Establishment of public health security in Saudi Arabia for the 2009 Hajj in response to pandemic influenza A H1N1

Introduction: Pandemic influenza A (H1N1) virus emerged and spread globally in the spring of 2009. Saudi Arabia also witnessed a severe H1N1 pandemic virus epidemic with considerable morbidity and mortality in different parts of the kingdom beginning in June 2009. The influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 virus was detected in samples collected between May 2009 and November 2010 from Makkah region. This study provides data on the viral diagnosis and genetic diversity of hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA) genes of influenza A (H1N1)pdm09 virus from Saudi Arabia. Methodology: Nasopharyngeal swabs from 100 clinically infected patients in the peak of the outbreak were collected from Makkah region and processed for viral diagnosis by viral culture and real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). HA and NA genes of 10 selected samples were sequenced and analyzed. Results: A total of 100 samples were collected; only 10 samples were found to be positive for influenza A virus infection by real-time PCR. Nucleotide sequence analysis of the HA and NA genes of influenza A (H1N1) from Saudi Arabia showed significant similarities with selected isolates. The phylogenetic tree constructed for both HA and NA genes formed close clusters with selected reference isolates. Conclusions: Nucleotide sequence analysis and phylogenetic relationships of the HA and NA genes of influenza A (H1N1) virus from Saudi Arabia with selected reference isolates indicates that they were genetically close and most probably originated from influenza A(H1N1)pdm09.

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Pandemic Influenza a (H1N1) in Saudi Arabia: Description of the First One Hundred Cases

Annals of Saudi Medicine ◽

10.5144/0256-4947.59366 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 30 (1) ◽

pp. 11-14 ◽

Cited By ~ 21

Author(s):

Mohammad A. AlMazroa ◽

Ziad A. Memish ◽

Ali M. AlWadey

Keyword(s):

Saudi Arabia ◽

Pandemic Influenza ◽

Influenza A ◽

Influenza A H1n1

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Performances of Bioinformatics Pipelines for the Identification of Pathogens in Clinical Samples with the De Novo Assembly Approaches: Focus on 2009 Pandemic Influenza A (H1N1)

The Open Bioinformatics Journal ◽

10.2174/1875036201408010001 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

pp. 1-5

Author(s):

Tommaso Biagini ◽

Barbara Bartolini ◽

Emanuela Giombini ◽

Maria R. Capobianchi ◽

Fabrizio Ferrè ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Health Monitoring ◽

Pandemic Influenza ◽

Computational Efficiency ◽

Influenza A ◽

De Novo ◽

Rapid Identification ◽

Clinical Samples ◽

Public Health Monitoring ◽

Influenza A H1n1

Diagnostic assays for pathogen detection are critical components of public-health monitoring efforts. In view of the limitations of methods that target specific agents, new approaches are required for the identification of novel, modified or ‘unsuspected’ pathogens in public-health monitoring schemes. Metagenomic approach is an attractive possibility for rapid identification of these pathogens. The analysis of metagenomic libraries requires fast computation and appropriate algorithms to characterize sequences. In this paper, we compared the computational efficiency of different bioinformatic pipelines ad hoc established, based on de novo assembly of pathogen genomes, using a data set generated with a 454 genome sequencer from respiratory samples of patients with diagnosis of 2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1). The results indicate high computational efficiency of the different bioinformatic pipelines, reducing the number of alignments respect to the identification based on the alignment of individual reads. The resulting computational time, added to the processing/sequencing time, is well compatible with diagnostic needs. The pipelines here described are useful in the unbiased analysis of clinical samples from patients with infectious diseases that may be relevant not only for the rapid identification but also for the extensive genetic characterization of viral pathogens without the need of culture amplification.

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Characteristics of pandemic influenza A (H1N1) infection in patients presenting to a university hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Annals of Saudi Medicine ◽

10.5144/0256-4947.59377 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 30 (1) ◽

pp. 59-62 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Abdulaziz A. BinSaeed

Keyword(s):

Saudi Arabia ◽

Pandemic Influenza ◽

Influenza A ◽

University Hospital ◽

H1n1 Infection ◽

Influenza A H1n1

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Media Use and Communication Inequalities in a Public Health Emergency: A Case Study of 2009–2010 Pandemic Influenza a Virus Subtype H1N1

Public Health Reports ◽

10.1177/00333549141296s408 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 129 (6_suppl4) ◽

pp. 49-60 ◽

Cited By ~ 30

Author(s):

Leesa Lin ◽

Minsoo Jung ◽

Rachel F. McCloud ◽

Kasisomayajula Viswanath

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Health Communication ◽

Pandemic Influenza ◽

Influenza A ◽

Social Groups ◽

Information Access ◽

Public Health Emergency ◽

Prevention Measures ◽

Influenza A H1n1 ◽

Communication Inequalities

Objectives. Studies have shown that differences among individuals and social groups in accessing and using information on health and specific threats have an impact on their knowledge and behaviors. These differences, characterized as communication inequalities, may hamper the strength of a society's response to a public health emergency. Such inequalities not only make vulnerable populations subject to a disproportionate burden of adversity, but also compromise the public health system's efforts to prevent and respond to pandemic influenza outbreaks. We investigated the effect of socioeconomic status (SES) and health communication behaviors (including barriers) on people's knowledge and misconceptions about pandemic influenza A(H1N1) (pH1N1) and adoption of prevention behaviors. Methods. The data for this study came from a survey of 1,569 respondents drawn from a nationally representative sample of American adults during pH1N1. We conducted logistic regression analyses when appropriate. Results. We found that ( 1) SES has a significant association with barriers to information access and processing, levels of pH1N1-related knowledge, and misconceptions; ( 2) levels of pH1N1-related knowledge are associated positively with the adoption of recommended prevention measures and negatively with the adoption of incorrect protective behaviors; and ( 3) people with higher SES, higher news exposure, and higher levels of pH1N1-related knowledge, as well as those who actively seek information, are less likely than their counterparts to adopt incorrect prevention behaviors. Conclusion. Strategic public health communication efforts in public health preparedness and during emergencies should take into account potential communication inequalities and develop campaigns that reach across different social groups.

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