Tuberculosis and mass gatherings—opportunities for defining burden, transmission risk, and the optimal surveillance, prevention, and control measures at the annual Hajj pilgrimage (original) (raw)

International Journal of Infectious Diseases, 2016

Abstract

Tuberculosis (TB) is now the most common infectious disease cause of death globally. In 2014, an estimated 9.6 million people developed active TB and there were 3 million people with active TB, including 360,000 with multi-drug resistant TB (MDR-TB) who were not diagnosed and they continue to fuel TB transmission in the community. Accurate data on the actual burden of TB and transmission risk associated with mass gatherings are scanty and unreliable due to small numbers studied and methodological issues. Every year an estimated 10 million pilgrims from 184 countries travel to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to perform the Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages. A large majority of pilgrims come from high TB and MDR-TB endemic areas and thus many may have undiagnosed active TB, sub-clinical TB and latent TB infection. The Hajj pilgrimage provide unique opportunities for KSA and the 184 countries from which pilgrims originate, to conduct high quality priority research studies on TB under the remit of the Global Center for Mass Gatherings Medicine. We discuss research opportunities for defining the TB burden, transmission risk, and optimal surveillance, prevention and control measures at the annual Hajj pilgrimage-these data are for developing international recommendations and guidelines for TB management and control at mass gatherings events.

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