The Ministry of Health (MOH) has confirmed that so far, there has been no incidence of any epidemic diseases or quarantine cases recorded among pilgrims, and the health situation is reassuring. “Since the first of Dhul Qi‘dah until now, MOH has provided preventive services, via access points, to 1,647,351 pilgrims, with a total rate of commitment to vaccination reached 80% for meningitis, 96,3% for yellow fever and 87,5% for polio” stated MOH.
Within the same vein, MOH pointed out that during this year’s Hajj season, hospitals of Makkah and Madinah continues to provide health specialized services to pilgrims, with 280,773 emergencies, 17,820 outpatients, 1,651 inpatients, 11 heat exhaustion cases, one case of sunstroke, in addition to 246,156 patients at healthcare centers. Besides, these hospitals performed 187 cardiac catheterizations, 10 open-heart surgeries, 1,280 dialysis sessions, 150 endoscopies, 488 surgeries, and 9 birth cases.
It is worth mentioning that MOH focuses on the priorities of preventive services to pilgrim, and follows up the developments and changes of health situation globally, in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) and other international health bodies, such as centers for disease control and prevention. Hence, MOH has taken several precautionary measures, including issuing health requirements to be met by arrivals for Hajj in accordance with the international epidemic changes, and circulating them to all pilgrims' countries of origin through the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques' embassies and missions abroad to abide by when issuing Umrah and Hajj visas, in addition to operating and enhancing the health control centers (totaling 12 centers) at the pilgrims access points.