SAUDI ARABIA: Authorities assess health of Haj pilgrims

Record ID: 189246

  • Title: SAUDI ARABIA: Authorities assess health of Haj pilgrims
  • Date: 9th October 2013
  • Summary: JEDDAH, SAUDI ARABIA (OCTOBER 8,2013) (REUTERS ) VARIOUS OF AIRCRAFT TAXIING AT KING ABDUL-AZIZ INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT PILGRIMS ENTERING HEALTH CONTROL CENTER OF HAJ TERMINAL IN THE AIRPORT CLOSE OF BANNER WITH ARABIC WRITING READING 'HEALTH PREPARATIONS FOR HAJ' VARIOUS OF MEDICAL TEAM MEMBER GIVING ORAL VACCINE MEDICAL TEAM AND REPORTERS STANDING AROUND THE SAUDI HEALTH MINSTER SAUDI HEALTH MINISTER, DR. ABDULLAH AL-RABIAH GIVING ORAL VACCINE TO PILGRIM (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) SAUDI HEALTH MINISTER, DR. ABDULLAH AL-RABIAH, SAYING: "The health status of the pilgrims, whether those visiting the Prophet's Mosque in Medina, the ones in Jeddah or in Mecca, is excellent, thankfully, and there is no disease epidemic." VARIOUS OF MEDICAL TEAM TAKING PILGRIM INTO CLINIC MEDICS CHECKING PILGRIM MONITORING SCREEN MEDICAL TEAM PILGRIM'S FACE (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) SAUDI HEALTH MINISTER, DR .ABDULLAH AL-RABIAH, SAYING: "There is more interest in the coronavirus this year. The Health Ministry held international conferences and meetings, it has invited experts to develop recommendations and requirements for pilgrims, and it has co-ordinated with the Foreign Affairs Ministry to distribute these requirements to all countries in the world." VARIOUS OF PILGRIMS STANDING AT PASSPORT CONTROL PASSPORT OFFICER CHECKING PILGRIMS' PASSPORTS PILGRIMS IN JEDDAH AIRPORT HAJ TERMINAL VARIOUS OF PILGRIMS TAKING THEIR LUGGAGE FROM CAROUSALS ARRIVAL FLIGHTS SCREEN (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) PREVENTATIVE SUPERVISOR AT KING ABDUL-AZIZ INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, FAHAD GHAZOLI, SAYING: "There are more than 630 employees from all disciplines, headed by a doctor, to follow-up cases of disease or cases where we suspect disease." VARIOUS OF MEDICAL TEAM ABDUL-GHANI AL-MALIKI, DIRECTOR OF HEALTH CONTROL CENTER OF HAJ TERMINAL AT KING ABDUL-AZIZ AIRPORT, SAYING: "The King Abdul-Aziz airport received 667,000 pilgrims until this moment, provided them curative and preventive services to a good standard." EXTERIOR OF HEALTH CONTROL CENTER OF HAJ TERMINAL AT KING ABDUL-AZIZ AIRPORT AMBULANCE LEAVING HEALTH CONTROL CENTER
  • Embargoed: 24th October 2013 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Saudi Arabia
  • Country: Saudi Arabia
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVADGLC6L8HKOW6XAD6KGEZI7NVU
  • Story Text: As millions of pilgrims start to arrive in Saudi Arabia for the annual Haj, Saudi health authorities are mobilising thousands of doctors to avert an epidemic.
    This year the world's largest annual mass gathering comes as the country faces its own health crisis: the emergence of a new strain of coronavirus, known as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), that has killed 58 people of the 132 people it has infected since last year.
    Saudi health authorities in July said old, sick, pregnant or very young pilgrims should avoid haj this year, and has advised them to be extra cautious about personal hygiene.
    However, when large numbers of pilgrims came for Islam's lesser pilgrimage of umrah during the fasting month of Ramadan, the Health Ministry said no new cases of MERS were recorded.
    As hundreds of pilgrims arrived in Jeddah on Tuesday (October 8) before their journey to Islam's holiest sites in nearby Mecca, the Saudi health minister visited the haj terminal at King Abdul-Aziz international airport to inspect the medical facilities and health status of arriving pilgrims.
    Saudi Health Minister, Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabiah confirmed the majority of pilgrims were in good health.
    "The health status of the pilgrims, whether those visiting the Prophet's Mosque in Medina, the ones in Jeddah or in Mecca, is excellent, thankfully, and there is no epidemic disease," he told Reuters TV.
    Pilgrims are receiving guidelines about the MERS coronavirus.
    "There is more interest in the coronavirus this year. The Health Ministry held international conferences and meetings, it has invited experts to develop recommendations and requirements for pilgrims, and it has co-ordinated with the Foreign Affairs Ministry to distribute these requirements to all countries in the world" he added.
    At the airport, pilgrims were offered curative and preventive services.
    "The King Abdul-Aziz airport received 667,000 pilgrims until this moment, provided them curative and preventive services to a good standard," said Abdul-Ghani Al-Maliki, Director of the Health control centre at the airport.
    At least 132 people have been infected with the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) coronavirus since it emerged about a year ago, and it has killed 58 of them, according to the World Health Organisation.
    While cases have been reported in people across the Middle East and in France, Germany, Italy, Tunisia and Britain, the vast majority of infections and deaths are in Saudi Arabia.
    The MERS virus, a cousin of the coronavirus that caused a deadly outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in 2002 and 2003, can cause coughing, fever and pneumonia.
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