'No pilgrims will be turned away over H1N1 concerns'

Riyadh: The Saudi health minister says the kingdom will not ban anyone considered high risk for swine flu from performing the Haj pilgrimage this year.

Health Minister Abdullah Al Rabeeah says it is the responsibility of individual countries to enforce recommendations that children, the elderly and pregnant women skip the pilgrimage, which starts on November 25.

"Saudi Arabia does not ban anyone because Haj is a religious event," he told reporters. "Saudi Arabia has put in place strong recommendations that we hope individual countries will abide by."

Al Rabeeah says only two cases of swine flu have been reported so far among the half million pilgrims who have already arrived in the kingdom.

The minister says there are no indications fewer people will be attending this year's pilgrimage because of swine flu concerns.

He spoke on Saturday at the launch of a swine flu vaccine campaign. The minister, who is also a surgeon, rolled up his sleeve and took the first shot.

He then administered the vaccine to one of his twin daughters, Hana, 8. Her sister Haifa did not get the vaccine because she contracted swine flu recently.

Al Rabeeah said a million doses of the vaccine will cover the first stage of the campaign.

Pilgrims residing in Saudi Arabia, health workers and other officials involved in Haj, especially in the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah, top the vaccination priority list.

Conference recommendations

To address those concerns of a massive spread of swine flu, the government invited international experts, including groups from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organisation, in June to a four-day conference to examine Saudi measures to prevent the spread of the disease during the pilgrimage.

The conference recommended that the elderly, pregnant women, people with chronic diseases and children skip Haj this year.

It also urged that the kingdom maintain adequate screening for the virus at entry points and that pilgrims receive flu shots at least two weeks before they travel to Makkah and Madinah.

Al Rabeeah said only two cases of swine flu have been reported so far among the half a million pilgrims who have already arrived in the kingdom.

Asked whether fewer pilgrims are expected to attend because of swine flu concerns, Al Rabeeah said: "There are indications there will be an increase."

The Haj attracts about 3 million people from 160 countries every year. Sixty-six people have died because of swine fluin Saudi Arabia so far.

Al Rabeeah said CDC experts are already at health centers in Makkah to assess the need for the free anti-viral medication stockpiled for the dense gathering.

Other preparations include thermal screening equipment at entry points to detect passengers with fevers, rapid reporting of illnesses from a network of hospitals and clinics back to the emergency operations centre and special hospitals for quarantining those who catch the disease.