FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar: Mitigating the risk of imported infections amid the COVID-19 pandemic, monkeypox outbreak and other emerging diseases

Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus Could be a Priority Pathogen to Cause Public Health Emergency: Noticeable Features and Counteractive Measures

Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) is caused by a specific strain of the 6 types of human coronaviruses (HCoV). MERS-CoV has spread unchecked since it was first discovered in Saudi Arabia in 2012. The virus most likely spreads through nosocomial and zoonotic channels. Genetic analyses suggest that bats were the initial hosts and that the disease spread to camels. Person-to-person transmission occurs with varying frequency, being most prevalent in clinical settings and the least common among the general population and among close relatives. Due to the severity of the illness, high fatality rate, potential for epidemic spread, and lack of adequate medical countermeasures, the World Health Organization (WHO) continues to list MERS-CoV as a priority pathogen. While no specific antiviral medicines exist, a combination of antivirals has shown promise in recent clinical trials. Vaccines against MERS-CoV are critically needed and are currently being developed. Early diagnosis and implementing appropriate infection control measures are keys to preventing hospital-associated outbreaks. Preventive measures include avoiding raw or undercooked meats and other animal products, ensuring proper hand hygiene in healthcare settings and around dromedaries, educating the public and healthcare personnel about the disease, and adhering to other recommended practices. Countries with a high prevalence of MERS should adhere to regulations designed to limit the transmission of the virus. The recent spread of MERS-CoV highlights the importance of public awareness regarding the significance of reporting symptoms so that appropriate control measures can be adopted. The narrative review discusses the incidence of MERS, its clinical presentation, potential transmission routes, recent reports, preventative and control measures, and current therapeutic options.

Hotel employees' knowledge of monkeypox's source, symptoms, transmission, prevention, and treatment in Egypt

BACKGROUND

The re-emerging human monkeypox virus (MPXV) poses a global threat. The rising number of confirmed MPXV cases worldwide is a significant reason for concern. This study aims to investigate (1) hotel employees' knowledge in Egypt of MPXV source, signs/symptoms, transmission, prevention, and treatment, (2) the primary sources of their information about MPXV, (3) whether or not they received information about MPXV from their hotels, and (4) the differences of employees' knowledge in terms of gender, age, marital status, level of education, type of contract, professional category, hotel department, type of hotel, seniority in the hotel, and the number of hotel rooms.

METHODS

Using a quantitative approach, we collected data from 453 employees in Egyptian hotels via a web-based questionnaire. The survey included questions regarding the MPXV source, signs/symptoms, transmission, prevention, and treatment, as well as its primary information sources. The questionnaire also included questions regarding participants' demographics and hotel characteristics.

RESULTS

The findings indicated that more than half of hotel employees have inadequate knowledge of MPXV. Additionally, the majority of employees selected social media as their primary source of MPXV-related information. Surprisingly, most participants reported that their hotels neglected to provide them with the MPXV's information. Age, marital status, education, professional category, and tenure in the hotel all have a significant impact on their MPXV knowledge level.

CONCLUSION

The current paper presents significant implications for both theory and practice. This study provides government agencies and hotels with guidelines for preventing the outbreak of MPXV. According to our knowledge, this is the first study conducted with hotel employees in the MPXV Egyptian context.

Meningococcal disease within the Gulf Cooperation Council Countries

This review reports on the recent epidemiology of invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) within the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Countries (focusing from 2012 onwards), the existing immunization strategies and the potential for IMD resurgence. MenACWY vaccination is now established in infant or adolescent immunization programs in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates. At present, GCC Countries do not include MenB immunization. National health surveillance reports indicate a total of 156 IMD cases reported across the GCC Countries between 2012 and 2021; between 30% and 80% of cases were reported in individuals aged ≥15 years. Lack of serogroup data hinders the assessment of vaccine impact and decision-making on additional vaccine introductions (e.g. MenB immunization). Hajj/Umrah pilgrimage and the increasing number of large-scale commercial and social events held in the GCC Countries pose a potential risk for future IMD outbreaks. Immunization policies for such events could be strengthened.

