Gulf | Saudi Arabia
Haj pilgrims urged to take vaccine against HINI virus well in advance
Dr Abdullah Al Rabeeah, Saudi Minister of Health, asserted that his ministry has taken all precautionary measures to ensure the safety of Haj and Umrah pilgrims from HINI virus (swine flu).
- By Abdul Rahman Shaheen, Correspondent
- Published: 16:49 July 1, 2009
Riyadh: Dr Abdullah Al Rabeeah, Saudi Minister of Health, asserted that his ministry has taken all precautionary measures to ensure the safety of Haj and Umrah pilgrims from HINI virus (swine flu).
He urged pilgrims as well as those living in the holy places and those serving pilgrims to take the seasonal flu vaccine. "Pilgrims coming from all over the world must take the vaccine at least two weeks before traveling to the holy place. Instructions have been sent out to set up quarantine centres for Umrah pilgrims suffering from flu," he said, adding that the flu vaccine would be available before the Haj season.
The minister made the remarks at a press conference at the end of a four-day international workshop in Jeddah on Tuesday evening that examined Saudi measures to prevent the spread of flu during the Haj in December.
International experts, who attended the workshop, have recommended that children, pregnant women, the elderly and those with chronic diseases stay away from the annual Haj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia to prevent catching the flu. On the other hand, the minister ruled out any move to cancel the forthcoming Haj season to prevent the spread of the disease.
Dr Abdullah Al Rabeeah reiterated that the impact of HINI virus infection in the Kingdom was moderate and not a source of concern. All the 81 flu victims identified until Monday have recovered, he said. Experts from the WHO, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and other international agencies as well as those from Saudi Arabia attended the workshop, which was organized by the Ministry of Health as per the instructions from King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz.
The minister said he did not agree with claims that the media's focus on the disease was larger than the actual danger. "On the other hand, the danger of the disease comes from the absence of immunity and vaccination against it," he said.
Dr Al Rabeeah also replied queries on various aspects of the issue. One question was about referring the HINI virus issue to the Saudi Senior Scholars' Commission seeking religious edict (Fatwa) on the possibility of canceling next Haj season in order to avoid the chances of spreading the epidemic among millions of Haj pilgrims.
Answering the question, the minister said world-renowned experts were fully satisfied with the precautionary measures taken by the Kingdom to prevent the spread of the virus among the pilgrims during the Haj season. "What the health authorities in the Kingdom are doing to prevent the spread of the disease by far surpasses what is being done anywhere else in the world," he said, adding that the Kingdom was the only country which was implementing the system of quarantine recommended by the WHO. He said even developed countries have so far not come out with the exact figure of people affected by swine flu in their respective countries.
He also drew attention to the fact that the scientific committees of the workshop did neither put forward any recommendations in this respect. "There are several countries that receive millions of visitors and tourists besides hosting sports and games events. None of these activities have so far been canceled because of swine flu, especially in those countries, hit badly by the epidemic," he said, adding that the ministry has taken all the precautionary measures in preventing the disease among the pilgrims in addition to launching an intensive awareness campaign among the people in the Kingdom against the disease, and this was in coordination with all the concerned agencies and departments.
The workshop's major recommendations were that Saudi health authorities and Haj delegations representing various countries stock necessary quantities of medication for treatment and prevention of the virus causing the flu.
Referral laboratories should have reserve stocks of reagents and trained manpower to deal with the large number of people during Haj. The pilgrims, residents and those in contact with them should also be vaccinated against seasonal flu.
The workshop also recommended that pilgrims take the new H1N1 vaccine when it becomes available, before coming to Saudi Arabia. The workshop stressed the need for continues monitoring and checking of the spread of the flu in the Kingdom. Practicing personal hygienic habits like covering the nose while sneezing, coughing into tissues and washing hands with water and soap besides wearing masks while visiting crowded places were also recommended.
As many as 20 experts from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, World Health Organization (WHO) and other international agencies as well as those from Saudi Arabia attended the workshop held at Jeddah Hilton in order to assess Saudi Arabia's precautionary steps as well as to offer recommendations and modifications if necessary. The workshop was also aimed at studying methods of creating awareness, providing treatment and ways of preventing the disease.
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