The Health Ministry of Saudi Arabia has declared that, the holy pilgrimage of Hajj will continue despite the threat of swine flu. It has also stated that, none of the pilgrims will be turned back or barred from entering Saudi Arabia, even if the individual is considered to be of high risk for swine flu. The Hajj which is the holiest pilgrimage for any Muslim and is the largest annual pilgrimage in Islam with its final destination being the holy place of Mecca and Medina. However, the prospect of thousand of individuals from across the globe within close proximity to each other has raised alarm for the world health officials, who perceive huge public gatherings as perfect hot spots for the contraction of swine flu.

In the month of June, Saudi health officials had requested the the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other international health professionals to review the prevention steps employed by the Arab nation to combat the threat of swine flu, especially for the time of the Hajj pilgrimage. After thorough inspection of the prevention measures, the experts had advised Saudi Arabia to avoid the admission of the elderly, pregnant women, children and especially individuals who might be suffering from chronic illnesses.

The Saudi Health Minister, Abdullah al-Rabeeah has now stated that, the country will not bar any person from entering the holy land and has put the responsibility of filtering the pilgrims on the countries where pilgrims will be coming from. In a statement, al-Rabeeah said,

“Saudi Arabia does not ban anyone because hajj is a religious event. Saudi Arabia has put in place strong recommendations that we hope individual countries will abide by.”

Via Associated Press.