Health Areas › Infectious Diseases
Infectious Diseases
Area 5 in the list of seventeen published by the Saudi National Institute of Health in June 2025. Order follows SNIH's published list: that number is SNIH's own position for the area; it is not a ranking by this site and it says nothing about how much research this area should receive.
This area is matched to research by its subject headings, Infections (C01), and to disease burden by the WHO cause-to-area table v0.4. The match is partial, so the burden shown is the burden of selected WHO proxy causes and no ratio is given.
A paper or study can count in more than one area. Areas as published by the Saudi National Institute of Health (SNIH), June 2025, applied to 2021–2025 retrospectively, for description only. A Saudi affiliation is not the same as research on the Saudi population.
Partial. Burden of selected WHO proxy causes. The two shares are shown side by side with no ratio.
Order follows SNIH's published list: area 5 of seventeen.
Coverage Of The Underlying Corpus · 2021–2025
On the same selection, before the area filter. Papers without MeSH terms stay in this coverage line; they are never in any area or in the grey row. It describes the corpus, not how completely this area’s research is captured.
Papers without MeSH terms cannot be assigned to any area, so this profile is never a complete count of the area’s research, and it does not measure how completely that research is captured. Coverage: records captured by the named sources that meet the published eligibility rules; coverage is not exhaustive.
Eligible publications with MeSH terms
60.6%
PubMed with OpenAlex · 2021–2025
Eligible publications matched to any area
41.3%
PubMed with OpenAlex · 2021–2025
The Burden This Area Carries
Burden Share & Research Share
Burden: WHO Global Health Estimates, 2023 · research: 2021–2025
Share of national disease burden: burden of selected WHO proxy causes
Source: WHO Global Health Estimates, 2023, through the WHO cause-to-area table v0.4. All-age disability-adjusted life years for one named year.
5.8%
WHO · 2023
Research share among MeSH-indexed eligible publications
Eligible publications in this area, 2021–2025, divided by all eligible publications with MeSH terms in the same selection, before the area filter. Shares across the seventeen areas do not sum to 100%.
16.5%
of the eligible publications with MeSH terms · 2021–2025
Research-share-to-burden-share ratio
Shown because this area is a close match. A ratio of 1 means equal shares under these definitions; it does not establish adequate research effort or funding, and it carries no judgement about what the right figure would be.
Not shown. Not yet computed, below the threshold for a reliable figure, or the only source is too old to print. The reason is always given.
—
Not shown the ratio is given only for a close match.
Recorded Research
Three Counts, Never One Total
Papers and registrations are counted separately, never added together.
A paper, a clinical trial and an observational registration are different kinds of record, so this area carries three separate counts. They are never added together.
Papers and registrations are different kinds of record. They are counted separately and never added together, anywhere on this site. Counts describe recorded activity; they do not assess quality, benefit or performance.
Registrations are ClinicalTrials.gov records; a listed site doesn't prove recruitment in Saudi Arabia.
Journals that follow ICMJE policy require clinical trials to be registered before enrolment begins, in ClinicalTrials.gov or another accepted registry; observational studies have no such requirement, so registered observational studies are a small, selective part of observational research. These figures count studies recorded in ClinicalTrials.gov; they do not measure total research volume, study completion or financial investment.
Trials and observational studies are those listing a Saudi site. A listed site does not prove that participants were recruited in Saudi Arabia. Withdrawn studies and expanded-access records are not counted.
Publications
PubMed and OpenAlex · research-related papers with a Saudi affiliation carrying Infections (C01) · 2021–2025
PubMed with OpenAlex · 2021–2025 provisional
Clinical trials
ClinicalTrials.gov · interventional, listing a Saudi site · 2021–2025
ClinicalTrials.gov · 2021–2025 provisional
Observational studies
ClinicalTrials.gov · observational registrations listing a Saudi site · 2021–2025
ClinicalTrials.gov · 2021–2025 provisional
Research-related papers in this area, by year of earliest publication. The axis starts at zero and ends at 2,000.
Research-related papers in this area, 2021–2025, in the five study groups. The axis starts at zero and ends at 5,000.
