MAKKAH: No dengue fever case has been reported in Makkah during the last two months including Ramadan, said informed sources at the Health Ministry, adding that the health condition of Umrah pilgrims is satisfactory.
The disclosure follows news that the Makkah municipality has worked out a comprehensive plan to combat the fever during Dhul Hijjah when about three million Muslims gather in Makkah and its surrounding areas for Haj.
The plan includes visits to buildings accommodating pilgrims and camps in the holy sites of Mina, Arafat and Muzdalifah in order to kill mosquitoes using mist blowers and insecticide spray. The extermination of mosquitoes that carry the dengue fever virus is the main strategy of the anti-dengue plan as without such a strategy it would be difficult to root out the disease.
Many dengue fever cases have been reported in Jeddah in recent months, something that demands greater precautionary measures, especially in Dhul Hijjah when thousands of people come to the holy city.
