The Hajj Amidst the Swine Flu Scare November 8
For those who practice the religion Islam, the Hajj is perhaps the most important religious obligation that they would have to perform. It is required that every able-bodied Muslim go on a Hajj at least once in their lives.
The Hajj brings together millions of the faithful from a hundred and sixty countries from all over the world every year, and it is scheduled to begin on November 25 for this year. With the swine flu pandemic that swept the globe this year, however, the pilgrimage has become a cause of concern for world health officials.
The concerns are legitimate, as swine flu may indeed spread considering the influx of pilgrims that will be spending a lot of time in close proximity to each other.
While Saudi Arabia, where the pilgrimage city of Mecca is located, does not seem to have been hit that hard by the H1N1 virus with only 66 deaths, the national government made all the preparations that they felt would be necessary. Months before the Hajj, the government invited international experts that included people from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the United States as well as the World Health Organization to a conference in order to determine what measures the Saudi government will need to take in order to prevent the spread of swine flu during the pilgrimage.
Among the recommendations that came out of that conference was for those who belong to the high risk groups – the elderly, pregnant women, those with chronic diseases, and children – to not go on the Hajj this year.
Saudi Arabian Health Minister Abdullah al-Rabeeah, however, said that the government will not ban anyone from going on the Hajj, as the pilgrimage is a religious event. The recommendations provided by the conference, though, have been circulated to the countries of origin of the pilgrims and entrusted the enforcement of these recommendations to them.
The conference also encouraged Saudi Arabia to provide enough virus screening procedures at entry points, as well as for pilgrims to get flu shots at least a couple of weeks before going to Mecca and Medina.
Tags: hajj swine flu, swine flu, swine flu avoidance, swine flu prevention, swine flu public places