Browsing by Author "Alserehi, Haleema"

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    Epidemiology, clinical presentation, and outcome of mpox: A study of 381 cases in Saudi Arabia
    (Elsevier, 2024-03-21) Assiri, Abdullah M.; Alserehi, Haleema; Abuhasan, Musallam Yunus; Khalil, Einas Adul Aziz; Al-Thunayan, Mohammed Hussain; Alshehri, Mohammed Saaban; Alrossais, Amirah Abdulmohsen; Abudahish, Abdulrahman Saeed; Alsahafi, Abdullah Jaber; Al-Tawfiq, Jaffar A.; Medicine, School of Medicine
    Objectives: There are limited data on the clinical and epidemiological aspects of mpox in Saudi Arabia. This study investigates the characteristics of Mpox cases from May to September 2023. Methods: A total of 381 cases of Mpox were included in this study, diagnosed based on a combination of clinical symptoms and laboratory testing. Results: The majority of mpox cases were males (91.1%), with a mean age of (±SD) of 32.4 (±8.3) years; 356 (93.4%) did not report travel, 277 (72.7%) denied engaging in extra-marital sex, and 379 (99.5%) were not linked to secondary cases. Fever was reported in 371 (97.4%), whereas headache was present in 314 (82.4%). Cough (1.3%) and conjunctivitis (0.5%) were rare. The most commonly affected areas in terms of lesions were the palms and soles (297 cases, 78%), followed by the genitals (206 cases, 54%), face (198 cases, 52%), and mouth (160 cases, 42%). Of the 1325 identified contacts, 1134 (85.5%) were hospital contacts, and 191 (14.5%) were community contacts, and 393 (29.6%) were high-risk contact. Of the high-risk contacts, 284 (72.3%) accepted post-exposure vaccination. The genotyped samples were all subclade IIb (formerly the West Africa clade). Conclusions: This study provides valuable insights into mpox characteristics in Saudi Arabia. The genome of monkeypox virus belonged to subclade IIb of the West Africa clade. Further analysis of the global tree sublineage is needed.
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    High seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 among high-density communities in Saudi Arabia
    (Springer, 2022-06) Almudarra, Sami; Kamel, Shady; Saleh, Eman; Alaswad, Rehab; Alruwaily, Amaal; Almowald, Shaza; Alqunaibet, Ada Mohammed; Almudiaheem, Abdullah; Almutlaq, Hind; Alserehi, Haleema; Almalki, Safar; Bahlaq, Mohannad Abdulhafiz; Alsahafi, Abdullah Jaber; Alsaif, Faisal; Khojah, Abdullah T.; Al‑Tawfiq, Jaffar A.; Asiri, Sari Ibrahim; Assiri, Abdullah; Jokhdar, Hani; Medicine, School of Medicine
    Background: The Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection had been investigated utilizing serology. Materials and methods: This community-based sero-survey was carried out in the neighborhoods of three cities in Saudi Arabia. Results: Of 5629 participants, 2766 (49.1%) were women; and 2148 (38.1%) were 18-34 years of age, and 3645 (64.7%) were from South East Asia. Positive serology was seen in 2825 (50.2% (95% CI: 48.8-51.5%) for SARS-CoV-2 anti-S1 IgG antibodies by ECLIA. Being in the age category of 18-34 years and being from Eastern Mediterranean Region (country A) were associated with higher COVID-19 seropositivity with estimated odds ratio of 1.3 [95% CI 1.1-1.8] and 2.5 [95% CI 1.1.5-4.2] respectively. Gender, social status, education, nationality, symptoms, presence of comorbidities and activity style were positively associated with increased seropositivity. Factors associated negatively with the rate of seropositivity were higher education and having outdoor activity with estimated OR of 0.92 [95% CI 0.46-0.95] and 0.59 [95% CI 0.47-0.74], respectively. Conclusion: The study showed high seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 among high density population. Health education campaigns should target middle-aged, those with low education, those living in lower standards and indoor workers.
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    Seroprevalence of antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 among blood donors in the early month of the pandemic in Saudi Arabia
    (Elsevier, 2020) Banjar, Ayman; Al-Tawfiq, Jaffar A.; Alruwaily, Amaal; Alserehi, Haleema; Al-Qunaibet, Ada; Alaswad, Rehab; Almutlaq, Hind; Almudaiheem, Abdullah; Khojah, Abdullah T.; Alsaif, Faisal; Almolad, Shaza Karim; Alqahtani, Saeed; AlJurayyan, Abdullah; Alotaibi, Abdullah; Almalki, Safar; Abuhaimed, Yousef; Alkhashan, Abdullah; Alfaifi, Amal; Alabdulkareem, Khaled; Jokhdar, Hani; Assiri, Abdullah; Almudarra, Sami; Medicine, School of Medicine
    Background: Serologic testing provides better understanding of SARS-CoV-2 prevalence and its transmission. This study was an investigation of the prevalence of antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 among blood donors in Saudi Arabia. Objective: To estimate the seroprevalence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies among blood donors in Saudi Arabia during the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Serology results and epidemiological data were analyzed for 837 adult blood donors, with no confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, in Saudi Arabia from 20th to 25th May 2020. Seroprevalence was determined using electrochemical immunoassay to detect anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. Results: The overall seroprevalence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies was 1.4% (12/837). Non-citizens had higher seroprevalence compared with citizens (OR 13.6, p = 0.001). Secondary education was significantly associated with higher seroprevalence compared with higher education (OR 6.8, p = 0.005). The data showed that the highest seroprevalence was in Makkah (8.1%). Uisng Makkah seroprevalence as the reference, the seroprevalence in other areas was: Madinah 4.1% (OR 0.48, 95% CI 0.12-1.94), Jeddah 2.3% (OR 0.27, 95% CI 0.31-2.25), and Qassim 2.9 % (OR 0.34, 95% CI 0.04-2.89) and these were not statistically different from seroprevalence in the Makkah region. Conclusions: At the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic in Saudi Arabia, the seroprevalence of antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 among blood donors was low, but was higher among non-citizens. These findings may indicate that non-citizens and less educated individuals may be less attentive to preventive measures. Monitoring seroprevalence trends over time require repeated sampling.