Trials in this area, 2021–2025. A trial registered across two phases counts in both. The axis starts at zero and ends at 20.
Trials in this area, 2021–2025, by status as the registry records it on the day ClinicalTrials.gov processed the data. The axis starts at zero and ends at 20. Statuses open largest first.
Observational studies in this area, 2021–2025, by status as the registry records it. The axis starts at zero and ends at 5. Statuses open largest first.
Industry
Industry In This Area
The area's three counts narrowed to industry: research papers coded industry-involved, industry-led clinical trials and industry-led observational studies, each with its share of the area's own count. They are three kinds of record and are never added together.
Industry in papers comes from each paper's own industry code; industry in registrations comes from the lead sponsor. They are different measures of different records and are never combined.
Industry in registrations means a lead sponsor that is a company making or selling health products (drugs, vaccines, biotechnology, devices, diagnostics, health software or medical nutrition), as the industry guide defines it in its section two, or a contract research organisation with such a company listed as collaborator. Hospital groups and other providers that ClinicalTrials.gov labels “industry” are not counted. Withdrawn studies are not counted.
Journals that follow ICMJE policy require clinical trials to be registered before enrolment begins, in ClinicalTrials.gov or another accepted registry; observational studies have no such requirement, so registered observational studies are a small, selective part of observational research. These figures count studies recorded in ClinicalTrials.gov; they do not measure total research volume, study completion or financial investment.
Counts describe recorded activity; they do not measure investment, quality or performance.
Industry involvement in papers is a lower bound.
Industry involvement is identified from the paper's own record and registration; it does not establish financial investment and is a lower bound.
Industry-involved publications
2% of the 6,770 research papers in the area
PubMed with OpenAlex · 2021–2025 provisional
Industry-led clinical trials
14% of the 28 clinical trials in the area
ClinicalTrials.gov · 2021–2025 provisional
Industry-led observational studies
27% of the 11 observational studies in the area
ClinicalTrials.gov · 2021–2025 provisional
Companies
Companies Leading Studies In This Area
Every company credited with at least one industry-led clinical trial or observational study in this area, 2021–2025, with both counts: two counts, never one total. Each study is credited to one company, exactly as the industry-led counts decide it: its lead sponsor or, for a contract research organisation's study, its company collaborator listed in the registration. So the companies' studies add up to the area's industry-led counts. A study in several areas counts in each. Names are shown as registered, with no grouping into parent companies.
There is no rank column. The list opens with the most clinical trials, ties A–Z. Every count above zero opens its records.
Only studies listing a Saudi site are counted. Industry in registrations means a lead sponsor that is a company making or selling health products (drugs, vaccines, biotechnology, devices, diagnostics, health software or medical nutrition), as the industry guide defines it in its section two, or a contract research organisation with such a company listed as collaborator. Hospital groups and other providers that ClinicalTrials.gov labels “industry” are not counted. Withdrawn studies are not counted.
Journals that follow ICMJE policy require clinical trials to be registered before enrolment begins, in ClinicalTrials.gov or another accepted registry; observational studies have no such requirement, so registered observational studies are a small, selective part of observational research. These figures count studies recorded in ClinicalTrials.gov; they do not measure total research volume, study completion or financial investment.
The counts describe registered activity; they do not measure investment, quality or performance.
Showing 2021–2025 provisional
Registrations are ClinicalTrials.gov records; a listed site doesn't prove recruitment in Saudi Arabia.
A listed site does not prove that participants were recruited in Saudi Arabia. Withdrawn studies and expanded-access records are not counted.
| Company | Clinical trials | Observational studies |
|---|---|---|
| AbbVie | 0 | |
| AstraZeneca | 0 | |
| Resverlogix Corp | 0 | |
| Ausnutria Hyproca B.V. | 0 | |
| Novartis Pharmaceuticals | 0 | |
| Pfizer | 0 |
Institutions
Institutions In This Area
Every institution on the approved list with at least one research-related publication, clinical trial or observational study in this area, 2021–2025. Three counts, never one total: a paper, a clinical trial and an observational registration are different kinds of record.
