RIYADH, 8 October 2007 — Acting on World Health Organization recommendations to counter the spread of cholera, a Health Ministry spokesman said yesterday that pilgrims arriving in the Kingdom are having food and drinks confiscated.
The ministry emphasized that no outbreak of infectious diseases has been reported and that this move is merely in response to advice from the WHO.
“We have gone into action promptly to keep the disease away from our doorsteps and we have totally banned Umrah pilgrims from bringing food or drinks,” said Khalid Al-Mirghalani in an interview with Arab News. He said the Ministry of Health is paying special attention to pilgrims coming from countries that have reported cholera outbreaks, such as Iran, Iraq and Bangladesh. “We have also instructed Saudi missions in these countries to ensure that the pilgrims come here only after vaccination against cholera,” he said.
Cholera is on the rise in Iran, where the WHO said Thursday that there had been 10 cases since Sept. 19 in the western Kurdistan Province. Iraq, too, has been grappling with a growing outbreak of cholera. Al-Mirghalani also said that a special team from the Makkah region has been appointed by the ministry to monitor the situation.
Cholera is a food and water-borne disease that is particularly dangerous to children and the elderly. About 10 to 20 percent of people afflicted with cholera can attain dangerous levels of dehydration with acute diarrhea and vomiting.
