Flights for Haj unaffected by H1N1 threat
Fear of vaccine intense despite announcements by WHO and health officials that they are safe and have no side effects
Dubai The new flu scare has not affected Haj flights from Dubai where plane-loads of pilgrims are leaving daily on Emirates and Saudi flights bound for the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah.
Scores of elderly Hajis could be seen in the crowd despite advisories from health ministers of Arab nations that the aged and the young should not go on the pilgrimage this year, as precautionary measures against the H1N1 virus.
Saud, 19, who is going on Haj for the first time, said he was not scared about H1N1. "We are taking all precautions," he said. The pilgrim is going with his mother and brother. "We have to go," he said.
For some reason the pilgrims seemed more worried about taking the H1N1 vaccine than contracting the disease. Saudi Arabia has made it mandatory that all pilgrims be vaccinated against the new flu.
The fear of the vaccine is intense despite announcements by the World Health Organisation and Ministry of Health officials that the vaccines are safe and have no side effects.
Doctors on call
Scores of Dubai Health Authority doctors are on call at the airport terminals to check if the pilgrims have been vaccinated. Additionally, all Hajis would need to take meningitis C vaccinations too.
A thermal scanner has been put in place at a special counter for the pilgrims — anyone with a temperature higher than 38.5 degree Celsius is sent to a catchment area for treatment before they can board the flight.
However, the rush of pilgrims continues and is so intense that Emirates Airlines is considering scheduling extra flights soon, airline sources said. Presently, Emirates is running five flights to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia and two flights to Madinah every day.
About 6,000 pilgrims are expected to leave from Dubai International Airport's Terminal 1 and 3 within the next few days. Terminal 1 is specifically for pilgrims travelling on Saudi Arabian Airlines. The last Haj flight from Dubai is on November 26. Nearly two million people are expected to go for Haj this year.
Have you been vaccinated? Are you planning to go for Haj? Or have you changed your plans because of the H1N1 virus?
