
Anas KhanMinistry of Health Saudi Arabia | MOH · Global Centre for Mass Gatherings Medicine
Anas Khan
MBBS, SBEM, MHA, FFSEM
Public Health Emergencies & Health Security
About
139
Publications
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Introduction
ِAiming to advance our preparedness for Public Health Emergencies
Additional affiliations
March 2012 - January 2022
March 2016 - October 2020
December 2018 - May 2021
Education
July 2014 - June 2015
September 2009 - January 2012
October 2007 - September 2011
Saudi Council for Health Specialties
Field of study
- Emergency Medicine
Publications
Publications (139)
Background:
During the 2019 Hajj, the Ministry of Health in Saudi Arabia implemented for the first time a health early warning system for rapid detection and response to health threats.
Aims:
This study aimed to describe the early warning findings at the Hajj to highlight the pattern of health risks and the potential benefits of the disease surv...
A wide range of natural and man-made hazards increases the health risks at mass gatherings (MGs). Building on the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 , the World Health Organization (WHO) developed the Health Emergency and Disaster Risk Management (H-EDRM) framework to strengthen preparedness, response, and recovery from health e...
Background:
With the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), most countries rushed to take early measures to control this disease.
Aims:
This paper describes and evaluates the Saudi Arabian strategic preparedness and response plan on COVID-19 up to 31 December 2020.
Methods:
Saudi Arabia adopted the World Health Organization's guideline...
Introduction: The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), a single-chain ribonucleic acid (RNA) virus. As of March 25, 2021, the total number of positive cases and fatalities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) had reached 386,300 and 6624, respectively, with a case fatality rate of 1...
Introduction
To mitigate morbidity, mortality, and impacts of COVID-19 on health, it was essential to implement a comprehensive framework for COVID-19 control and prevention. A well-recognized tool from the field of injury prevention known as the Haddon matrix was utilized. The matrix states that any accident is affected by the host, agent, and env...
Introduction: The well-being of populations is crucial for understanding nations’ public health and progress. With its ongoing transformation and development objectives, Saudi Arabia emphasizes its residents’ quality of life and well-being. Recent surveys and health indicators have underlined the nation’s focus on enhancing population well-being. A...
Background: Risk communication during public health emergencies is a demanding and dynamic public policy process. In this paper, we provide an overview of risk communication during public health emergencies by discussing the theoretical foundations of risk perception. While communication is a complex art and a science that helps to facilitate daily...
This study investigates the molecular responses to heat stroke in young and old patients by comparing whole-genome transcriptomes between age groups. We analyzed transcriptomic profiles from patients categorized into two age-defined cohorts: young (mean age = 44.9 ± 6 years) and old (mean age = 66.1 ± 4 years). Control subjects, exposed to similar...
Background/Objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic underscored the urgent need for rapid, efficient testing methods at large-scale events to control virus spread. This study leverages queueing theory to explore how different floor plan configurations affect the efficiency of Rapid Antigen Diagnostic Test (RADT) centers at mass gatherings, aiming to enhan...
Objectives/Hypothesis
To assess the efficacy of 0.23% povidone-iodine (PVP-I) nasal rinses and mouth washes on detectability of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) virus and cycle threshold (Ct) values in nasopharyngeal swabs.
Study design
This was an open-label, prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial.
Setting
The study wa...
COVID-19 has substantially impacted health systems and the global economy. Moreover, it is more likely to have a detrimental influence on unstable nations than on more stable ones. All these consequences encouraged investigators to develop mathematical models to predict new cases, fatalities, and recoveries. These models allow a better understandin...
Background: Heat-related illnesses (HRI) are defined as elevated body core temperatures when exposed to an intense high temperature. HRIs include but are not limited to heat exhaustion (HE) and heat stroke (HS). HE and HS are among the leading causes of morbidity and mortality among pilgrims when the Hajj season occurs during the hot cycle of the y...
Background: Heat-related illnesses (HRI) are defined as elevated body core temperatures when exposed to an intense high temperature. HRIs include but are not limited to heat exhaustion (HE) and heat stroke (HS). HE and HS are among the leading causes of morbidity and mortality among pilgrims when the Hajj season occurs during the hot cycle of the y...
Background: Millions of Muslims gather annually in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, for pilgrimage (Hajj). Several medical conditions need specialized care when transfer outside the hospital. However, providing healthcare to emergency cases in such unparalleled mass gatherings is challenging. This study aimed to describe medical conditions transferred by the...
