Bat-Borne Coronaviruses in Jordan and Saudi Arabia: A Threat to Public Health?
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 opti...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2020-12-01
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| Series: | Viruses |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/12/12/1413 |
| _version_ | 1797545348494786560 |
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| author | Laith N. AL-Eitan Amneh H. Tarkhan Mansour A. Alghamdi Denise A. Marston Guanghui Wu Lorraine M. McElhinney Ian H. Brown Anthony R. Fooks |
| author_facet | Laith N. AL-Eitan Amneh H. Tarkhan Mansour A. Alghamdi Denise A. Marston Guanghui Wu Lorraine M. McElhinney Ian H. Brown Anthony R. Fooks |
| author_sort | Laith N. AL-Eitan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | 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. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T14:14:08Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f29b8f9b71ba40c1ad5eb325515c6061 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1999-4915 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T14:14:08Z |
| publishDate | 2020-12-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Viruses |
| spelling | doaj.art-f29b8f9b71ba40c1ad5eb325515c60612023-11-20T23:57:53ZengMDPI AGViruses1999-49152020-12-011212141310.3390/v12121413Bat-Borne Coronaviruses in Jordan and Saudi Arabia: A Threat to Public Health?Laith N. AL-Eitan0Amneh H. Tarkhan1Mansour A. Alghamdi2Denise A. Marston3Guanghui Wu4Lorraine M. McElhinney5Ian H. Brown6Anthony R. Fooks7Department of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid 22110, JordanDepartment of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid 22110, JordanDepartment of Anatomy, College of Medicine, King Khalid University, Abha 61421, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Virology, Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA, Weybridge), Surrey KT15 3NB, UKDepartment of Virology, Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA, Weybridge), Surrey KT15 3NB, UKDepartment of Virology, Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA, Weybridge), Surrey KT15 3NB, UKDepartment of Virology, Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA, Weybridge), Surrey KT15 3NB, UKDepartment of Virology, Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA, Weybridge), Surrey KT15 3NB, UKEmerging 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.https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/12/12/1413batscoronavirusesemerging infectious diseaseviral diseasezoonotic diseaseCOVID-19 |
| spellingShingle | Laith N. AL-Eitan Amneh H. Tarkhan Mansour A. Alghamdi Denise A. Marston Guanghui Wu Lorraine M. McElhinney Ian H. Brown Anthony R. Fooks Bat-Borne Coronaviruses in Jordan and Saudi Arabia: A Threat to Public Health? Viruses bats coronaviruses emerging infectious disease viral disease zoonotic disease COVID-19 |
| title | Bat-Borne Coronaviruses in Jordan and Saudi Arabia: A Threat to Public Health? |
| title_full | Bat-Borne Coronaviruses in Jordan and Saudi Arabia: A Threat to Public Health? |
| title_fullStr | Bat-Borne Coronaviruses in Jordan and Saudi Arabia: A Threat to Public Health? |
| title_full_unstemmed | Bat-Borne Coronaviruses in Jordan and Saudi Arabia: A Threat to Public Health? |
| title_short | Bat-Borne Coronaviruses in Jordan and Saudi Arabia: A Threat to Public Health? |
| title_sort | bat borne coronaviruses in jordan and saudi arabia a threat to public health |
| topic | bats coronaviruses emerging infectious disease viral disease zoonotic disease COVID-19 |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/12/12/1413 |
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