{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,19]],"date-time":"2026-10-19T17:40:36Z","timestamp":1792431636539,"version":"4.5.0"},"reference-count":0,"publisher":"Oxford University Press (OUP)","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,19]],"date-time":"2026-10-19T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1792368000000},"content-version":"am","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Hajj is one of the world's largest annual mass gatherings and provides favorable conditions for respiratory virus transmission because of intense crowding and extensive international travel. Contemporary post-pandemic molecular surveillance data remain limited. This study investigated the prevalence, determinants, and characteristics of respiratory virus detections among pilgrims during the 2026 Hajj season.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>A cross-sectional study was conducted among adult domestic and international pilgrims over an extended peri-Hajj period (before, during and after Hajj) in the year 2026. Participants completed a structured questionnaire and provided combined nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal swab specimens for multiplex real-time RT-PCR detection of common respiratory viruses. A subset of positive samples underwent genomic sequencing for viral subtype and variant characterization. Logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with laboratory-confirmed respiratory viral infection.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Among 412 enrolled pilgrims across all three phases, 58 (14.1%) tested positive for at least one respiratory virus. The prevalence of viral detection was 6.7% pre-Hajj, 16.0% during Hajj and 21.4% post-Hajj. Influenza A was the predominant virus (34.5%), followed by rhinovirus (24.1%), SARS-CoV-2 (20.7%), respiratory syncytial virus (13.8%), adenovirus (5.2%), and seasonal human coronaviruses (1.7%). Diabetes mellitus, chronic lung disease and smoking were independently associated with increased odds of respiratory virus detection. Conversely, receipt of pre-travel health advice, influenza vaccination and regular facemask use were independently associated with reduced odds of respiratory virus detection.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Respiratory virus transmission remains an important public health concern during Hajj. Strengthening pre-travel health advice, promoting influenza vaccination, and reinforcing personal preventive measures may reduce respiratory viral transmission during Hajj and other international mass gatherings.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1093\/jtm\/taag093","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,19]],"date-time":"2026-10-19T17:19:58Z","timestamp":1792430398000},"source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Prevalence of respiratory viruses among pilgrims in Saudi Arabia during the Hajj 2026: a cross-sectional study"],"prefix":"10.1093","author":[{"given":"Najim Z","family":"Alshahrani","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Family and Community Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Jeddah , Jeddah 23218 ,","place":["Saudi Arabia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Abdulrahman M","family":"Albeshry","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Family and Community Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Jeddah , Jeddah 23218 ,","place":["Saudi Arabia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Zuhier","family":"Awan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Applied Medical Sciences, University of Jeddah , Jeddah 23218 ,","place":["Saudi Arabia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2286-5139","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Harunor","family":"Rashid","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Children\u2019s Hospital Westmead Clinical School, Sydney Infectious Diseases Institute, University of Sydney , Westmead, Sydney, NSW 2145 ,","place":["Australia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"286","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,19]]},"container-title":["Journal of Travel Medicine"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/jtm\/advance-article-pdf\/doi\/10.1093\/jtm\/taag093\/72115518\/taag093.pdf","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"am","intended-application":"syndication"},{"URL":"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/jtm\/advance-article-pdf\/doi\/10.1093\/jtm\/taag093\/72115518\/taag093.pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,19]],"date-time":"2026-10-19T17:19:58Z","timestamp":1792430398000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/jtm\/advance-article\/doi\/10.1093\/jtm\/taag093\/8943624"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,19]]},"references-count":0,"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1093\/jtm\/taag093","relation":{},"ISSN":["1195-1982","1708-8305"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1195-1982","type":"print"},{"value":"1708-8305","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,19]]},"article-number":"taag093"}}