The Hospital Incident Command System (HICS) and Medical Major Incident Management System (MMIMS) are incident management systems that any hospital may utilize to deal with threats, scheduled events, or emergencies. Both are valuable systems since they provide an organizational framework for incident management and include planning, developing, and...
Background
The likelihood of survival of an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest quadruples with the rapid application of basic life support (BLS). The public’s ability to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and use automated external defibrillators (AEDs) is extremely important. This study aimed to assess the public knowledge, attitudes, and pra...
Objectives/Hypothesis: To assess the efficacy of 0.23% povidone-iodine (PVP-I) nasal rinses and mouth washes on detectability of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) virus and cycle threshold (Ct) values in nasopharyngeal swabs.
Study Design: This was an open-label, prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial.
Setting: The study w...
Background: Despite the pivotality of emergency medical services (EMS) in prehospital care for patient stabilization, prehospital intravenous (IV) access, a standard practice, remains an ambiguity in Saudi Arabia in terms of its prevalence of placement, justification, and utilization.
Objectives: In this study, we aim to estimate the prevalence and...
Introduction: The rise of the COVID-19 pandemic caused significant concerns due to the risk of transmission in such mass gatherings. Too many variables for such a critical challenge made it more of a complex situation, with an enormous negative impact on either decision. In this paper, we aimed to summarize the experience of Saudi Arabia in hosting...
Similar to most countries, Saudi Arabia faced several challenges during the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, some of which were related to the religious position of the country. The main challenges included deficits in knowledge, attitudes, and practices toward COVID-19, the negative psychological impacts of the pandemic on the g...
Objectives:
Chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) incidents are those that involve chemical or biological warfare agents or toxic radiological or nuclear materials. These agents can cause disasters intentionally or accidentally. Hospitals play a crucial role in handling CBRN disasters. This study aimed to assess the CBRN preparedn...
Background
Ambient temperatures exceeding 40 °C are projected to become common in many temperate climatic zones due to global warming. Therefore, understanding the health effects of continuous exposure to high ambient temperatures on populations living in hot climatic regions can help identify the limits of human tolerance.
Objective
We studied th...
Background:
Travel to international mass gatherings such as the Hajj pilgrimage increases the risk of Neisseria meningitidis transmission and meningococcal disease. We investigated carriage and acquisition of N. meningitidis among travelers to Hajj and determined circulating serogroups, sequence types and antibiotic susceptibility among isolates....
Background:
Although the association between ambient temperature and mortality in local populations is evident, this relationship remains unclear in transient populations (e.g., due to immigration, mass gatherings, or displacement). The holy city of Mecca annually shelters two populations comprising its residents and the transitory Hajj pilgrims (...
With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, several countries suspended or restricted mass gathering (MG) events to mitigate the risk of superspreading events. Prohibiting MGs aimed to lessen the likelihood of highly infectious persons coming into close contact with many others. Now that the world has opened its doors wide and removed mo...
Purpose: This study aims to evaluate the response of pilgrims at Almadinah Almunawwarah Airport toward knowledge of preventive measures
on respiratory infectious diseases, and to study the factors affecting the response of pilgrims to prevent infectious diseases such as SARS.
Materials and Methods: This study was conducted at Almadinah Almunawwarah...
Portable X-rays are an excellent diagnostic tool, but prolonged exposure might result in tissue damage. The most severe concerns include an increased risk of cancer, the development of cataracts, and fetal harm in pregnant workers. This study investigates if health professionals in the emergency department are exposed to X-ray ionizing radiation in...
Healthcare organizations need to efficiently use their available resources, improve their productivity, reduce operating costs, and provide high-quality services. Just in time (JIT) is an approach that has benefited the healthcare industry in these regards, improving patient outcomes by reducing waste and non-value-adding activities. As such, our m...
Objectives:
The objective of this study is to prospectively analyze emergency physicians' (EP's) abilities to interpret noncontrast computed tomography (NCCT) brain images in a blinded fashion and assess whether they can make medical decisions solely based on their interpretations.
Methods:
A cross-sectional study was conducted at the emergency...
Purpose
After the impressive results of the 2020 Hajj management, Saudi authorities decided to expand the quota to 60,000 pilgrims in 2021, which resulted in a convenient and successful experience.
Patients and Methods
This was a retrospective pre and post-study study conducted on all pilgrims attending the 2021 Hajj using the polymerase chain rea...
Introduction
To mitigate morbidity, mortality, and impacts of heat-related illnesses (HRIs) on health, it was vital to implement a comprehensive framework for HRI prevention and control. A recognized tool from the field of trauma prevention known as the Haddon matrix was applied. The matrix states that any event is affected by three factors: host,...
