Iraq FETP’s Third Intermediate Cohort’s Epidemiologic Surveillance Activities Contribute to the Arbaeen Pilgrimage

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Iraq FETP’s Third Intermediate Cohort’s Epidemiologic Surveillance Activities Contribute to the Arbaeen Pilgrimage

November 09, 2022

The Arbaeen is an annual religious event that sees millions of Shia pilgrims from Iraq and beyond traveling to Karbala city, southwest of Baghdad. This day marks the end of the 40-day mourning period for Imam Al Hussein, the grandson of Prophet Muhammad. It is considered one of the world’s largest mass gatherings. This year, on September 17, 21.2 million pilgrims gathered in Karbala to commemorate this day.

In preparation for this event, the Iraqi Ministry of Health (MoH) and the third intermediate cohort residents of the Iraq Field Epidemiology Training Program (Iraq FETP), in cooperation with GHD|EMPHNET, engaged in epidemiologic surveillance and data collection pertaining to the mass gathering, with aims of warranting the safety of the pilgrims and minimizing any health risks that may occur as the mass gathering poses a threat on the public health system of Iraq.

Twenty-eight residents from The Iraq FETP third Intermediate cohort distributed surveys to 1,000 pilgrims to assess the knowledge of food handlers about Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever in response to the current outbreak. Fourteen other residents and graduates assisted in a survey aimed at collecting data to know the most common communicable diseases among children under the age of twelve. The FETP residents were also involved in the surveillance of infectious diseases and other health conditions through seven medical checkpoints that were spread along the way to Karbala. They used an electronic Kobo Toolbox questionnaire. Data collected through the questionnaire included acute cases, chronic diseases, and injuries. This data was sent daily to the public health department to inform the decision-making and the taking of actions.

Furthermore, the FETP residents participated in spreading awareness and educating the pilgrims on Cholera prevention and control based on the findings of Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice (KAP) Assessment that studied 737 pilgrims.

In addition, since there was an increased risk of transmission of communicable diseases as well as the inability to apply standardized infection prevention precautions, the FETP residents decided to conduct a first-of-its-kind study. The study shed light on the types of bacteria detected on the surfaces of selected sites and identified the antibiotic sensitivity as well as the resistance of the detected bacteria during the mass gathering.

The involvement of the Iraq FETP in the Arbaeen pilgrimage further asserted the importance of the role played by the program and its contribution to the elevation of the national public health status of Iraq.