Travel medicine and infectious disease
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Travel Med Infect Dis · May 2020
ReviewRemdesivir for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 causing COVID-19: An evaluation of the evidence.
The novel coronavirus infection that initially found at the end of 2019 has attracted great attention. So far, the number of infectious cases has increased globally to more than 100 thousand and the outbreak has been defined as a pandemic situation, but there are still no "specific drug" available. Relevant reports have pointed out the novel coronavirus has 80% homology with SARS. ⋯ China has also taken immediate action to put remdesivir into clinical trials with the purpose of applying it into clinical therapeutics for Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). We started from the structure, immunogenicity, and pathogenesis of coronavirus infections of the novel coronavirus. Further, we analyzed the pharmacological actions and previous trials of remdesivir to identify the feasibility of conducting experiments on COVID-19.
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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 · Jul 2018
ReviewThe threat of meningococcal disease during the Hajj and Umrah mass gatherings: A comprehensive review.
The Hajj and Umrah mass gatherings represent many of the risk factors for meningococcal disease and have historically been associated with both local and international outbreaks of the disease. The implementation of strict preventative measures including mandatory meningococcal vaccination with the quadrivalent (A,C,Y,W) vaccine has prevented pilgrimage-associated meningococcal outbreaks and significantly reduced the incidence of the disease at these events. However, meningococcal disease remains an important public health threat at the Hajj and Umrah due in part to the evolving nature of the disease, characterized with diverse and varying geographic trends, fluctuations in incidence and shifts in serogroups and genotypes. ⋯ In this context, despite the global decline in incidence of meningococcal disease, including that cause by serogroup B, the increased predominance of serogroup B disease in many countries, including countries with large Muslim populations, and the emergence of serogroup X in the African meningitis belt, are particularly concerning. Continued and strict surveillance of meningococcal diseases nationally and globally, especially in Muslim countries, is essential in detecting, understanding, and predicting the changes in the epidemiology of the disease and informing appropriate prevention and control strategies during these events. The current meningococcal disease preventative measures for Hajj and Umrah should continue to be strictly implemented, reviewed regularly and updated in accordance with changes in the epidemiology of meningococcal disease and availability of new preventative tools including new vaccines.
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Travel Med Infect Dis · Nov 2017
Review Case ReportsNeurocysticercosis: A case study of a Mongolian traveler who visited China and India with an updated review in Asia.
Neurocysticercosis (NCC) of Taenia solium has never been reported in Mongolia. A Mongolian traveler who visited China and India presented with epileptic seizures after his return to Mongolia. Magnetic resonance imaging showed multiple ring enhancing lesions with edema surrounding several lesions in his brain that were initially diagnosed to be viral encephalitis or NCC. ⋯ This NCC case was considered to be caused by eggs released from adult tapeworm(s) established after eating uncooked or undercooked pork contaminated with cysticerci during his stay in India. This is a case report of taeniasis and secondary NCC associated with travel to India with an updated review of NCC in Asia. Molecular tracking of the specimen is highly informative as a way to identify where the infection was acquired.