Hajj cough

Short description: Respiratory tract infection affecting pilgrims

Hajj cough is the informal name for a respiratory tract infection that tends to spread among pilgrims in the crowded conditions of the Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, known as Hajj. There is much research that on the health of the pilgrims before, during, and after their trip, as well as on the causes and remedies of the ailments.

## Contents

* 1 Pilgrim health throughout Hajj
* 2 Causes and symptoms
* 3 Effectiveness of remedial and preventative measures
* 4 References

## Pilgrim health throughout Hajj

A 2020 study on Australia Hajj pilgrims deduced that of 421 pilgrims surveilled before their trip, 28% reported having already existing health problems, 26 of them were of age 65 or greater, and 103 of them had other chronic problems such as diabetes. 329 obtained recommended vaccines, of which 180 simply got influenza, 139 received that and other vaccines, whereas 10 got a vaccine that was not influenza.[1] Now, when it comes to health during the pilgrimage, 248 of 391 individuals indicated that hey had some type of respiratory issues, which included a runny nose, cough, and fever. Finally, after the Hajj pilgrimage, 157 out of 300 pilgrims reported health issues, many of them the similar respiratory issues mentioned above, but also others like diarrhea and influenza-like illness (ILI).[2]

## Causes and symptoms

Oversaturation of pilgrims in a confined space greatly increases the likelihood of transmission. A variation of viruses and bacteria cause the cough, one such being the meningococcal strains of 2000/2001, whose associated statistics showed it could easily be transmitted at places where people came together from all over the world.[3]

In terms of the prevalent symptoms, a Malaysian study of 2010 concluded that of a 387-person sample, 91.5% of respondents reported having a cough, 79.3% a runny nose, 59.2% a fever, and 57.1% a sore throat. About 40.1% had all three symptoms.[4]

## Effectiveness of remedial and preventative measures

During the pilgrimage, symptoms of upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) were prevalent amongst the pilgrims. Many physicians assigned to handle the pilgrimage would prescribe antibiotics, and their decisions would be motivated by factors such as clinical assessment, or regulations that they consult. However, a study reports that 45.5% of prescriptions associated with URTIs were unnecessitated, but when a decision was made by a physician to not prescribe, that decision was found to be 95% warranted.[5]

Another remediation is to regularly wash hands and use sanitization, as it helped with reducing influenza-like illness (ILI) symptoms. It is also said that the wearing of protective face masks (in men) lead to only 15% of pilgrims suffering from acute respiratory tract infections (ARI), compared to 31.4% of pilgrims who sometimes wore it, and 61.2% of those that refrained from wearing a face mask at all.[6][7]

## References

1. ↑ Alqahtani, Amani (4 May 2020). "Tracking Australian Hajj Pilgrims' Health Behavior before, during and after Hajj, and the Effective Use of Preventive Measures in Reducing Hajj-Related Illness". Pharmacy 8 (2): 78. doi:10.3390/pharmacy8020078. PMID 32375320.
2. ↑ Alqahtani, Amani (4 May 2020). "Tracking Australian Hajj Pilgrims' Health Behavior before, during and after Hajj, and the Effective Use of Preventive Measures in Reducing Hajj-Related Illness". Pharmacy 8 (2): 78. doi:10.3390/pharmacy8020078. PMID 32375320.
3. ↑ Shafi, Shuja (2008). "Hajj:Health lessons for mass gatherings". Journal of Infection and Public Health 1 (1): 27–32. doi:10.1016/j.jiph.2008.08.008. PMID 20701842.
4. ↑ Deris, Zakuan (1 March 2010). "The Prevalence of Acute Respiratory Symptoms and Role of Protective Measures Among Malaysian Hajj Pilgrims". Journal of Travel Medicine 17 (2): 82–88. doi:10.1111/j.1708-8305.2009.00384.x. PMID 20412173.
5. ↑ Bokhary, Hamid (25 April 2022). "Evaluation of the rate, pattern and appropriateness of antibiotic prescription in a cohort of pilgrims suffering from upper respiratory tract infection during the 2018 Hajj season". Access Microbiology 4 (4): 000338. doi:10.1099/acmi.0.000338. PMID 35812707.
6. ↑ Tobaiqy, Mansour (31 December 2020). "Assessment of Preventative Measures Practice among Umrah Pilgrims in Saudi Arabia, 1440H-2019". International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 18 (1): 257. doi:10.3390/ijerph18010257. PMID 33396376.
7. ↑ Choudhry, AJ (2006). "Hajj-associated acute respiratory infection among hajjis from Riyadh". Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal 12 (3/4): 300–309. PMID 17037698. https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/117087/12_3-4_2006_300_309.pdf.

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