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Influenza vaccine for international mass gatherings

2016; Elsevier BV; Volume: 16; Issue: 9 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/s1473-3099(16)30261-4

1474-4457

Philippe Gautret, Robert Steffen,

Zoonotic diseases and public health

We agree with Mohammad Alfelali and colleagues1Alfelali M Alqahtani AS Barasheed O Booy R Rashid H Mandating influenza vaccine for Hajj pilgrims.Lancet Infect Dis. 2016; 16: 633-634Summary Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (9) Google Scholar that influenza vaccination is highly recommended for Hajj pilgrims. However, the Hajj is not the only mass gathering at which influenza outbreaks have been reported.2Gautret P Steffen R Communicable diseases as health risks at mass gatherings other than Hajj: what is the evidence?.Int J Infect Dis. 2016; (published online March 14.)https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijid.2016.03.007Summary Full Text Full Text PDF Scopus (58) Google Scholar Similarly, outbreaks were recorded during the World Youth Day in July 2008 in Sydney, Australia, during the H1N1 pandemic in 2009 at the Itzapalapa Passion Play in Mexico, and at three major outdoor music festivals in Europe, including the Sziget festival in Hungary, the Rock Werchter festival in Belgium, and the Exit festival in Serbia.2Gautret P Steffen R Communicable diseases as health risks at mass gatherings other than Hajj: what is the evidence?.Int J Infect Dis. 2016; (published online March 14.)https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijid.2016.03.007Summary Full Text Full Text PDF Scopus (58) Google Scholar In 2002 an influenza outbreak happened at the Winter Olympiad in Salt Lake City, USA.2Gautret P Steffen R Communicable diseases as health risks at mass gatherings other than Hajj: what is the evidence?.Int J Infect Dis. 2016; (published online March 14.)https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijid.2016.03.007Summary Full Text Full Text PDF Scopus (58) Google Scholar Another mass gathering of major interest for the medical community will be the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and other locations in Brazil in August, 2016. According to the Pan American Health Organization, Brazil reported an early-2016 winter season, with intense transmission of influenza, predominately influenza A H1N1pdm09. Although this activity has been decreasing since week 18, it has been increasing in Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, and Paraguay since week 15.3Pan American Health OrganizationSpecial edition report. Regional update EW 22, 2016. Influenza and other respiratory virus.http://www.paho.org/hq/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3352%3A2010-influenza-situation-report&catid=2407%3Ainfluenza-other-respiratory-viruses&Itemid=2469&lang=enDate: June 15, 2016Google Scholar Among other measures, both the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend that travellers to the Games should at least consider vaccination against influenza (preferably with the 2016 southern hemisphere seasonal vaccine) because the event takes place at the peak of the influenza season in South America.4European Centre for Disease Prevention and ControlPotential risks to public health related to communicable diseases at the Olympics and Paralympics Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 2016. Stockholm.http://ecdc.europa.eu/en/publications/Publications/Risk-assessment-mass%20gathering-Rio-2016-10May2016.pdfDate: 2016Google Scholar In France, Switzerland, and many other countries in the northern hemisphere, southern hemisphere influenza vaccine is not available. Meanwhile the shelf-life for the northern hemisphere vaccine, which would offer protection against influenza A H1N1pdm09, has expired, and consequently, the ECDC's and CDC's advice is impossible to follow. As such, in a globally mobile world, solutions need to be found to offer influenza vaccine from the opposite hemisphere, at least in travel clinics. Additionally, the shelf-life of influenza vaccine in the northern hemisphere should be prolonged to August each year. That is not only essential for those attending mass gatherings, but also for other risk groups, for example, passengers on cruises to Alaska.5Uyeki TM Zane SB Bodnar UR et al.Large summertime influenza A outbreak among tourists in Alaska and the Yukon Territory.Clin Infect Dis. 2003; 36: 1095-1102Crossref PubMed Scopus (69) Google Scholar We declare no competing interests. Mandating influenza vaccine for Hajj pilgrimsThe risk of acquisition and transmission of respiratory tract infections including influenza is considerably enhanced among attendees of the Hajj pilgrimage.1 Influenza vaccine has been recommended by the Saudi Ministry of Health since 2005 for all pilgrims, particularly for those at increased risk of severe disease.2 The Saudi Ministry of Health is now seriously considering mandating influenza vaccine for all pilgrims,3 and the Saudi Thoracic Society has already urged consideration of a “strict vaccination strategy” for Hajj and Umrah visitors. Full-Text PDF