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Alqahtani AS, Alsharif SA, Garnan MA, Tashani M, BinDhim NF, Heywood AE, Booy R, Wiley KE, Rashid H. The Impact of Receiving Pretravel Health Advice on the Prevention of Hajj-Related Illnesses Among Australian Pilgrims: Cohort Study. JMIR Public Health Surveill 2020; 6:e10959. [PMID: 32673259 PMCID: PMC7388052 DOI: 10.2196/10959] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2018] [Revised: 04/23/2019] [Accepted: 11/08/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Pretravel health advice can play a crucial role in improving both travelers’ awareness about disease risk and compliance with preventive measures. General practitioners (GPs) and the internet have been reported internationally to be the main sources of health advice for travelers to non–mass gathering (MG) destinations. However, few studies have attempted to investigate the sources of health advice among travelers to MGs including the Hajj pilgrimage, and none of these studies further investigated the impact of pretravel advice on pilgrims’ health behaviors. Objective The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of the source of pretravel health advice (from GPs and specialized Hajj travel agents) on Hajj pilgrims’ awareness of and compliance with health recommendations, and the incidence of Hajj-associated illnesses. Methods A prospective cohort study (before and during Hajj) was conducted among Australian pilgrims aged ≥18 years in 2015. Results A total of 421 pilgrims participated prior to Hajj, and 391 (93%) provided follow-up data during Hajj. All participants obtained pretravel health advice from one or more sources, with Hajj travel agents (46%) and general practitioners (GPs; 40%) the most commonly reported sources. In total, 288 (74%) participants reported Hajj-related symptoms, of which 86% (248/288) were respiratory symptoms. Participants who obtained pretravel health advice from travel agents were more likely to be aware of the official Saudi recommendations (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 2.1, 95% CI 1.2-3.8; P=.01), receive recommended vaccines before travel (aOR 2.4, 95% CI 1.4-3.9; P=.01), use hand sanitizers including soap (aOR 2.5, 95% CI 1.1-6.1; P=.03), and wash their hands after touching an ill person during Hajj (aOR 2.9, 95% CI 1.1-7.1; P=.01), compared to those who sought advice from GPs. However, neither advice from travel agents nor GPs was associated with a lower incidence of Hajj-related illnesses. Conclusions Advice from travel agents appeared to be accessed by more travelers than that from GPs, and was associated with an increased likelihood of positive travel health behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amani S Alqahtani
- Saudi Food and Drug Authority, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.,School of Public Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.,National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance of Vaccine Preventable Diseases, The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Sydney, Australia
| | | | | | - Mohamed Tashani
- National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance of Vaccine Preventable Diseases, The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Sydney, Australia.,The Discipline of Child and Adolescent Health, Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | | | - Anita E Heywood
- School of Public Health and Community Medicine, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
| | - Robert Booy
- National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance of Vaccine Preventable Diseases, The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Sydney, Australia.,The Discipline of Child and Adolescent Health, Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.,Marie Bashir Institute for Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, Sydney, Australia.,WHO Collaborating Centre for Mass Gatherings and High Consequence/High Visibility Events, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia
| | - Kerrie E Wiley
- School of Public Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Harunor Rashid
- National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance of Vaccine Preventable Diseases, The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Sydney, Australia.,The Discipline of Child and Adolescent Health, Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.,Marie Bashir Institute for Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, Sydney, Australia
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Alqahtani AS, Althimiri NA, BinDhim NF. Saudi Hajj pilgrims' preparation and uptake of health preventive measures during Hajj 2017. J Infect Public Health 2019; 12:772-776. [PMID: 31023600 DOI: 10.1016/j.jiph.2019.04.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2018] [Revised: 04/03/2019] [Accepted: 04/07/2019] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Few studies have reported the uptake of health preventive measures among Hajj pilgrims from Saudi Arabia. Yet, none of these studies have explored their perceptions of health risks at Hajj or pretravel health-advice-seeking behavior. METHODS A cross-sectional survey conducted among Hajj pilgrims from Saudi Arabia. RESULTS Of 344 pilgrims who completed the survey, 44% sought some form of pretravel health information; among them, 38% from non-medical sources. About 67% of participants received an influenza vaccine, and 8.7% received a pneumococcal vaccine. Lack of aware of vaccine availability was the main reason for nonreceipt (26%). Being employed and having a high level of education were significant factors in vaccine uptake. Two thirds of pilgrims carried some medications to use during Hajj; analgesics, antipyretics and antibiotics were the most reported drugs. Various methods of hand hygiene were the most used preventive measures (≈65%) followed by facemask use (53%). Those who concerned about food poisoning at Hajj were more likely to cleaned their hands with hand sanitizers (aOR = 2.5, 95% CI = 1.1-5.4, p = 0.01) and avoid eating food from street vendors (aOR = 2.9, 95% CI = 1.1-7.5, p = 0.02). CONCLUSION Pretravel health-advice-seeking behavior and the use of preventive measures during Hajj were suboptimal among Saudi Hajj pilgrims.
