Respiratory viruses in Hajj pilgrims

What is it about?

In this article we present the data on the attack rate of common respiratory viruses among symptomatic pilgrims from Saudi Arabia, Australia and Qatar who participated in a large trial assessing the efficacy of facemasks against respiratory infections including MERS-CoV and influenza during the Hajj in 2013.

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Why is it important?

The strength of this study is that these data originate from a large sample size (1038), and the pilgrims were closely followed for the 4 peak days of Hajj. Furthermore, the timing, site of recruitment and follow-up of this study was conducted at the main Hajj spot (Mina) during the most intense Hajj activities, so that it presents more representative Hajj epidemiology.