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29 March 2024

Risk for pilgrims travelling to Saudi contracting MERS infection low: WHO

Published
By Majorie van Leijen

In the latest of a series of announcements regarding the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), the World Health Organisation stated: “At this time, the risk to an individual pilgrim of contracting MERS-CoV is considered very low.”
 
However, pilgrims with pre-existing major medical conditions (chronic diseases such as diabetes, chronic lung disease, or immunodeficiency) have an increased chance of developing illness, including MERS-CoV infection, during travel, the report said.

Thousands of pilgrims from all around the world will be travelling to Saudi Arabia in the coming months to perform Umrah and Hajj pilgrimages.

On Saturday Saudi Arabia reported another death due to the Mers virus, bringing to 39 the number of deadly cases in the kingdom at the center of the growing outbreak.
 
No travel restrictions have been posed by Saudi authorities or recommended by the WHO.

However, Saudi Arabia urged elderly and chronically ill Muslims not to perform the Hajj pilgrimage this year, to curb the spread of the MERS coronavirus which has killed 38 in the kingdom.

People with immunity deficiency, as well as children and pregnant women, were also listed as pilgrims vulnerable to developing illness.
 
Pilgrims in general are advised to consult a health care provider before travelling to review the risk and assess whether making the pilgrimage is advisable.

Fatma al Attar, head of Dubai’s Traveler’s Clinic advised pilgrims to vaccinate against the common flu. For people with a low immunity system she advises vaccination against pneumonia.
 
“Especially people with a low immunity system are recommended to take precautions before gathering in such a crowd,” she said earlier.

To reduce the risk of developing illness during pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia the WHO advises pilgrims to take precautionary measures, such as:
 
-       washing hands often with soap and water. When hands are not visibly dirty, a hand rub can be used;
 
-       adhering to good food-safety practices, such as avoiding undercooked meat or food prepared under unsanitary conditions, and properly washing fruits and vegetables before eating them;

-       maintaining good personal hygiene;
 
-       avoiding unnecessary contact with farm, domestic, and wild animals.
 
During the pilgrimage travellers should try to minimise their contact with others and cover their mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing, or if this is not possible, cough or sneeze into upper sleeves of their clothing, but not in their hands. Tissues used should be discarded in the trash after use and hands should be washed afterwards.
 
Latest research

Latest research suggests that a large Mers epidemic with many hundreds of deaths is unlikely. In the fullest clinical analysis yet of the new virus, British and Saudi researchers compared the related SARS virus, which emerged in 2002 and killed 800 people worldwide, with the Mers virus, which has killed 46 people since September 2012.

Ali Zumla, a professor of infectious diseases and international health at University College London, said the evidence from his study suggested a large MERS epidemic with many hundreds of deaths was unlikely.
 
"It is very unlikely any epidemic will ensue. The public needs to be reassured," he told Reuters. "MERS is unlikely to spread as rapidly, and therefore also unlikely to kill as many people (as SARS)."
 
He noted that MERS was first identified 15 months ago and there have been 90 cases reported so far. SARS, spread far more rapidly, infecting more than 8,000 people between November 2002 and July 2003.
 
Similarly, a study conducted by Lancet, a medical journal specialised in infectious diseases, suggested that Mers virus is unlikely to cause a pandemic.

Calculating the ability of the virus to diffuse from person to person within a susceptible population, Romulus Breban and colleagues concluded that the chance of Mers causing a pandemic affect is 5 per cent.

MERS differs from SARS in that it has different human receptors, said researchers.

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