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Wei L, Yang Y, Shi K, Wu J, Zhao W, Mo J. Preparation and Characterization of Loperamide-Loaded Dynasan 114 Solid Lipid Nanoparticles for Increased Oral Absorption In the Treatment of Diarrhea. Front Pharmacol 2016; 7:332. [PMID: 27708583 PMCID: PMC5030211 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2016.00332] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2016] [Accepted: 07/09/2016] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The aim of the project was to assemble two optimum solid lipid nanoparticle (SLN) formulations for oral delivery of loperamide (LPM) to treat different types of diarrhea, and to evaluate their release profiles in vitro and pharmacokinetic properties in vivo. In this work, glyceryl trimyristate (Dynasan 114) nanoparticles containing the drug LPM and sodium cholate as a stabilizer were prepared using a modified solvent evaporation technique. Two LPM-loaded SLNs, namely LPM-SLN-1 (LPM-SLN with a high ratio rate of lipid to drug) and LPM-SLN-2 (LPM-SLN with a low ratio rate of lipid to drug), were prepared by the solvent evaporation method. A change in the lipid concentration affects the characteristics of LPM-SLNs. The average sizes of the LPM-SLNs were 303 ± 18 nm and 519 ± 36 nm, separately, as analyzed by dynamic light scattering. The LPM-SLNs were found to be round with a smooth surface, as observed using a transmission electron microscope and a scanning electron microscope. The average encapsulation efficiencies were 87 ± 3.78% w/w and 84 ± 5.17%, accordingly. In the in vitro release experiments, LPM-SLNs showed a continuous release profile of LPM without any burst release. The oral bioavailability of LPM-SLNs was analyzed using Wistar rats. The relative bioavailabilities of LPM-SLNs were 227 and 153%, respectively, as compared that of the LPM tablet. There was no difference in the Tmax between LPM-SLN-2 and the LPM tablet. In conclusion, LPM-SLN-1 significantly improved the oral bioavailability of LPM, while LPM-SLN-2 having the same swift action as the LPM tablet. These results demonstrate the potential of LPM-SLNs in the oral delivery of LPM to treat different types of diarrhea.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lili Wei
- Department of Pharmacy, Affiliated Hospital of Guilin Medical University Guilin, China
| | - Yunfang Yang
- Department of Cardiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guilin Medical University Guilin, China
| | - Kun Shi
- Department of Gynecology, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Centre Guangzhou, China
| | - Jun Wu
- School of Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University Guangzhou, China
| | - Wei Zhao
- Department of Histology and Embryology, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen UniversityGuangzhou, China; Key Laboratory for Stem Cells and Tissue Engineering, Ministry of Education, Sun Yat-sen UniversityGuangzhou, China
| | - Jingxin Mo
- Department of Histology and Embryology, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen UniversityGuangzhou, China; Key Laboratory for Stem Cells and Tissue Engineering, Ministry of Education, Sun Yat-sen UniversityGuangzhou, China
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