The Level of Awareness Among Surgical Physicians Regarding Surgical Site Infections and the Risks Associated With Wound Infections in Makkah.

Background and aims: Surgical site infections (SSIs) are a significant contributor to mortality rates globally; therefore, to avoid these lethal complications, it is critical to incorporate patient safety and high-quality treatment approaches. This study aims to assess surgical physicians' awareness of SSIs and risks of wound infections in Makkah City, Saudi Arabia. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was performed among surgical physicians and interns in Makkah city hospitals through an online questionnaire from February 2023 to March 2023.  Results: 122 surgical physicians were enrolled in the study. The age of the majority of participants was between 20 and 30 (52.5%). According to the data, 55.7% of respondents had fair knowledge. Conclusion: Only 4.1% of physicians had a good level of knowledge. Thus, we recommend Makkah hospitals offer academic sessions to surgical physicians about preventive measures for high-quality care of SSIs in order to raise their levels of awareness and knowledge.

Low Prevalence of Syndromic Respiratory Tract Infections among Returning Hajj Pilgrims Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Post-Hajj Survey.

This study estimates the point prevalence of symptomatic respiratory tract infections (RTIs) among returned Hajj pilgrims and their contacts in 2021. Using the computer-assisted telephone interview (CATI) technique, domestic pilgrims were invited to participate in this cross-sectional survey two weeks after their home return from Hajj. Of 600 pilgrims approached, 79.3% agreed to participate and completed the survey. Syndromic definitions were used to clinically diagnose possible influenza-like illnesses (ILI) and COVID-19. Median with range was applied to summarise the continuous data, and frequencies and proportions were used to present the categorical variables. Simple logistic regression was carried out to assess the correlations of potential factors with the prevalence of RTIs. The majority of pilgrims (88.7%) reported receiving at least two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine before Hajj. Eleven (2.3%) pilgrims reported respiratory symptoms with the estimated prevalence of possible ILI being 0.2%, and of possible COVID-19 being 0.4%. Among those who were symptomatic, five (45.5%) reported that one or more of their close contacts had developed similar RTI symptoms after the pilgrims' home return. The prevalence of RTIs among pilgrims who returned home after attending the Hajj 2021 was lower compared with those reported in the pre-pandemic studies; however, the risk of spread of infection among contacts following Hajj is still a concern.