JEDDAH, 18 August 2003 — Saudi Arabia has taken precautionary measures to prevent the spread of SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) during the coming Haj season.
Despite World Health Organization (WHO) affirmation that the outbreak of the killer disease had been contained recently in countries where it appeared earlier this year, there has been no report on the disease’s total disappearance.
The new measures were announced, however, as part of the health regulations to be followed by pilgrims coming to the Kingdom for Haj and Umrah.
“We set out health conditions for pilgrims coming from various countries in light of WHO reports on contagious diseases,” said Dr. Yaakub Al-Mazrue, assistant deputy health minister for preventive medicine, in a press statement.
The measures taken against SARS are significant, as according to the WHO, the disease is far more deadly than first thought, killing about 15 percent of people who catch the flu-like disease.
According to the organization, the overall death rate from SARS is almost four times higher than the original estimate of four percent. The latest analysis, which includes data from Canada, China, Hong Kong, Singapore and Vietnam, shows SARS has a higher death rate than flu or the common cold.
Globally, SARS has infected about 10,000 people, killing almost 800. No SARS cases have been reported in Saudi Arabia.
The Kingdom last month lifted a three-month ban on the entry of nationals from countries hit by SARS.
The ban was applied to nationals of China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore and Vietnam and to people who had visited those countries within 10 days of arriving in the Kingdom.
