+1 (202) 780-3397
Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus: Are Makkah Medical Students Sufficiently Aware of it?
3rd International Conference and Expo on Herbal & Alternative Medicine
September 01-02, 2017 London, UK
Osama Abdulqadir Khairoalsindi, Anas M Tayeb, Raghad M Mandora and Muhammad I Siddiqui
Umm Al-Qura Medical College, Umm Al-Qura University, Saudi Arabia
Department of Community Medicine, Umm Al-Qura University, Saudi Arabia
Posters & Accepted Abstracts : Allied J Med Res
Abstract:
Objective / Purpose: Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus continues to pose great challenges to Saudi Arabia and many other countries. The medical students in Makkah, in addition to their role in spreading the awareness among the indigenous population of their community, possess a crucial role owing to their unique setting and their major participation in the annual Hajj event. This study was designed to assess the awareness among medical students of Umm Al-Qura Medical College in Makkah towards MERS-CoV. Material and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on medical students who finished the second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth academic year using a previously constructed questionnaire that was used in a study on dental students in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Results: Among the 317 respondents, 92.4% knew at least one definition of MERS-CoV. Mean awareness scores for the second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth years were 31%, 51%, 61%, 63%, and 69% respectively. GPA was found to be correlated with knowledge level among fourth and sixth year students only (p>0.05). Conclusion / Discussion: A general moderate knowledge was found among the respondents; however, continuous rigorous campaigns and courses by the Saudi Ministry of Health and other authorities are needed for all medical students, in particular for the second and third year students who demonstrated a relatively poor knowledge. The newly implemented academic curriculum in UQU Medical College needs to contain more comprehensive infection control lectures and activities; the distinguished setting of the Medical College underscores this need.
Biography:
Osama A. Khairoalsindi is a 22 years old medical student who recently finished his third year of Medicine; affiliated to Umm Al-Qura College of Medicine, Makkah, Saudi Arabia. He was ranked first among his class of medicine during his second medical year. He has graduated from high school with many awards of excellence.
PDF HTML