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Reducing the risk of highly pathogenic avian influenza A virus H5N1 transmission during the Hajj

  1. Shahul H. Ebrahim

    1. University of Sciences, Technique and Technology of Bamako, Bamako, Mali.

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  2. Alimuddin Zumla

    1. Department of Infection, Division of Infection and Immunity, Centre for Clinical Microbiology, University College London, and NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.

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  3. Justin Wong

    1. Center for Disease Control, Ministry of Health, Bandar Seri Begawan Brunei.

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  4. Mujeeb Ur Rahman

    1. Nizar hospital, Valanchery, Malappuram, Kerala, India.

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  5. Seif S. Al-Abri

    1. Disease Surveillance and Control, Ministry of Health, Muscat, Oman.

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  6. Abdullah A. Al Rabeeah

    1. King Salman Humanitarian & Relief Center, Royal Court, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

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  7. Ziad A. Memish

    1. Research and Innovation Center, King Saud Medical City, Ministry of Health & College of Medicine, Al Faisal University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and Hubert Department of Global Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.

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Nearly 2 billion Muslims worldwide will celebrate the Festival of Sacrifice, Eid ul-Adha, during the third week of June 2024. During this festival, animals are sacrificed as part of a religious ritual1, which could pose a risk for zoonotic transmission of the highly pathogenic influenza virus H5N1, recently identified in dairy cattle in the United States2.

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Nature Medicine 30, 2107-2108 (2024)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41591-024-00042-0

Acknowledgements

A.Z. acknowledges support from the Pan-African Network for Rapid Response, Research and Preparedness for Emerging and Re-Emerging Infections (PANDORA-ID-NET) funded by the EU-EDCTP2 - EU Horizon 2020 Framework Program and is in receipt of a UK NIHR Senior Investigator Award, a Mahathir Science Award, and is an EU-EDCTP Pascoal Mocumbi Prize Laureate.

References

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  10. Memish, Z. A. et al. Lancet Public Health https://doi.org/10.1016/S2468-2667(24)00103-8 (2024)

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Competing Interests

All authors have an academic interest in infectious diseases with epidemic potential.

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