Riyadh: About 40 medical experts at the International Bird Flu Conference held in Riyadh recently found the kingdom's preparations for Haj 2006 satisfactory and said there is no immediate risk of bird flu virus to the pilgrims.
However, they called for a long-term national strategy to deal with the dangers of the bird flu virus H5N1, that could cause a pandemic.
Dr Ameen A. Mishkash, Director of Infectious Diseases, Preventive Medicine Department in the Ministry of Health, said his ministry has made two detailed presentations at the conference, on the preventive measures the ministry is taking to safeguard the pilgrims against infectious diseases.
He said Ministry of Health has also informed the international participants of the bird flu conference that it is in the process of acquiring Tamiflu, a drug used for the treatment of bird flu at a cost worth 25 million Saudi riyals (Dh24.48 million).
Besides, the Ministry of Health, which is tasked with the overall health of pilgrims, has decided to distribute vaccines for communicable diseases such as meningitis and other respiratory ailments commonly reported during Haj, he said.
Mishkash said the experts after two days of deliberations adopted a number of recommendations, which will be made known to the media after being approved by the committee concerned.
The International Bird Flu Conference organised by the National Guard Health Affairs Department in Riyadh was relayed to 35 hospitals across the kingdom. More than 500 medical experts specialising in infection control attended the conference in Riyadh.
The two-day conference on bird flu that opened in Riyadh on Monday was primarily in preparation for the forthcoming Haj, when around 2 million pilgrims from around the world converge on Saudi Arabia.
The experts at the conference emphasised the need for scrutinising the information on bird flu before it is disseminated to different media channels including electronic and print. They expressed the need for educating the public by creating awareness through the media.
But unfortunately the media, both electronic and print, tend to highlight every case of bird flu, which is causing panic among people.
One of the participants suggested appointing a spokesman at every agency to deal with information on bird flu. Educating the people in the right perspective is very important, he said.
In view of the small number of bird flu cases reported in various parts of the world, the experts reached the conclusion that there is no immediate risk of bird flu infection in Haj 2006.
However, the medical experts proposed to the Ministry of Health the development of a long-term strategy which could protect the kingdom from the dangers of bird flu virus entering the country.
The medical experts who attended the bird flu conference, which is only the second in the world were from the concerned ministries in Arab and Gulf states and officials from Saudi ministries of Health Agriculture and Haj.
The delegates from international organisations in the conference included officials from World Health Organisation, United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation, US Naval Research Laboratory based in Cairo and ministers of health from Canada and Switzerland.
The experts at the conference emphasised the need for scrutinising the information on bird flu before it is disseminated to different media channels.