They are counted exactly as on Institutions & Clusters: publications in full; a parent institution's row also counts its units' papers and studies, so rows overlap and are never added together; clinical trials and observational studies count registrations listing the institution as a site, and a listed site does not prove that participants were recruited there. Institutions are named as OpenAlex records them.
There is no rank column. The list opens with the most publications, ties A–Z; the switch orders it by clinical trials, observational studies or A–Z. Every count above zero opens its records. No citation measure is given here.
153 of the area's 6,770 research papers have no Saudi institution identified and count in no institution · PubMed with OpenAlex · 2021–2025 provisional
of
| Institution | Publications | Clinical trials | Observational studies |
|---|---|---|---|
| King Saud University | 0 | 0 | |
| King Abdulaziz University | |||
| King Khalid University | 0 | 0 | |
| King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences | 0 | ||
| Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University | 0 | 0 | |
| Ministry of Health | 0 | 0 | |
| King Abdullah International Medical Research Center | 0 | ||
| Taif University | 0 | 0 | |
| Umm al-Qura University | 0 | ||
| Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University | 0 | 0 | |
| Qassim University | 0 | ||
| King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre | |||
| Alfaisal University | 0 | 0 | |
| Jazan University | 0 | ||
| National Guard Health Affairs | 0 | 0 | |
| Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University | 0 | 0 | |
| King Faisal University | 0 | 0 | |
| King Abdulaziz Medical City | |||
| Taibah University | 0 | 0 | |
| Jouf University | 0 | 0 | |
| King Saud Medical City | 0 | ||
| University of Ha'il | 0 | ||
| King Fahd Medical City | 0 | ||
| Saudi Aramco (Saudi Arabia) | 0 | ||
| Saudi Aramco Medical Services Organization | 0 | ||
| University of Tabuk | 0 | 0 | |
| Imam Mohammad ibn Saud Islamic University | 0 | 0 | |
| University of Jeddah | 0 | 0 | |
| Shaqra University | 0 | 0 | |
| Majmaah University | 0 | 0 | |
| King Abdullah University of Science and Technology | 0 | 0 | |
| Riyadh Armed Forces Hospital | 0 | 0 | |
| Almaarefa University | 0 | 0 | |
| King Abdul Aziz University Hospital | 0 | ||
| Jeddah First Health Cluster | 0 | 0 | |
| Al Baha University | 0 | 0 | |
| Northern Border University | 0 | 0 | |
| Najran University | 0 | 0 | |
| King Abdulaziz Hospital (Jeddah First Health Cluster) | 0 | 0 | |
| King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology | 0 | 0 | |
| University of Bisha | 0 | 0 | |
| Batterjee Medical College | 0 | ||
| University of Hafr Al-Batin | 0 | 0 | |
| King Fahad Specialist Hospital (location not recorded) | 0 | 0 | |
| Security Forces Hospital | 0 | 0 | |
| Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Hospital | 0 | 0 | |
| Saudi Electronic University | 0 | 0 | |
| King Fahd Hospital of the University | 0 | 0 | |
| Fakeeh College for Medical Sciences | 0 | 0 | |
| King Fahd Armed Forces Hospital | 0 | ||
| Prince Sultan Military College of Health Sciences | 0 | 0 | |
| King Abdullah Medical City | 0 | 0 | |
| King Khalid University Hospital | 0 | 0 | |
| Prince Sultan University | 0 | 0 | |
| Riyadh Elm University | 0 | 0 | |
| King Fahad Central Hospital (location not recorded) | 0 | 0 | |
| King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals | 0 | 0 | |
| King Fahad Hospital Jeddah | 0 | 0 | |
