Travel medicine and infectious disease
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Travel Med Infect Dis · May 2019
ReviewPneumococcal disease during Hajj and Umrah: Research agenda for evidence-based vaccination policy for these events.
Pneumococcal disease is an important cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide with a significant financial burden. Pneumococcal vaccines are available and recommended in many countries for at-risk populations including young children, the elderly and those with underlying medical conditions. The Hajj and Umrah mass gatherings attract millions of Muslim pilgrims to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia each year. ⋯ There is limited information on antimicrobial resistance among S. pneumoniae isolated from diseased pilgrims and no information on the serotypes involved. Finally, the efficacy and effectiveness of the current vaccines in the context of Hajj and Umrah have not been studied. Research agendas proposed in this article would help fill knowledge gaps regarding pneumococcal disease at Hajj and Umrah and would constitute a strong basis for an informed and potentially unified policy regarding pneumococcal vaccination for these events.
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Travel Med Infect Dis · Mar 2019
ReviewFrom the "Madding Crowd" to mass gatherings-religion, sport, culture and public health.
Human behavior has long engaged in collective behavior assembling in crowds. The Christian pilgrimage to the Holy Land has been recorded since the 4th century, while the Hajj, Islam's great pilgrimage, has existed for fourteen centuries, of which a body of literature devoted to the travelogues of the Hajj has been recorded for over ten centuries. Football is a sport played worldwide by more than 1.5 million teams and in 300,000 clubs. ⋯ This review seeks to draw contrasts and comparisons between sporting gatherings and religious gatherings with a chief focus on Hajj, among the largest of all mass gatherings today. We will find there are some powerful similarities as well as stark differences. Each bequeaths a legacy which can inform the other and, as we make our observations, we join with you and the legions of other investigators who continue to remain fascinated and enthralled by mass gatherings which are among the most beloved and beholden events of modern humanity.
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Travel Med Infect Dis · Jan 2019
Observational StudyA cross-sectional analysis of Zika virus infection in symptomatic and asymptomatic non-pregnant travellers: Experience of a European reference center during the outbreak in the Americas.
Zika virus (ZIKV) infection a concern to travellers because of potential sexual transmission and adverse pregnancy outcomes. ⋯ ZIKV infection was frequent in symptomatic, but not in asymptomatic travellers. We consider negative ELISA results at 20-25 days after exposure a safe strategy to rule out ZIKV infection. Testing for ZIKV-specific antibodies within this timeframe could be particularly valuable in the management of returning travellers who wish to conceive.
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Travel Med Infect Dis · Sep 2018
Diagnosis and outcomes of pregnant women with Zika virus infection in two municipalities of Risaralda, Colombia: Second report of the ZIKERNCOL study.
Zika virus (ZIKV) infection has emerged as a significant threat for pregnant women and newborns in populations living in or visiting Latin America. We previously reported a preliminary analysis in Sucre, Colombia, as the first group of pregnant women with RT-PCR-confirmed ZIKV (ZIKa enEmbarazadas yReciénNacidos enCOLombia, ZIKERNCOL). ⋯ The rate of microcephaly in our cohort was consistent with other studies. Pregnant women in endemic areas should be followed and tested according to standard protocols, and asymptomatic ZIKV infection should be considered. Long-term follow-up of children is required in the congenital Zika syndrome (CZS) assessment.