Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Saudi Arabia adopts measures to limit virus infection during Haj
JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia has taken precautions to prevent disease spreading among Muslim pilgrims next month after a Qatari man was infected with a virus related to the deadly SARS, a health ministry official said on Wednesday.
The World Health Organisation put out a global alert on Sunday saying a new, previously unknown, virus had infected a 49-year-old Qatari man who had recently travelled to Saudi Arabia, where another man with an almost identical virus had already died.
Britain's Health Protection Agency and respiratory disease experts said there was no immediate cause for concern, although authorities were watching for any signs of the virus spreading.
Muslims from some 160 countries flock to Mecca and Medina during the annual Haj pilgrimage, which begins in late October. Some arrive by plane, others by boat or by car.
"The Health Ministry has taken preventative measures to deal with the influx of over 2 million Haj pilgrims," Ziad Memish, the deputy minister for public health, told Reuters.
"The measures include monitoring the entrances through land, sea and air to evaluate the people entering and obtain samples if any symptoms are apparent," he added.
In 2009 Saudi Arabia set up thermal cameras at its airports and increased the number of its medics as part of its measures to limit the spread of the H1N1 flu. It will not resort to using thermal cameras this year, Memish said.
"There is also continuous monitoring in the holy places in Mecca and Medina and Jeddah, with teams on the ground and hospitals to deal with them."
(Reporting by Asma Alsharif; Editing by Stephen Powell)
- Barisan mulls name change. Parti 1Malaysia?
- Civil and Syariah laws should be reviewed to prevent child marriage, Azizah
- Palanivel denies “no contest resolution” allegations
- Idris Jusoh to sue PKR and Rafizi for slander
- Mural proves so popular, owner forced to whitewash it
- MIC is the 'mother party of the Indian community', not Hindraf, says Palanivel
- Malaysian Buddhists celebrate Wesak Day
- Robber shot dead after attacking out-of-uniform cop with meat cleaver
- PKR preparing five-year GE14 'war' plan, says Azmin (updated)
- Tian, Tamrin and Haris released after remand denied (updated)
- Sea lanes, barter trading to be reviewed, says Esscom D-G
- Najib and Palanivel to discuss deaths in police custody
- Single-party Barisan Nasional is feasible, says Muhyiddin
- Rafizi: PKR filing election petition for Balik Pulau parliamentary seat
- Karpal calls for state-level Senate elections
- Malaysia tycoon Vincent Tan plans IPO of football club Cardiff City
- Google, like Facebook, in talks to buy Waze for about US$1bil
- Crown selling entire 10% in rival Echo, partly owned by Genting(Update)
- First edition of 'Great Gatsby' to be sold at auction, can fetch US$150,000
- Malaysia leads the way in Basel III debt
- Markets face rough summer ride as Fed pullback feared
- Wall Street sags, HP hits 52-week high
- Commodities trader sues BP, Shell others for alleged oil price fixing
- Billionaire Icahn seeks up to US$7bil for Dell bid
- Google faces new federal antitrust probe
- Goldman Sachs unveils checks on conflicts in bid to fix tarnished image
- Air Asia's Tony Fernandes to ‘fire up’ investors
- Maybank bullish on growth, to expand regionally under new leadership
- Khazanah appoints Nor Mohamed deputy chairman
- Lafarge Malayan Cement to finalise next expansion plans by August
- 5,000 cave paintings discovered in Mexico
- Cars, schools ablaze in fifth night of Stockholm riots
- London's Heathrow airport closed after emergency landing
- Far East quake felt in Moscow, tsunami warning lifted
- Police make new arrests in London soldier killing
- Britain's press demands jailing of Islamist preacher
- Tsunami warning in Russia's Far East after 8.2 quake
- US bridge collapse sends cars, people into river
- Strong quake strikes off Tonga
- Jury fails to decide on US murderer death sentence
- One killed in Brazil giant fuel depot blaze
- Kingston leads, McIlroy in Wentworth woe
- LPGA plans 12-hole rounds in water-logged Bahamas
- Ryan Palmer sizzles with 62 to seize lead at Colonial
- Kelly overcomes scare to clinch title in KLGCC
- Time to make amends Garcia wants to meet Woods to defuse racist row
- American Johnson back to defend Colonial crown
- Rain dampens debut of LPGA Bahamas event
- Tianlang adds another US event to schedule
- Clock ticking for next golden generation
- Nadal wants to create history at Roland Garros
- Serena out to tame French Open demons
- Zheng Jie stuns Wozniacki in Brussels
- British Open: Ramy Ashour racks up 38th successive win
- Nicol David sails into quarter-finals of British Open in 35 minutes
- BAM must stop rewarding mediocrity or be doomed
- KL car number plates to bear ‘W1A’
- Fernandes does his first firing in Apprentice Asia
- Thousands throng thanksgiving rally by DAP
- Three held over May 13 statements
- Rally organisers told to adhere to Act or face the music
- DJ stands by hubby in molest case
- Tian, Tamrin and Haris released after remand denied (updated)
- Adam pleads not guilty to giving seditious speech
- Copies of Opposition tabloids seized for violating permit
- Umno leaders back police action against those who utter seditious remarks
- Air Asia's Tony Fernandes to ‘fire up’ investors
- Singapore GDP growth surprises, beats economists’ forecast of contraction
- KL car number plates to bear ‘W1A’
- Tian, Tamrin and Haris released after remand denied (updated)
- Malaysia leads the way in Basel III debt
- Inventions a-plenty, but no real innovation
- Robber shot dead after attacking out-of-uniform cop with meat cleaver
- Three held over May 13 statements
- Fernandes does his first firing in Apprentice Asia
- Wall Street sags, HP hits 52-week high
RSS