| King Fahd Military Medical Complex | 0 | ||
| Saudi Food and Drug Authority | 0 | 0 | |
| Asir Central Hospital | 0 | ||
| Dar Al Uloom University | 0 | 0 | |
| Qatif Central Hospital | 0 | 0 | |
| Soliman Fakeeh Hospital | 0 | 0 | |
| Armed Forces Hospital (location not recorded) | 0 | 0 | |
| Ibn Sina National College for Medical Studies | 0 | 0 | |
| King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital | 0 | 0 | |
| Maternity and Children's Hospital (location not recorded) | 0 | 0 | |
| Sulaiman Al Rajhi Colleges | 0 | 0 | |
| Dammam Central Hospital | 0 | 0 | |
| Islamic University of Madinah | 0 | 0 | |
| Ministry of Defense | 0 | 0 | |
| International Medical Center in Jeddah | 0 | 0 | |
| East Jeddah Hospital | 0 | 0 | |
| Saudi Center for Disease Prevention and Control | 0 | 0 | |
| Buraydah Colleges | 0 | 0 | |
| King Fahad Hospital Hufūf | 0 | 0 | |
| Dhahran Health Center | 0 | 0 | |
| King Salman Center for Disability Research | 0 | 0 | |
| Armed Forces Hospital Southern Region | 0 | ||
| Effat University | 0 | 0 | |
| Prince Mohammad bin Fahd University | 0 | 0 | |
| King Khaled Hospital (location not recorded) | 0 | 0 | |
| Mohammed Almana College for Medical Sciences | 0 | 0 | |
| Imam Abdulrahman Al Faisal Hospital | 0 | 0 | |
| King Abdulaziz Hospital (location not recorded) | 0 | 0 | |
| Saudi Health Council | 0 | 0 | |
| Hera General Hospital | 0 | 0 | |
| Saudi Commission for Health Specialties | 0 | 0 | |
| Jeddah Regional Laboratory | 0 | 0 | |
| Naif Arab University for Security Sciences | 0 | 0 | |
| Northern Area Armed Forces Hospital | 0 | 0 | |
| Research and Innovation Institute (location not recorded) | 0 | 0 | |
| Aljazeera Hospital (location not recorded) | 0 | 0 | |
| Ministry of Education | 0 | 0 | |
| Saudi Water Authority | 0 | 0 | |
| University of Business and Technology | 0 | 0 | |
| Al Amal Hospital Jeddah | 0 | 0 | |
| Al-Ghad International Health Sciences Colleges | 0 | 0 | |
| Al-Thagher General Hospital | 0 | 0 | |
| Dr. Samir Abbas Hospital | 0 | 0 | |
| Fahd bin Sultan University | 0 | 0 | |
| Inaya Medical Colleges | 0 | 0 | |
| National Center for Wildlife | 0 | 0 | |
| North Private College of Nursing | 0 | 0 | |
| Onaizah Colleges | 0 | 0 | |
| Prince Mohammad Bin Salman College of Business and Entrepreneurship | 0 | 0 | |
| Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu | 0 | 0 | |
| Royal Commission Medical Center | 0 | 0 | |
| Saud Al-babtain Cardiac Centre | 0 | 0 | |
| Al-Farabi College | 0 | 0 | |
| Arab East Colleges | 0 | 0 | |
| Armed Forces Hospital in Wadi Al-Dawasir | 0 | 0 | |
| Dar Al-Hekma University | 0 | 0 | |
| Jeddah National Hospital | 0 | 0 | |
| Jubail Industrial College | 0 | 0 | |
| King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center | 0 | 0 | |
| Magrabi Hospitals and Centers | 0 | 0 | |
| National Center for Mental Health Promotion | 0 | 0 | |
| Saudi National Institute of Health | 0 | 0 | |
| Saudi Toxicology Society | 0 | 0 | |
| Procare Riaya Hospital | 0 | 0 |
Clinical Trials
Clinical Trials By Intervention Type
The area's clinical trials, 2021–2025, by ClinicalTrials.gov's intervention type, with the industry-led part. A trial with several intervention types counts in each, so the bars are never added together and can sum to more than the area's 28 trials. “Other” is the registry's own type; it comes last, as “Not recorded” would. The list opens largest first, ties A–Z. Each count above zero opens its records. Observational studies are not shown by type.
The axis starts at zero and ends at 20.
