MINA, Saudi Arabia // The Saudi health minister said yesterday that five people have died from the H1N1 flu virus during Haj, which, as the largest annual gathering of people in the world, is considered by health experts as an ideal incubator for the virus. Speaking on the final day of the Islamic pilgrimage, Abdullah al Rabeeah said authorities recorded 73 cases - including the five deaths - of H1N1, commonly known as swine flu, during the pilgrimage.
He said only 10 per cent of the three million pilgrims were vaccinated against the virus. "Our safety precautions have secured a very successful and safe Haj for pilgrims from around the world with no infectious disease outbreaks," Mr al Rabeeah said. Health officials circulated among the sprawling tent camp at Mina where the pilgrims lived and gave the faithful cheek swabs for testing later. They also placed hand sanitiser dispensers on walls in the camps, near public bathrooms and at ritual sites, while pilgrims arriving at Saudi airports were scanned using a thermal camera and offered a free vaccine. But authorities are also using the pilgrimage as a test case to build a database, watch for mutations and look for lessons on controlling the flu at other large gatherings such as the 2010 football World Cup in South Africa.
Despite the relatively minor effect of the virus during Haj, some experts said the true extent of the push that Haj has given to the virus will not be known until later, after the faithful have returned to their home countries around the world. Mr al Rabeeah brushed aside such concerns yesterday, saying that pilgrims have been in the country for almost a month, far longer than the week-long incubation period.
But he also stressed that Saudi authorities will continue to monitor pilgrims until they leave the country, and urged other countries to monitor the pilgrims upon their return home. * Associated Press