title: Association between Australian Hajj Pilgrims' awareness of MERS-CoV, and their compliance with preventive measures and exposure to camels.
abstract: Through a prospective cohort study the relationship between travellers' awareness of MERS-CoV, and compliance with preventive measures and exposure to camels was evaluated among Australian Hajj pilgrims who attended Hajj in 2015. Only 28% of Australian Hajj pilgrims were aware of MERS-CoV in Saudi Arabia. Those who were aware of MERS-CoV were more likely to receive recommended vaccines [odds ratio (OR) 3.1, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.5-5.9, P < 0.01], but there was no significant difference in avoiding camels or their raw products during Hajj between those who were aware of MERS-CoV and those who were not (OR 1.2, 95% CI: 0.3-5.2, P = 0.7). Hajj pilgrims' awareness is reflected in some of their practices but not in all.
authors.affiliation: National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance of Vaccine Preventable Diseases (NCIRS), Australia, NSW.|School of Public Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Amani S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Alqahtani
authors.affiliation: National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance of Vaccine Preventable Diseases (NCIRS), Australia, NSW.|School of Public Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Kerrie E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Wiley
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.|Ministry of Health, Abha, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Sami M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Mushta
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Kaoruko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yamazaki
authors.affiliation: Health Informatics Department, Saudi Electronic University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Nasser F
authors.initials: NF
authors.lastname: BinDhim
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health and Community Medicine, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Anita E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Heywood
authors.affiliation: National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance of Vaccine Preventable Diseases (NCIRS), Australia, NSW.|Marie Bashir Institute for Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, Sydney, Australia.|WHO Collaborating Centre for Mass Gatherings and High Consequence/High Visibility Events, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Booy
authors.affiliation: National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance of Vaccine Preventable Diseases (NCIRS), Australia, NSW.|Marie Bashir Institute for Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, Sydney, Australia.
authors.forename: Harunor
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Rashid
mesh_terms: D001315:Australia; D003140:Communicable Disease Control; D018352:Coronavirus Infections / Q000517:prevention & control*; D015438:Health Behavior; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007514:Islam; D065207:Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus; D012529:Saudi Arabia; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014195:Travel
keywords: Camel; Hajj; Knowledge; MERS-CoV; Pilgrims; Saudi Arabia; Unpasteurized milk; attitude and practice (KAP)