Monkeypox: Risks and Approaches to Prevention

Since early May 2022, an outbreak due to Mpox virus (formerly called monkeypox) has occurred in many countries around the world. On July 23, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak ‘Public Health Emergency of International Concern’. In order to combat the outbreak, it is important to have effective infection prevention and control plans. The first step is to qualitatively and quantitatively determine the risks of infections, followed by the design and implementation of infection prevention and control measures. Mpox is transmitted through direct, indirect, and prolonged contact, through sexual transmission, and via the respiratory route. Men who have sex with men are identified as the most vulnerable population. Home pet-raisers, and health care workers are at risk of catching the disease. The outcome of infection is catastrophic among the elderly, immunocompromised individuals, pregnant female and children. The spillover to animals is of great concern. It is important to communicate the risks and have community engagement in the control of this outbreak. The availability of vaccines will add to the capability of containing the outbreak. It is critical to prevent the virus from spreading further. Hence, we review the recent findings on the risk management of Mpox along with the preventive strategies.

Monkeypox Post-COVID-19: Knowledge, Worrying, and Vaccine Adoption in the Arabic General Population

Background: The outbreak of monkeypox was declared a global public health emergency by the World Health Organization on 23 July 2022. There have been 60,000 cases reported worldwide, most of which are in places where monkeypox has never been seen due to the travel of people who have the virus. This research aims to evaluate the general Arabic population in regard to the monkeypox disease, fears, and vaccine adoption after the WHO proclaimed a monkeypox epidemic and to compare these attitudes to those of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed in some Arabic countries (Syria, Egypt, Qatar, Yemen, Jordan, Sudan, Algeria, and Iraq) between 18 August and 7 September 2022. The inclusion criteria were the general public residing in Arabic nations and being older than 18. This questionnaire has 32 questions separated into three sections: sociodemographic variables, prior COVID-19 exposure, and COVID-19 vaccination history. The second portion assesses the knowledge and anxieties about monkeypox, while the third section includes the generalized anxiety disorder (GAD7) scale. Logistic regression analyses were performed to compute the adjusted odds ratios (aOR) and their confidence intervals (95%CI) using STATA (version 17.0). Results: A total of 3665 respondents from 17 Arabic countries were involved in this study. Almost two-thirds (n = 2427, 66.2%) of the participants expressed more worry about COVID-19 than monkeypox diseases. Regarding the major cause for concern about monkeypox, 39.5% of participants attributed their anxiety to the fear that they or a member of their family may contract the illness, while 38.4% were concerned about monkeypox becoming another worldwide pandemic. According to the GAD 7 score, 71.7% of the respondents showed very low anxiety toward monkeypox and 43.8% of the participants scored poor levels of knowledge about monkeypox disease. Participants with previous COVID-19 infection showed a 1.206 times greater acceptance to receive the monkeypox vaccine than those with no previous infection. A 3.097 times higher concern for monkeypox than COVID-19 was shown by the participants who perceived monkeypox as dangerous and virulent than those who did not. Participants who have a chronic disease (aOR: 1.32; 95%CI: 1.09–1.60); participants worried about monkeypox (aOR: 1.21; 95%CI: 1.04–1.40), and perceived monkeypox as a dangerous and virulent disease (aOR: 2.25; 95%CI: 1.92–2.65); and excellent knowledge level (aOR: 2.28; 95%CI: 1.79–2.90) have emerged as significant predictors. Conclusions: Our study reported that three-fourths of the participants were more concerned about COVID-19 than monkeypox disease. In addition, most of the participants have inadequate levels of knowledge regarding monkeypox disease. Hence, immediate action should be taken to address this problem. Consequently, learning about monkeypox and spreading information about its prevention is crucial.

The emergence of novel infectious diseases and the public health impact of mass gathering events: risks and challenges

To date, there is the continuous emergence of novel infectious diseases endangering individuals' health and well-being worldwide. Over the past few decades, around forty contagious diseases, such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus-1 (SARS), Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS), Ebola, Zika, and newly, COVID-19 and Monkeypox outbreaks, have been reported globally. Zoonotic transmission is the major cause of these emerging infections in humans. These, whether caused by previously unknown pathogens or by those already well-known to science, heighten global concerns about the spread of communicable diseases and the resulting increase in death and disability.