OBJECTIVE To evaluate the prevalence of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) carriage among a cohort of pilgrims during 2004 Hajj season. METHODS Pilgrims attending the 2004 Hajj season were recruited and screened for carriage of MRSA. Standard microbiological techniques were used to screen for the presence of MRSA. RESULTS Out of 411 individuals screened, 85 (20.6%) were posi...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the spectrum of probable vascular complications due to short-term oral contraceptives OC consumption. METHODS In this cohort study, selected Iranian female pilgrims from Razavi-Khorasan, Iran province <50 years old, attending Hajj in 2005 were evaluated. We reviewed their physical examinations, vascular risk factors and OC consumption before Hajj. Pilgrims were followed-...

OBJECTIVE Bacterial skin infections have been considered as a possible health problem of the Hajj pilgrims. Significant increase in the rate of resistance to commonly used antibiotics against gram positive organisms has been observed. The present study was planned to obtain the microbiological profile of bacterial skin infections and their susceptibility to antimicrobials. METHODS Pyodermas w...

Tuberculosis (TB) is now the most common infectious cause of death worldwide. In 2014, an estimated 9.6 million people developed active TB. There were an estimated three million people with active TB including 360000 with multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) who were not diagnosed, and such people continue to fuel TB transmission in the community. Accurate data on the actual burden of TB and the tra...

Introduction The Hajj is considered to be the largest mass gathering to date, attracting an estimated 2.5 million Muslims from more than 160 countries annually (1). The H1N1 Influenza A pandemic of 2009 generated a global wave of concern among public health departments that resulted in the institution of preventive measures to limit transmission of the disease. Meanwhile, the pandemic amplified...

Objectives Influenza outbreaks have been widely studied. However, the patterns between influenza and religious festivals remained unexplored. This study examined the patterns of influenza and Hanukkah in Israel, and that of influenza and Hajj in Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Oman and Qatar. Method Influenza surveillance data of these seven countries from 2009 to 2017 were downloaded from the Fl...

OBJECTIVE To investigate whether or not Neisseria meningitidis was present in the throat of Kuwaiti pilgrims after returning from the Hajj. METHOD Throat swabs were taken from 177 participants 1 week after returning from the Hajj. The participants were asked about: associated medical conditions, meningococcal vaccination status and the intake of ciprofloxacin before leaving Mecca for Kuwait. ...

The Islamic Hajj to Makkah (Mecca) has been associated with outbreaks of invasive meningococcal disease and the global spread of Neisseria meningitidis serogroup W-135. For Hajj pilgrims the quadrivalent vaccination against serogroups A, C, W-135 and Y is a mandatory requirement. Novel conjugate vaccines may provide benefits for the community by reduction of carriage. With the introduction of t...