While the number of those affected by swine flu (A/H1N1) remains infinitesimal in relation to the size of the Saudi population, the numbers are increasing. As I’ve noted before, it’s not just the Saudi population that could serve as a vector or target for the spread of the flu: millions of pilgrims will be coming to the country to perform Haj and Umrah. With a case of the flu already reported out of Mecca, the concern is not frivolous.
Threat of swine flu outbreak rising
Mohammed Rasooldeen | Arab NewsRIYADH: Three adults and four children have tested positive for swine flu, bringing the total H1N1 tally in the Kingdom to 29, the Health Ministry said yesterday.
There have been no reported deaths in Saudi Arabia linked to swine flu. All of the new cases are persons who were in close contact with people already determined to have swine flu.
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Saudi Gazette reports that religious authorities are against any move to halt the Haj or to prevent people from participating.
Swine flu no obstacle to Haj, says Al-Obaikan
JEDDAH/RIYADH – Sheikh Abdul-Mohsen Al-Obaikan, senior Saudi cleric and a member of the Shoura (Consultative) Council has voiced his opposition Thursday to any travel bans for the annual Muslim Haj pilgrimage because of the scare over the swine flu pandemic.
Sheikh Al-Obaikan was quoted by Okaz daily as saying that Islam does not condone travel bans. “It is not proper to ban people from the Haj,” said Al-Obaikan. He also said travel to and from countries with reported cases of swine flu should not be impeded.
While no official in the Middle East has proposed banning Muslims from traveling for the Haj,
Al-Obaikan’s remarks appear to be a reaction to a recent stark warning from Egypt.
Egypt’s Health Minister Hatem Al-Gabali warned his countrymen last month they could face quarantine upon their return from the Haj.
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Both stories carry quotations from officials that the threat of the flu is ‘exaggerated’. Perhaps.
The so-called ‘precautionary principle’ is often over-applied and mis-applied. In the case of a disease known to be sometimes fatal and assuredly transmitted rather easily from person to person, it might pay to err on the side of caution. I sincerely hope the government has plans for mass quarantines and check points for entry into Mecca and Medina. If the flu becomes more virulent, the sacred nature of Haj could result in the deaths of thousands. Others attending the pilgrimage will also be put in the position of carrying the disease back to their homes, spread across the globe.
UPDATE: UAE’s Gulf News carries a story as well, with more of an international slant but still focusing on religious obligations:
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June:19:2009 - 08:55
There is a small chance that people might be discouraged from attending the Hajj. Let’s be sensible about it. Yes it is a requirement on all those that are able to perform Hajj should perform it. However, if it results in large numbers of people dying because the illness spreads, then surely that is not what Allah(SWT) would want from us.
While richer countries will be able to deal with the spread and containment, poorer countries will find it near impossible to do the same. As for treating people with the illness, well, richer countries can afford to, poorer ones cannot.