Uptake and effectiveness of facemask against respiratory infections at mass gatherings: a systematic review.

Objectives: The risk of acquisition and transmission of respiratory infections is high among attendees of mass gatherings (MGs). Currently used interventions have limitations yet the role of facemask in preventing those infections at MG has not been systematically reviewed. We have conducted a systematic review to synthesise evidence about the uptake and effectiveness of facemask against respiratory infections in MGs.

Pneumococcal Vaccine Uptake Among Australian Hajj Pilgrims in 2011-13.

The uptake of the pneumococcal vaccine is suboptimal in Australia and remains unknown among Australian Hajj pilgrims, many of whom are eligible because of age or underlying disease and at particular risk because of travel and activities at Hajj. Pneumococcal vaccination uptake was examined over three consecutive years (2011 to 2013) through anonymous self-administered cross sectional surveys among Australian pilgrims who assembled in Mina valley, Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Respectively, 158, 513 and 219 pilgrims were recruited in 2011, 2012 and 2013; their mean ages were 43.

Foot Injuries Among Hajj Pilgrims with and Without Diabetes Mellitus: Implications for Infection Management.

Pilgrims attending Hajj in Makkah are at high risk of suffering from trauma and foot injury as they are required to make circuits barefooted on scorching marbles around the Holy Mosque, and march between two hillocks for hours. No study has systematically described the pattern of foot wounds among them. This observational study aimed to determine the spectrum of foot injuries among diabetic and non-diabetic Hajj pilgrims and the preventive measures adopted by them.