Evidence for transmission of SARS-CoV-2 at religious mass gatherings: A systematic review.

Background: Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 at major mass gatherings (MGs) has been observed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: In this systematic review done according to the PRISMA guidelines, PubMed and Scopus databases were searched for relevant studies to describe the epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 in relation to major religious MGs including the Grand Magal of Touba (GMT), Hajj, Umrah, Kumbh Mela, Arbaeen and Lourdes pilgrimage during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Results: Ten articles met the inclusion criteria and were included.

Influenza at the 2021 Grand Magal of Touba and possible spread to rural villages in South Senegal - a genomic epidemiological study.

Objectives: Influenza is frequent among pilgrims participating in the Grand Magal de Touba (GMT), in Senegal, with a potential to spread to contacts when they return home.

Methods: Ill pilgrims consulting at a health care center in Mbacké city close to Touba during the 2021 GMT, pilgrims returning to Dielmo and Ndiop villages, and patients who did not travel to Touba and consulted at health care centers in these two villages in 2021 were tested for the influenza virus by polymerase chain reaction on nasopharyngeal samples. Next-generation sequencing and comparative and phylogenetic analyses of influenza A virus genomes were performed.

Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry traces the geographical source of Biomphalaria pfeifferi and Bulinus forskalii, involved in schistosomiasis transmission.

Background: Freshwater snails of the genera Bulinus spp., Biomphalaria spp., and Oncomelania spp.

Viral and bacterial microorganisms in Vietnamese children with severe and non-severe pneumonia.

To investigate potential respiratory pathogens in children with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) and risk factors for severe disease. This prospective study was conducted among 467 children at the Thai Binh Paediatric Hospital, Vietnam between 1 July 2020 and 30 June 2021. Clinical data and laboratory results were collected.

Molecular diagnosis of urogenital schistosomiasis in pre-school children, school-aged children and women of reproductive age at community level in central Senegal.

Background: Urogenital schistosomiasis is a major public health concern in sub-Saharan Africa. In Senegal, the disease is endemic in all regions of the country. Recently, WHO strongly recommended including pre-school children and women of reproductive age during a mass drug administration campaign.

PCR investigation of infections in patients consulting at a healthcare centre over a four-year period during the Grand Magal of Touba.

Background: Respiratory and gastrointestinal symptoms and febrile illness are the most common complaints among ill pilgrims attending the Grand Magal of Touba (GMT) in Senegal.

Methods: Patients presenting with respiratory or gastrointestinal symptoms or febrile systemic illnesses were recruited between 2018 and 2021 at a healthcare centre close to Touba. Respiratory, gastrointestinal and blood samples were tested for potential pathogens using qPCR.

Risk factors for symptoms of infection and the acquisition of pathogens among pilgrims at the Grand Magal of Touba, 2017-2021.

Background: Respiratory and gastrointestinal symptoms are frequent in pilgrims at the Grand Magal of Touba (GMT).

Methods: Pilgrims were prospectively investigated in 2017-2021 for demographics, chronic conditions, preventive measures, respiratory and gastrointestinal symptoms, and pathogen carriage using PCR assays.

Results: 535 pilgrims were included.

Epidemiological Investigations of Infectious Diseases among Mobile Populations at the University Hospital Institute Mediterranean Infection in Marseille, France.

We review the most recent work conducted by our group on the circulation of infectious agents in mobile populations, including pilgrims participating in the Hajj (Mecca, Saudi Arabia) and the Grand Magal of Touba (Senegal) pilgrimages, homeless people, and medical students participating in an elective abroad. Using a similar epidemiological study design with standardized questionnaires and molecular assays allows comparison of different populations of travelers. The main infectious pathogens and antibiotic resistance genes linked to travel were identified in certain specific populations of travelers, as well as in a group of homeless migrant people in Marseille.

and Snail Infestations by the Group in Niakhar, Senegal.

Thorough knowledge of the dynamics of spp. infestation could help to control the spread of schistosomiasis. This study describes the spatio-temporal dynamics of and infestation by the group of blood flukes in Niakhar, Senegal.

Respiratory infections among pilgrims at the Grand Magal of Touba: A comparative cohort controlled survey.

Background: The Grand Magal of Touba (GMT) is a large event gathering around 4-5 million participants every year. A pilot study conducted in 2017 among GMT pilgrims showed that 41.8% of participants reported respiratory symptoms, mostly due to rhinovirus (13.

Screening Strategy of Active Pulmonary Tuberculosis in Sheltered Homeless People in Marseille, 2019.

We aimed to assess the reliability of a screening questionnaire for Active Pulmonary Tuberculosis (APTB) in a population of sheltered homeless persons (HP). Participants from two homeless shelters completed a questionnaire specially designed to identify patients at high-risk of APTB (available at www.tb-screen.

Variations in respiratory pathogen carriage among a homeless population in a shelter for men in Marseille, France, March-July 2020: cross-sectional 1-day surveys.

We aimed to compare respiratory pathogen carriage by PCR during three different time periods in 2020 in sheltered homeless people in Marseille, France. The overall prevalence of respiratory pathogen carriage in late March-early April (69.9%) was significantly higher than in late April (42.

Screening of SARS-CoV-2 among homeless people, asylum-seekers and other people living in precarious conditions in Marseille, France, March-April 2020.

Background: Surveillance of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection among sheltered homeless and other vulnerable people might provide the information needed to prevent its spread within accommodation centres.

Methods: Data were obtained from 698 participants in different accommodation centres (411 homeless individuals, 77 asylum-seekers, 58 other people living in precarious conditions and 152 employees working in these accommodation centres) who completed questionnaires and had nasal samples collected between 26 March and 17 April 2020. SARS-CoV-2 carriage was assessed by quantitative PCR.

The Grand Magal of Touba was spared by the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the context of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, all mass gathering (MG) events have been cancelled. The Grand Magal took place on October 6, 2020, in Touba, Senegal, which was the only MG event organized in 2020. This Muslim pilgrimage gathers about four million Muslim Mourides from Senegal and beyond.