20 swine flu cases reported among pilgrims: Al-Rabeeah

20 swine flu cases reported among pilgrims: Al-Rabeeah Muhammad Humaidan | Arab News

JEDDAH/RIYADH: Twenty swine flu cases have been reported among foreign Haj pilgrims since they started arriving for this year's pilgrimage, Health Minister Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah said at a press conference in Jeddah on Thursday. "Twelve of them have been treated and the remaining cases are under observation. We hope they will recover within two days," he said. Al-Rabeeah said no other cases of contagious diseases have been reported among pilgrims, claiming the ministry's early health preparations for this Haj season were bearing fruit. "Our focus this year has been on swine flu and the Department for Preventive Medicine and Haj agencies have appointed 80 consultants for the intensive care centers during the current season," he said. These consultants include specialists from contagious disease control centers in Saudi Arabia, other Arab countries and the United States. Al-Rabeeah said the ministry has ensured adequate supplies of medicine to treat the disease, and this includes 1.5 million doses of the H1N1 vaccine for pilgrims. On Thursday he held a meeting with top officials to review the ministry's preparations to meet pilgrims' health needs. He said the ministry had taken every precaution to protect pilgrims against swine flu and other contagious diseases. "We have also installed the Biomimetic and Cognitive Robotics laboratory to detect swine flu," he said. He said BCR tests are available at Mina Hospital, in addition to the three high-tech labs in Makkah. He stressed that the ministry is able to contain the flu because of its intensive effort in coordination with the World Health Organization. The Ministry of Health has set up 14 hospitals in Makkah with 2,782 beds. Besides these facilities, these hospitals are equipped with 244 beds in intensive care units and 287 emergency beds. There are 35 permanent health centers in Makkah, nine seasonal health centers along the Makkah-Madinah Expressway and four centers inside the Grand Mosque in Makkah. Twenty-eight health centers will operate in Mina, 46 in Arafat and six in Muzdalifah. The ministry has deployed 10,000 health workers including 100 doctors, 60 of them foreign specialists in infectious diseases, and 147 foreign nurses for intensive care units and emergency centers. Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates has ordered all pilgrims coming for Haj this year to show evidence of having been vaccinated against swine flu. "We made the vaccination mandatory for all pilgrims to protect them, their families, and all those who come into contact with them," executive director of health policy at the UAE Ministry of Health Dr. Mahmoud Fikri said. The UAE made the stipulation after it secured the first batch of the swine flu vaccine, and last week launched its national campaign to vaccinate all citizens and expatriate residents for free. Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the crown prince of Abu Dhabi and deputy supreme commander of the UAE armed forces, was the first in the country to have the vaccine. The UAE Ministry of Health has designated four locations in Dubai and another 30 across the country for vaccinating pilgrims and complete other medical checkups needed for Haj. All UAE pilgrims will obtain the yellow health international vaccination certificate once they have received the swine flu vaccination. The certificate also proves all other vaccinations required for Haj have been administered, in accordance with Saudi requirements. The head of the UAE Haj medical mission Dr. Abdulkareem Al-Zar'ouni, said that a number of clinics for these pilgrims have been set up in the mission headquarters and in pilgrims camps in the holy sites. He pointed out that these clinics provided physicians and medical personnel, along with all necessary drugs and medical supplies to offer pilgrims the best possible health services during Haj. — With input from Md Rasooldeen and Saeed Al-Khotani