Lack of Zika Virus and Other Recognized Flaviviruses among the Mosquito Vectors during and Post the Hajj Mass Gathering.

Makkah city, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), contains many of the world's mosquito vectors of parasitic and arboviral disease and is the site of the Hajj mass gathering. As such there is a risk of exportation and globalization of vector-borne viruses, including the re-emerging Zika virus (ZIKV). There was international concern regarding the introduction of ZIKV to KSA and potential international spread of the virus following the 2016 Hajj which took place few days after the Rio summer Olympics at the height of the ZIKV pandemic.

Cross-border movement, economic development and malaria elimination in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Malaria at international borders presents particular challenges with regards to elimination. International borders share common malaria ecologies, yet neighboring countries are often at different stages of the control-to-elimination pathway. Herein, we present a case study on malaria, and its control, at the border between Saudi Arabia and Yemen.

First record of Aedes (Stegomyia) unilineatus in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Entomological surveillance was conducted in Asir, Jizan, and Makkah regions, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, during December 2000 in response to an outbreak of Rift Valley fever. Aedes (Stegomyia) unilineatus was collected in CO2-baited Centers for Disease Control miniature light traps at 4 widely spaced sites. This represents the 1st record of this species from the Arabian Peninsula.

Isolation and genetic characterization of Rift Valley fever virus from Aedes vexans arabiensis, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

An outbreak of Rift Valley fever in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Yemen in 2000 was the first recognized occurrence of the illness outside of Africa and Madagascar. An assessment of potential mosquito vectors in the region yielded an isolate from Aedes vexans arabiensis, most closely related to strains from Madagascar (1991) and Kenya (1997).