Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases at Mass Gatherings
Mass gatherings (MGs) are defined by the World Health Organization as concentrations of people at a specific location for a specific purpose, over a set period of time with the potential to strain local resources. MGs come in many different forms but can be grouped into three main categories: social events (concerts, festivals, etc.), sport events (FIFA World Cup, Olympic Games, etc.) and religious events (Kumbh Mela, Hajj, etc.). Because of increased global mobility, MGs have become both more frequent and more attended.
The Hajj is one of the biggest religious events hosted by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) every year. One of the obligatory pillars of Islam, Hajj is a pilgrimage to Makkah which is must for every physically fit, healthy Muslim to perform once in a lifetime if he/she can afford it. It is performed from the 8th to 12th of Dhul-Hujjah, the last month of Islamic calendar. Currently, over three million Muslims travel to Saudi Arabia every year to perform Hajj rituals from almost 184 countries. Over-crowded accommodations make an ideal environment for the exacerbation of communicable diseases, many of which are preventable if proper precautionary measures are taken. Pilgrims are at potential risk of acquiring communicable diseases via contaminated food or water, person-to-person contact and vector-borne and respiratory transmission of viruses. Surveillance at entry and exit points could quickly improve disease detection.
The Zymetas communicable diseases RT-PCR Assay is based on the real time PCR amplification techniques of detection and differentiation of the infectious diseases such as Influenza, Coronavirus, N. Meningitidis, Poliovirus, Dengue virus, Zika virus, and/or Yellow Fever virus etc., DNA/RNA in a one-step format. The assay is designed and developed for qualitative detection of infectious diseases specific DNA/RNA in specimens as an aid in the diagnosis of communicable diseases alongside all available clinical data, patient history, epidemiological data and other laboratory test outcomes. The assay is intended for use by professionals specifically trained in real time PCR amplification techniques and for research use only.
Features include
Multiplex PCR assay with one-step RT-PCR amplification techniques
Pre-mixed reagent in an easy-to-use format for stable system
Fast turnaround time with a PCR running time of ~60 minutes for 96 samples
Open system suitable for most real-time PCR instruments and nucleic acid extraction systems
Performances include
Accuracy: 100% (test with reference panels, and compare with a commercial RT-PCR kit)
Limit of Detection: 1000 copies/mL (test with LoD reference as positive≥ 95% of the time)
Cross-Reactivity: No cross-reactivity with other infectious diseases
Lists
FluA/B RT-PCR Assay 2.1
COVID-19 RT-PCR Assay 2.1
FluA/B/COVID-19 RT-PCR Assay 2.1
Poliovirus RT-PCR Assay 2.1
Poliovirus Serotyping RT-PCR Assay 2.1
N. Meningitidis RT-PCR Assay 2.1
N. Meningitidis Serotyping RT-PCR Assay 2.1
DENV RT-PCR Assay 2.1
ZIKV RT-PCR Assay 2.1
YFV RT-PCR Assay 2.1
DENV/ZIKV/YFV RT-PCR Assay 2.1
Real-time PCR Instruments
QuantStudio™ 5 Real-Time PCR System | Applied Biosystems™ 7500 Real-Time PCR System | CFX96™ Dx System | CFX96™ Deep Well Dx System | LightCycler® 480 Instrument II | Rotor-Gene® Q5/6 plex Platform | SLAN-96P Real-Time PCR System | Gentier 96E real-time PCR system