All trials Industry-led trials
ClinicalTrials.gov · 2021–2025 provisional
National Health Facts · Saudi Arabia
Infectious Diseases: National Health Facts
National health facts checked against their sources: 4 November 2026 to 5 November 2026.
Each card names its source in short; its ⓘ gives the full source. The full view below holds every fact with its full source.
Estimate. Estimated or modelled by its source, not counted directly.
Count. Cases notified to, or counted by, its source.
National figures for all residents unless stated.
At A Glance
About 5,500
deaths from lower respiratory infections in 2023, 40% of this area's burden (also counted in Lung Diseases)
Estimate WHO · 2023
Estimate WHO Global Health Estimates, 2023 · 2023 · also counted in Lung Diseases
8.4
new and relapse tuberculosis cases per 100,000 people
7.66 per 100,000 notified by the Ministry of Health (Saudi Global Health Report)
Estimate WHO · 2024
Estimate WHO data portal, Saudi Arabia: tuberculosis incidence · 2024 · 7.6 to 9.3, uncertainty interval
2,232
MERS cases and 870 deaths since 2012, refreshed each release
Count WHO, from Ministry of Health · 2012 to 5 October 2026
Count WHO Disease Outbreak News: Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (15 October 2026) · 2012 to 5 October 2026
Show Health Facts & SourcesHide Health Facts & Sources
Burden
Lost healthy life by condition within this area, 2023 (WHO estimates, WHO causes matched to the area by the project's cause table v0.4). The area's share of national burden appears in the profile's burden comparison lower down. DALYs are the years of healthy life lost to illness, disability or early death.
- 374,719 DALYs in this area, 2023 (including leishmaniasis)WHO Global Health Estimates, 2023 · 2023
Source: WHO Global Health Estimates, 2023
Key Indicators
- 11,000 people living with HIV, 2023 (UNAIDS 2024 estimates round, via WHO)WHO Global Health Observatory, HIV: number of people living with HIV (UNAIDS 2024 estimates round) · 2023 · 10,000 to 13,000, uncertainty interval
- 9,646 reported COVID-19 deaths to the end of 2024WHO COVID-19 dashboard, deaths · 2020–2024
New and relapse cases per 100,000 people a year (WHO estimates); shaded band is the uncertainty interval
Show The Figures
| Series | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tuberculosis | 1211 to 13 | 109.4 to 12 | 109.2 to 11 | 119.7 to 12 | 119.6 to 12 | 8.77.8 to 9.6 | 98.2 to 10 | 8.88 to 9.8 | 8.47.6 to 9.3 | 8.47.6 to 9.3 |
Intervals: uncertainty interval · Source: WHO data portal, Saudi Arabia: tuberculosis incidence
Sources Of These Facts
- WHO Global Health Estimates, 2023
- WHO data portal, Saudi Arabia: tuberculosis incidence
- WHO Disease Outbreak News: Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (15 October 2026)
- Ministry of Health, Saudi Global Health Report: SDGs & WHO 100 Core Indicators, version 1.0 (updated 30 August 2025)
- WHO Global Health Observatory, HIV: number of people living with HIV (UNAIDS 2024 estimates round)
- WHO COVID-19 dashboard, deaths
About These Figures
How This Area Is Matched
A paper belongs to this area when any of its subject headings is one of the area's headings or sits beneath it. Registered studies use the same headings, applied to the conditions the registry records. Only records carrying subject headings can be assigned at all, and coverage is reported for every selection.
What This Page Does Not Say
Nothing here assesses quality, benefit or performance, and no figure on it should be read as a target. The research-share-to-burden-share ratio compares two shares; it does not establish that research in this area is too much, too little or correctly aimed. Counts describe what is recorded, which is not the same as what was done.
Where The Figures Come From
Publications from PubMed matched with OpenAlex; trials and observational studies from ClinicalTrials.gov. Area assignment follows the SNIH 17-area research dictionary v1.2; burden follows the WHO cause-to-area table v0.4. Both are published in full on the methods page.
Records Behind This Figure
* Not final: counts for these years usually rise at later updates, as many studies are registered after they start and recent papers are still being added. On this page: trials and publications 2025; observational studies 2024–2025.