Background:
Meningococcal disease and outbreaks are a risk during mass gatherings such as the Umrah religious pilgrimage to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). We aimed to investigate the carriage of Neisseria meningitidis among the 2019 Umrah pilgrims and determine the circulating serogroups and their antibiotic susceptibility profiles.
Methods:...
Camels gained attention since the discovery of MERS-CoV as intermediary hosts for potentially epidemic zoonotic viruses. DcHEV is a novel zoonotic pathogen associated with camel contact. This study aimed to genetically characterize DcHEV in domestic and imported camels in Saudi Arabia. DcHEV was detected by RT-PCR in serum samples, PCR-positive sam...
Background
Data on SARS-CoV-2 in infants ≤ 90 days are limited with conflicting reports regarding its presentation and outcomes.
Methods
We conducted an ambispective cohort study using prospectively collected Health Electronic Surveillance Network Database by the Ministry of Health, Saudi Arabia. Infants of ≤ 90 days of age who had a positive RT-P...
Introduction: Daily emergency department surges can cause crowding in facilities that do not have adequate physical and personnel resources to meet peak demands. The mismatch between surge and surge capacity results in ED crowding, thus indicating compromised daily ED capacity. This study aimed to analyze the daily ED visits and the relevance of th...
Background
Many survivors of COVID-19 have developed symptoms and diseases similar to those observed after severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). Therefore, this study aimed to characterize the symptoms that appear after severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection has been eradicated and to determine their relationship...
Background:
The majority of pilgrims seeking healthcare during Hajj are seen at primary healthcare centers (PHCCs). Data on the utilization of these facilities during Hajj can aid in directing optimal health services delivery and allocation of resources during the pilgrimage.
Method:
We investigated the pattern of disease presentation, caseload,...
Background:The percentage of affected children in mass casualty incidents (MCIs) in Saudi Arabia is high (39.1%). Thereby, this study aimed to assess the level of preparedness, preparedness plans, and the knowledge of pre-hospital workers related to pediatric patients in MCI. Also, to identify training methods needed in order to highlight the criti...
Camels gained attention since the discovery of MERS-CoV as intermediary hosts for potentially epidemic zoonotic viruses. DcHEV is a novel zoonotic pathogen associated with camel contact. This study aimed to genetically characterize DcHEV in domestic and imported camels in Saudi Arabia.
DcHEV was detected by RT-PCR in serum samples, PCR-positive sam...
Potential risks for public health incidents, outbreaks, and casualties are inferred at association football events, especially if event organizers have not taken appropriate preventative measures. This review explores the potential risks imposed by mass gathering (MG) football events, with particular emphasis on tools and methodologies to manage th...
Background
A growing number of experiments have suggested potential cross-reactive immunity between severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) and previous human coronaviruses. We conducted the present retrospective cohort study to investigate the relationship between previous Middle East respiratory syndrome-coronavirus (MERS-CoV...
Objective
The Saudi Red Crescent Authority (SRCA) plays a major role in the event of disasters and crisis, as it is the main pre-hospital health-care provider. This study reports on the attitude and perceptions of SRCA medical staff concerning their knowledge of disaster management and response.
Method
This is a descriptive cross-sectional study p...
Background
Mass-gathering events (MGEs) occur regularly throughout the world. As people congregate at MGEs, there is an increased risk of transmission of communicable diseases. Novel respiratory viruses, such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-1 (SARS-CoV-1), Influenza A Virus Subtype H1N1 Strain 2009 (H1N1pdm09), Middle East Respirat...
Background
Food and water-borne diseases (FWBDs) are a health risk at the Hajj mass gathering. The current study documented the prevalence and management of gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms among pilgrims during the 2019 Hajj and assessed their knowledge and practice concerning food and water safety.
Method
An analytical cross-sectional study was co...
Purpose:
To investigate knowledge, attitude, and perceived risks towards COVID-19 pandemic among healthcare workers (HCWs) in Saudi Arabia. Besides, the impact of risk communication strategy on the attitude and practice of HCWs was investigated.
Patients and methods:
We conducted a cross-sectional study that targeted HCWs from various Saudi heal...
Context:
Exploring clinical characteristics of coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) in children may help in prevention and treatment guidelines.
Aims:
The aim of the to describe the spectrum of pediatric COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia.
Settings and design:
A multicenter, retrospective, cross-sectional study involving pediatric COVID-19 patients across...
