Saudi residents planning to perform the upcoming Haj should get vaccinated against swine flu by November 22, the Saudi government says, the latest step in a months-long federal campaign to ensure that this year's pilgrimage does not amplify the global spread of the new pandemic influenza.
Saudi health officials have been preparing since June for the arrival of about 2.5 million pilgrims from up to 160 countries with an eye to minimising outbreaks of the influenza, which has already caused 6,250 deaths across the globe, including at least 62 in the kingdom.
Conditions during the pilgrimage, set to begin on November 25, are exactly what health officials advise against when seeking to contain infectious diseases. Pilgrims will walk, pray and eat in close proximity to each other, touch the same religious objects, and sleep in crowded tent cities. Inevitably, some will arrive with the new virus strain, formally known as H1N1.
Saudi health officials, in a move endorsed by Arab health authorities, have advised high-risk people to avoid the Haj this year. That group includes those younger than 12 or older than 65, pregnant women and those suffering from diabetes and chronic diseases of the heart, kidney, lungs or nervous system.
However, no one will be prevented from entering the kingdom to participate in the Haj, a once-in-a-lifetime religious obligation for all Muslims who are financially and physically able to undertake the trip.
"We've said we won't turn away anyone who arrives at our borders. But we are recommending to other countries whom they should let come," Dr Ziad Memish, the assistant deputy minister for preventive medicine, was quoted as saying by the Saudi Gazette.
Epidemiologists are watching H1N1 carefully because it could blend with other flu virus strains, or mutate into an even more resilient strain that could produce deadlier outbreaks. Dense concentrations of people on such a pilgrimage facilitate such mutations. And unsuspecting pilgrims who become infected could spread it in their native lands.
Saudi health authorities began their readiness campaign in June with a workshop in Jeddah attended by international experts on infection control, including staff from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
"Central to - the kingdom's commitment as the custodian to the two holy sites in Islam is the safeguarding of these pilgrims from every hazard," a report from the workshop stated. "Public health security at the Haj is therefore a matter of national security."
Precautions undertaken by the Saudis include providing arriving pilgrims with kits containing masks, hand sanitisers and informational materials explaining how the virus is spread by airborne particles and physical contact.
Saudi airports have been equipped with thermal sensors to detect arriving passengers with high fever. The Saudi health ministry also asked each airport to have "holding capacity for 200 to 300 pilgrims to evaluate those who are symptomatic with influenza-like illness", the June workshop report said.
If tests confirm an arrival has the flu, the person will be treated with antiviral medicine - at Saudi expense. But they will not be put under the strict conditions of a quarantine as Saudi officials want to avoid any suggestion of discrimination towards visiting pilgrims, the report added.
Meanwhile, 76 clinics and seven hospitals in and around Mecca will be fully staffed with about 1,200 Saudi doctors, nurses and technicians to deal with health emergencies during the Haj, officials have said.
For the first time, a Saudi health ministry spokesman, Khaled al Marghalani said medics in the field will be able to instantly alert a central medical command when they find a sick pilgrim. Their reports, transmitted via hand-held, web-linked devices, will allow rapid response teams to quickly contain potential outbreaks, he said.
In an interview, Mr al Marghalani said the ministry early on created "a national scientific committee [comprised of] experts in influenza from all over the kingdom" and that "each decision [of the ministry] must be with their approval".
Also, Mr al Marghalani pointed out that Saudi health officials have had "a lot of experience - more than 50 years" in dealing with medical issues during the Haj. Each year, the ministry issues a report summing up the major health events at the last pilgrimage. Although there have been outbreaks of such diseases as polio and meningitis among pilgrims, there has never been an epidemic, he added.
One bright spot is that during Ramadan when almost two million visitors went to Mecca, there were only 26 cases of swine flu and no deaths. But the Haj will be more unpredictable, as a second global wave of swine flu cases has already begun, world health officials have said.
Saudi officials are not requiring visiting pilgrims to be vaccinated against swine flu because so few countries have the vaccine in stock. But it is asking all prospective pilgrims living in the kingdom to go to a health ministry facility to get their swine flu shots. The government is giving priority in vaccinations to health workers and residents of Mecca and Medina.
The local press has reported a lukewarm public response to the offer of free vaccination. The Arab News reported yesterday that "few people" have turned up at ministry-operated centres just opened in Mecca and Riyadh. "It is thought that claims on the internet and in the media about the vaccine having harmful side effects kept many people at bay," the article stated.
