Abstract
Emerging infectious diseases are of great concern to public health, as highlighted by the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Such diseases are of particular danger during mass gathering and mass influx events, as large crowds of people in close proximity to each other creates optimal opportunities for disease transmission. The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are two countries that have witnessed mass gatherings due to the arrival of Syrian refugees and the annual Hajj season. The mass migration of people not only brings exotic diseases to these regions but also brings new diseases back to their own countries, e.g., the outbreak of MERS in South Korea. Many emerging pathogens originate in bats, and more than 30 bat species have been identified in these two countries. Some of those bat species are known to carry viruses that cause deadly diseases in other parts of the world, such as the rabies virus and coronaviruses. However, little is known about bats and the pathogens they carry in Jordan and Saudi Arabia. Here, the importance of enhanced surveillance of bat-borne infections in Jordan and Saudi Arabia is emphasized, promoting the awareness of bat-borne diseases among the general public and building up infrastructure and capability to fill the gaps in public health preparedness to prevent future pandemics.
Highlights
Experts have been warning about the possibility of a pandemic threat, and the lack of preparedness at national levels, for many years [1]
The public healthcare systems in almost every Eastern Mediterranean country were inadequately prepared to respond effectively to a viral epidemic [20]. This inadequacy has only been exacerbated by the ongoing wars, civil unrest, population growth, and an aging population, which have all contributed to the spread of communicable diseases in a region which is already regularly exposed to mass influx events and mass gatherings [21]
As a result of the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS)-CoV outbreaks, the Saudi Arabian government banned the slaughter of camels during the 2015 Hajj, and it forbade the entry of camels into the holy cities of Medina and Mecca [166]
Summary
Marston 4 , Guanghui Wu 4 , Lorraine M. Genomics and Personalized Medicine Unit, College of Medicine, King Khalid University, Abha 61421, Saudi Arabia. Received: 16 October 2020; Accepted: 3 December 2020; Published: 9 December 2020
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