Gulf | Saudi Arabia
Swine flu: Pregnant women, elderly urged to skip Haj pilgrimage
International experts have recommended children, pregnant women, the elderly and those with chronic diseases stay away from the annual hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia to prevent catching swine flu.
- AP
- Published: 18:22 June 30, 2009
Riyadh: International experts have recommended children, pregnant women, the elderly and those with chronic diseases stay away from the annual hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia to prevent catching swine flu.
The recommendations come at the end of a four-day meeting in the western seaport city of Jiddah that examined Saudi measures to prevent the spread of swine flu during the Muslim pilgrimage in December.
The workshop, which ended on Tuesday and included experts from the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organisation, was meant to allay fears of a wide-scale transmission of the disease during Haj.
The pilgrimage attracts about 3 million people every year to the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah.
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