2019-nCoV2: An Overview of Awareness about Emerging and Re-emerging Infectious Diseases and Sustainable Development: A Retrospective and Cross-sectional Study
Arbi Guetat *
Northern Border University, College of Science, Department of Biological Sciences, Saudi Arabia and University of Carthage, National Institute of Applied Science and Technology, Department of Biology, Laboratory of Plant Biotechnology, B.P. 676, 1080 Tunis Cedex, Tunisia.
Ahmed S. Alshrari
Northern Border University, Faculty of Applied Medical Science, Medical laboratory Technology Department, Saudi Arabia.
Taha Chebbi
Northern Border University, College of Business Administration, Department of Marketing, Saudi Arabia and University of Tunis El Manar, Faculty of Economic Sciences and Management of Tunis, Tunisia.
Abdelrhman T. Abdelwahab
Northern Border University, College of Science, Department of Biological Sciences, Saudi Arabia and Department of Botany and Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt.
Marwa A. Abdelfattah
Northern Border University, College of Science, Department of Biological Sciences, Saudi Arabia and Department of Medicinal and Aromatic plants, Phytochemistry Units, Desert Research Center, Egypt.
Ahmed S. Alenazi
Northern Border University, College of Science, Department of Biological Sciences, Saudi Arabia.
Faraj Al-Ghamdi
Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
The doctrine of Sustainability is known to be a holistic approach and there is an increased recognition that Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are linked to one another. Within less than two decades, the present pandemic (COVID19) is the third emerged highly pathogenic and deadly human coronaviruses. Hence, risk of emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) is a key component of the sustainable development approach. In order to determine knowledge, awareness and attitude, an online questionnaire-based survey was conducted in a total of 114 members of Saudi Arabian’s staff. Results about knowledge and awareness varied between 98.2 % and 38.59%. About 77.21% (Mean value) of the participants are well awarded about the subject of the study. The constant collation of the showed that the majorities of the correlation between variables were very strong (20.87%) or strong (38.46%). Synthetically, themes such as human impact on the environment, human health and global stability, SDGs and pandemics, human susceptibility for diseases and uses of drugs were found to be interdepend in the perception of the academic staff in the Saudi Arabian universities. It is suggested that there is a need to introduce time-oriented policy, and implement awareness plans in the country for the future generation.
Keywords: Sustainable development, Emerging infectious disease, Awareness, cross-sectional study, Saudi Arabia's Universities