Moulavi Mohammed Basheer, who is leading 100 pilgrims from Riyadh, told Arab News that members of his group had shown no interest in getting vaccinated. "Since the vaccination is not mandatory, we cannot force pilgrims to take it," Mr Basheer was quoted as saying.
This lackadaisical public attitude has caused some exasperation among health officials. "We haven't seen any scientific article saying this vaccine is not safe," Mr al Marghalani said.
cmurphy@thenational.ae
Click here to go to our Haj coverage at thenational.ae/haj
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Results
2pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 1,600m; Winner: AF Al Baher, Bernardo Pinheiro (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer).
2.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 1,600m; Winner: Talento Puma, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer.
3pm: Handicap (TB) Dh90,000 1,950m; Winner: Tailor’s Row, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer.
3.30pm: Jebel Ali Stakes Listed (TB) Dh500,000 1,950m; Winner: Mark Of Approval, Patrick Cosgrave, Mahmood Hussain.
4pm: Conditions (TB) Dh125,000 1,400m; Winner: Dead-heat Raakez, Jim Crowley, Nicholas Bachalard/Attribution, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer.
4.30pm: Jebel Ali Sprint (TB) Dh500,000 1,000m; Winner: AlKaraama, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi.
5pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 1,200m; Winner: Wafy, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
5.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh90,000 1,400m; Winner: Cachao, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar.
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
EA Sports FC 25
Developer: EA Vancouver, EA Romania
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4&5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
Know before you go
- Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
- If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
- By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
- Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
- Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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Armies of Sand
By Kenneth Pollack (Oxford University Press)
Essentials
The flights
Return flights from Dubai to Windhoek, with a combination of Emirates and Air Namibia, cost from US$790 (Dh2,902) via Johannesburg.
The trip
A 10-day self-drive in Namibia staying at a combination of the safari camps mentioned – Okonjima AfriCat, Little Kulala, Desert Rhino/Damaraland, Ongava – costs from $7,000 (Dh25,711) per person, including car hire (Toyota 4x4 or similar), but excluding international flights, with The Luxury Safari Company.
When to go
The cooler winter months, from June to September, are best, especially for game viewing.
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
MIDWAY
Produced: Lionsgate Films, Shanghai Ryui Entertainment, Street Light Entertainment
Directed: Roland Emmerich
Cast: Ed Skrein, Woody Harrelson, Dennis Quaid, Aaron Eckhart, Luke Evans, Nick Jonas, Mandy Moore, Darren Criss
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Stuck in a job without a pay rise? Here's what to do
Chris Greaves, the managing director of Hays Gulf Region, says those without a pay rise for an extended period must start asking questions – both of themselves and their employer.
“First, are they happy with that or do they want more?” he says. “Job-seeking is a time-consuming, frustrating and long-winded affair so are they prepared to put themselves through that rigmarole? Before they consider that, they must ask their employer what is happening.”
Most employees bring up pay rise queries at their annual performance appraisal and find out what the company has in store for them from a career perspective.
Those with no formal appraisal system, Mr Greaves says, should ask HR or their line manager for an assessment.
“You want to find out how they value your contribution and where your job could go,” he says. “You’ve got to be brave enough to ask some questions and if you don’t like the answers then you have to develop a strategy or change jobs if you are prepared to go through the job-seeking process.”
For those that do reach the salary negotiation with their current employer, Mr Greaves says there is no point in asking for less than 5 per cent.
“However, this can only really have any chance of success if you can identify where you add value to the business (preferably you can put a monetary value on it), or you can point to a sustained contribution above the call of duty or to other achievements you think your employer will value.”
Three trading apps to try
Sharad Nair recommends three investment apps for UAE residents:
- For beginners or people who want to start investing with limited capital, Mr Nair suggests eToro. “The low fees and low minimum balance requirements make the platform more accessible,” he says. “The user interface is straightforward to understand and operate, while its social element may help ease beginners into the idea of investing money by looking to a virtual community.”
- If you’re an experienced investor, and have $10,000 or more to invest, consider Saxo Bank. “Saxo Bank offers a more comprehensive trading platform with advanced features and insight for more experienced users. It offers a more personalised approach to opening and operating an account on their platform,” he says.
- Finally, StashAway could work for those who want a hands-off approach to their investing. “It removes one of the biggest challenges for novice traders: picking the securities in their portfolio,” Mr Nair says. “A goal-based approach or view towards investing can help motivate residents who may usually shy away from investment platforms.”