Background:
The prevalence of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection during the period of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) remains uncertain.
Aims:
This study aimed to provide an update on the epidemiology of MERS-CoV in Saudi Arabia from January 2019 to October 2020.
Methods:
Data on all laboratory-confirmed case...
The viral RNA of SARS-Coronavirus-2 is known to be contaminating municipal wastewater. We aimed to assess if COVID-19 disease is spreading through wastewater. We studied the amount of viral RNA in raw sewage and the efficiency of the sewage treatment to remove the virus. Sewage water was collected before and after the activated sludge process three...
Makkah city, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), contains many of the world’s mosquito vectors of parasitic and arboviral disease and is the site of the Hajj mass gathering. As such there is a risk of exportation and globalization of vector-borne viruses, including the re-emerging Zika virus (ZIKV). There was international concern regarding the introduc...
Background:
Diabetes is one of the most common underlying health conditions among Hajj pilgrims. Many diabetics manage their condition using insulin, which requires appropriate storage conditions to maintain its stability and effectiveness. We aimed to investigate insulin knowledge, storage, and handling among diabetic pilgrims during Hajj to iden...
Purpose
Simple Triage and Rapid Treatment (START) is a unique triage system used by prehospital providers during disasters to quickly categorize and prioritize patient care according to severity. This study aims at evaluating knowledge about the START triage system among field emergency medical service (EMS) personnel working at the Saudi Red Cresc...
We aimed to investigate the knowledge and practices of Hajj pilgrims regarding medication storage and handling during the Hajj mass gathering. In this cross-sectional study, adult pilgrims from 30 countries were interviewed using a structured questionnaire during the 2019 Hajj. The study enrolled 1221 participants with a mean age of 50.8 years (SD...
Background
Several emergent circumstances require healthcare providers to recognize the unusual and dangerous and pathogenic agents. An in-depth literature review showed that studies about bioterrorism preparedness amongst healthcare providers are lacking. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the knowledge and preparedness level of first emer...
Objectives
To assess the hospital beds and intensive care unit (ICU) beds with a ventilator surge capacity of the health system in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) during COVID-19 pandemic.
Methods
This study used relevant data from the National Health Emergency Operation Center to estimate general hospital and ICU beds surge capacity and tipping poi...
Background: Although Saudi Arabia harbors a large number of confirmed cases with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‑19), the Kingdom is characterized by a low case fatality rate, compared to that of other parts of the world. Patient‑specific factors can play a role in this observation. Thus, we conducted the present retrospective study to investigate...
Introduction
Social media is the most commonly used method of communication during emergency and disaster events. The prompt contribution of social media in emergency management has lately captured the imagination of governmental organizations and researchers. This study explores the attitudes of Saudis toward social media use during emergency and...
Interferon-induced membrane proteins (IFITM) 3 gene variants are known risk factor for severe viral diseases. We examined whether IFITM3 variant may underlie the heterogeneous clinical outcomes of SARS-CoV-2 infection-induced COVID-19 in large Arab population. We genotyped 880 Saudi patients; 93.8% were PCR-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, encompass...
The Hajj mass gathering annually attracts over two million Muslim pilgrims worldwide to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). We aimed to establish demographics and health profiles for the South African pilgrims performing the 2017 Hajj. Methods: This is a longitudinal survey-based study conducted on 1138 adult South African pilgrims in two phases (du...
Objectives: To evaluate the Ministry of Health (MoH) hospitals preparedness for potential disasters and crisis events using the World Health Organization (WHO) hospital emergency response checklist.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at MoH hospitals in Al-Madina, Saudi Arabia using the WHO hospital emergency response checklist. The ov...
Background: The aim of this study was to identify the predictors of hospitalization in older (≥ 60 years) patients with coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) in Saudi Arabia.
Methods: Patients were randomly selected from a COVID-19 database maintained by the Ministry of Health, Saudi Arabia. All patients were aged ≥ 60 years, had reverse transcriptase-...
Purpose:
The novel coronavirus (COVID-19), declared a pandemic by WHO in March 2020, is an unprecedented occurrence in our recent history. Effective risk communication by health authorities, through relaying reliable and authoritative information, is imperative in combating the spread of the outbreak. We aimed to measure the effectiveness of risk...
The Hajj mass gathering is attended by over two million Muslims each year, many of whom are elderly and have underlying health conditions. Data on the number of pilgrims with health conditions would assist public health planning and improve health services delivery at the event. We carried out a systematic review of literature based on structured s...