Dr. Yahia Abu-Saba'a, Respiratory Disease Consultant, warned tuberculosis patients against performing Hajj, especially during the first treatment period. Meanwhile, he pointed out that the patient could perform the duty of Hajj if the repeated analysis confirmed sufficient recovery and the disappearance of tuberculosis bacilli in sputum, but if the patient had immunity against drugs, he should not go to Hajj, lest the infection should be transmitted to others.
Each patient must have their doctors' permission to perform Hajj, Dr. Yahia Abu-Saba'a also gave this advice in an interview at the Media Information and Health Awareness Center, through the toll-free number: 8002494444, as part of the service dubbed: (Pilgrims' Health is our Concern), launched by the Ministry of Health for the seventh consecutive year.
He called on pilgrims, especially those patients who can perform the Hajj, to wear facemasks to protect themselves against dust, infections and tuberculosis, despite the difficulty in breathing such facemasks could cause.
Dr. Abu-Saba'a pointed out that asthmatic patients may be exposed to a health setback during the performance of the Hajj, because the rituals of Hajj require being in crowded places, sometimes full of dust, such as the places of stone-throwing (Jamarat), or the places that are inherently contaminated with car exhaust, such as during Al-Nafrah phase of Hajj in Arafat or Mina, in addition to the susceptibility to negative emotions because of the overcrowding.
He advised asthmatic patients to take the influenza vaccine and pneumococcal vaccine before going for Hajj, noting that influenza is one of the most common triggers for asthma and may lead to inflammation of the bronchial tubes and increase the severity of asthma.
Dr. Yahia Abu-Saba'a provided a number of tips to patients with tuberculosis to help them avoid potential problems, including 1) wearing a bracelet around the wrist showing his name, his age, diagnosis of his illness, and the quality of his treatment, 2) taking the necessary medicines, such as sprays, 3) taking the medication prescribed by the doctor regularly, 4) using the spray before doing any physical activity, such as circumambulating (Tawaf), Sa`i or throwing of stones (Jamarat), 5) taking cortisone tablets before going to the Hajj when needed after consultation with the physician for severe cases of asthma or for patients who had entered the intensive care, 6) taking the spray regularly if the status is unstable or when patient is particularly vulnerable to severe asthma crisis easily.
Dr. Yahia Abu-Saba'a, Respiratory Disease Consultant, also advised patients with active asthma to perform the rituals of Hajj in places where there are no crowds, especially during the stoning ritual and during the night or Tawaf and Sa'i in the late hours of the night, and to avoid crowded and unventilated places as much as possible.
Asthmatic patients must always carry sprays with thim to be used in the case of an asthma attack, then he should go to the nearest clinic immediately to receive intensive treatment in the form of oxygen sprays or intravenous injection, or antibiotics in the case of inflammation in chest, he added.