Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2016 Mar-Apr;14(2):92-109.
doi: 10.1016/j.tmaid.2015.12.008. Epub 2015 Dec 31.

Hajj-associated viral respiratory infections: A systematic review

Phillipe Gautret  1 , Samir Benkouiten  2 , Jaffar A Al-Tawfiq  3 , Ziad A Memish  4
Affiliations

Hajj-associated viral respiratory infections: A systematic review

Phillipe Gautret et al. Travel Med Infect Dis. 2016 Mar-Apr.

Abstract

Respiratory tract infections (RTI) are the most common infections transmitted between Hajj pilgrims. The aim of this systematic review was to determine the prevalence of virus carriage potentially responsible for RTI among pilgrims before and after participating in the Hajj. A systematic search for relevant literature was conducted according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. 31 studies were identified. Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS) were never isolated in Hajj pilgrims. The viruses most commonly isolated from symptomatic patients during the Hajj by PCR were rhinovirus (5.9-48.8% prevalence), followed by influenza virus (4.5-13.9%) and non-MERS coronaviruses (2.7-13.2%) with most infections due to coronavirus 229E; other viruses were less frequently isolated. Several viruses including influenza A, rhinovirus, and non-MERS coronaviruses had low carriage rates among arriving pilgrims and a statistically significant increase in their carriage rate was observed, following participation in the Hajj. Further research is needed to assess the role of viruses in the pathogenesis of respiratory symptoms and their potential role in the severity of the symptoms.

Keywords: Hajj; Respiratory tract infection; Umrah; Virus.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow diagram of searching strategy.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Memish Z.A., Zumla A., Alhakeem R.F., Assiri A., Turkestani A., Al Harby K.D. Hajj: infectious disease surveillance and control. Lancet. 2014 Jun 14;383(9934):2073–2082. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Ahmed Q.A., Arabi Y.M., Memish Z.A. Health risks at the Hajj. Lancet. 2006 Mar 25;367(9515):1008–1015. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Al-Tawfiq J.A., Zumla A., Memish Z.A. Respiratory tract infections during the annual Hajj: potential risks and mitigation strategies. Curr Opin Pulm Med. 2013 May;19(3):192–197. - PubMed
    1. Shafi S., Booy R., Haworth E., Rashid H., Memish Z.A. Hajj: health lessons for mass gatherings. J Infect Public Health. 2008;1(1):27–32. - PubMed
    1. Deris Z.Z., Hasan H., Sulaiman S.A., Wahab M.S., Naing N.N., Othman N.H. The prevalence of acute respiratory symptoms and role of protective measures among Malaysian hajj pilgrims. J Travel Med. 2010 Mar-Apr;17(2):82–88. - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms