردتو فيقثت ىلع زيكرتلا يغبني هنأب ةساردلا ترهظأ :ةتمالخا امك .راطلماب مهلمع ءانثأ ةلمتلمحا ةيحصلا رطاخلما ةفرعم ىلع راطلماب ةحصلا ئراوطب ةقلاعلا تاذ تاميلعتلا رشنل ةيلآ ليعفتب ءدبلا يغبنيو .راطلما تاعاطق لك يف ينلماعلا عيمج ىلع ةماعلا Objectives: To evaluate the knowledge and behavior of workers at a Saudi airport regarding public health emergency measures applied during Hajj season. Methods: This study is a cross-sectional study conducted at the Prince Mohammed International Airport in AlMadinah Al-Munawwarah, Saudi Arabia between August and September 2014. Data were collected by semistructured questionnaires during personal interviews. Non-random purposive sampling was conducted to target workers at higher risk of acquiring infection from travellers. Results: One hundred and eighty-six participants were recruited of whom 92.5% were males. The study participants were workers in 8 different sectors. Twentysix percent of the participants were health workers. Non-health workers were more likely to be concerned on acquiring infection while working at the airport compared with health workers )p=0.023(. The most commonly feared disease was Ebola viral disease )EBV( among 30% of health workers, and 47% of non-health workers. Approximately 47% of non-health workers reported no knowledge of the procedures implemented during public health emergencies. The proportion of participants who received public health related training among non-health workers was significantly lower compared with health workers )p<0.00001(. Conclusion: More emphasis should be given to educating airport workers on the potential health threats at the airport. Specific guidelines for public health emergencies at the airport should be established and communicated with airport sectors. Saudi Med J 2015; Vol. 36 (4): 456-462 doi: 10.15537/smj.2015.4.10908 From the Prince Sattam Chair for Epidemiology and Public Health Research, Department of Family and Community Medicine (Gosadi, Al-Hazmi, Fadl, Alharbi), College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, and the Ministry of Health (Swarelzahab), Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Received 8th December 2014. Accepted 11th February 2015. Address correspondence and reprint request to: Dr. Ibrahim M. Gosadi, Prince Sattam Chair for Epidemiology and Public Health Research, Department of Family and Community Medicine, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. E-mail: [email protected] 456 Saudi Med J 2015; Vol. 36 )4( www.smj.org.sa OPEN ACCESS 457 www.smj.org.sa Saudi Med J 2015; Vol. 36 )4( Airport staff public health awareness ... Gosadi et al A are frontier gates where proper public health measures are likely to reduce the possibility of allowing the entrance of communicable disease to a country. According to the World Health Organization )WHO( International Health Regulations mandate WHO member states to ensure that every designated point of entry is equipped with staff and instruments enabling smooth movements of the travellers while maintaining appropriate public health measures.1 Maintaining such regulations is likely to enhance proper travellers’ movement during public health emergencies by reducing possible interference between application of preventive public health measures, and the ability of travellers to access the designated points of entry. Additionally, ensuring the application of public health measures might aid in preventing the occurrence of any public health emergencies. A public health emergency is defined as any situation with health consequences that are likely to overwhelm the community’s routine capability of addressing them. A health situation can be considered as an emergency if there is a risk due to timing, such as facing emerging diseases threats during Hajj season, scale, as with an overwhelming number of causalities, or due to the unpredictability of the situation. Defining the nature of potential public health emergencies is crucial to allow competent development of preparedness plans.2 Having a large number of passengers arriving at a particular point of entry during a limited time is a burden on the available health services. A meticulous state of readiness is required to respond to any risk of spreading a communicable disease. The state of readiness is maintained by several steps including preparation of staff, equipment, and buildings.3,4 The burden of not maintaining effective public health event response measures is aggravated if an epidemic is announced in a particular region of the globe where travellers form these areas are scheduled to arrive in the country. During the Hajj season of 2014, the Ebola Virus Disease )EVD(, which is a viral hemorrhagic disease, was announced as an epidemic disease in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone in West Africa. Additionally, a localized spread of the virus was announced in certain areas of Nigeria.5 The Saudi Arabian government, as a preventive measure, decided to prevent citizens of EVD-affected countries from entering the country. However, nationals of Nigeria were exempt as no extended transmission of EVD was announced.6,7 Nonetheless, several procedures were applied to prevent the transmission of Ebola virus among thousands of Nigerian pilgrims arriving in the country. These measures were mainly related to exit screening of travellers in Nigeria,8 and entry screening at points of entry in Saudi Arabia. Additionally, the Ministry of Health in Saudi Arabia produced response plans for infectious diseases )Middle East Respiratory Syndrome [MERS] and EVD( to be implemented during Hajj.9 There are many potential sources of infectious disease transmission from a single infected individual. The presence of infected travellers, such as an EVD infection, on an aircraft increases the risk of transmitting infection to neighboring passengers and flight crew. Airport workers, such as ground workers handling cleaning of aircrafts and lavatories, are at risk of the infection, especially with the presence of spilled infectious materials. Airport workers handling the flow of passengers during busy times are at risk of acquiring infection such as immigration, customs, security, and healthcare workers. Therefore, all of these individuals have to be aware of the potential health threats at the airport, should be aware of preventive methods, how to use preventive methods, and know what to do when facing a public health emergency event in the airport. Prince Mohammed Airport )Al-Madinah, Saudi Arabia( workers’ level of knowledge of the potential health threat at the airport is currently not known. Additionally, the attitude and practice of the staff when a public health emergency is announced in the airport is not measured. The significance of this study stems from the ability to investigate the degree to which airport workers, at the time of dealing with travellers during Hajj season, were able to deal with potential urgent infectious cases, and to adhere to the relevant protective guidelines. Methods. Study context. This study is a crosssectional study conducted during the pilgrims’ arrival period between August and September 2014. During this Hajj season, approximately 1.4 million international pilgrims entered the country through Saudi Arabian airports. Approximately one third of this total enter the country through Prince Mohammed Airport at Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah, Saudi Arabia.10 Disclosure. Authors have no conflict of interests, and the work was not supported or funded by any drug company. This project was financially supported by the Vice Deanship of Research Chair, King Saud University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.