The International Conference "Mass Gathering Impact on Public Health", held in Jeddah, continued its sessions by having the first session of the second day .The session entitled "Mass Gatherings Infectious Diseases" and directed by Dr. Mansoor AL Nuzha and Dr. John Maklien.
At the beginning of the session, U.S Center of Infectious Diseases representative, Dr. Ali Khan stated that human gatherings can be successful, which is the case in the Hajj season. Human gatherings can be successful if health awareness and education was available for the crowds In addition to the health, and environmental safety of the hosting area. He added that the easiest way for infections to spread is through food and water contamination as well as respiratory infections, which is the most dangerous method of disease transmission from infected to healthy people.
Dr. Khan also said that there are a lot of diseases that are caused by human gatherings. These kinds of diseases are usually new, difficult to diagnose and expensive to treat. Most of these epidemics are resistant to the worldwide currently available antibiotics and vaccines, which make it difficult to control its rapid spread throughout the countries of the world especially poor ones.
Moreover, He stressed that taking care of public hygiene and providing the needed aids are considered one of the most important ways to control diseases and viruses. That is due to the fact that viruses spread in filthy areas and stagnant water, bugs and rodents favourite place.
Moreover, he mentioned that diseases spread among countries through travelling across the borders between two countries with different health care levels, which make it easy for diseases to spread specially that some countries lack the equipments that will help them in detecting diseases and viruses through their different portals making the infection easy to spread among the residents.
Dr. Khan called for the necessity of international cooperation among communities to spread the awareness through land, air and sea ports and that Ministries of Health around the world should be concerned with health awareness especially in holydays seasons and be serious in addressing the public health. In addition, the technology should be developed in order to identify and control Infectious diseases.
Within the same session, Health and Protection Agency representative, Dr. Ibrahim Abu Bakar talked about tuberculosis and its spread among human crowds. He started his speech by identifying the disease as a chronic disease resulting from getting infected by tuberculosis germs. This disease affects different parts of the body, and mainly affects the lungs.
The percentage of getting the disease or its spread phase differs from one country to the other according to the geographic density. It's considered an international epidemic that develops due to the inefficient health services in some countries and the existence of tuberculosis germs that is resistant to many medications. He clarified that the disease spreads through air among people with weak immunity and through direct contact among normal people, it can also be caused by an intensive infection that develops into a high level of tuberculosis that can affect different parts of the body.
Patients usually get treated from it but they don't get red of the germs. Once the patient is in a vulnerable condition or get sick, the germs activates causing secondary tuberculosis where the patient suffer from a chronic cough, weakness, weight loss, chest pain and The presence of blood in the sputum and phlegm sometimes.
Dr. Abu Bakar indicated that untreated active tuberculosis patients can spread the infection. Patients can be diagnosed by using x-rays and the distinctive symptoms of the disease. Then, the most important step is taken which is start getting the medication, anti- tuberculosis drugs taken in a specific ways and doses from 6 to 8 months.
Moreover, international statistics has indicated that 34% of the world's population suffer from tuberculosis which causes the death of huge numbers of people, especially that it occurs in different crowded areas of the world.
Dr. Abu Bakar stated that tuberculosis patients suffer from extreme fatigue, loss of appetite and weight, high fever, diarrhea and other symptoms which may endanger patients life leading to his death if not treated properly as soon as possible .