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A bit of a media storm has erupted in Belgium this morning over advice given to Moslems from virologist and National Flu Commissioner, Dr. Marc Van Ranst, not to attend this year’s Umrah or Hajj.
Last month, you may recall, Saudi Arabia abruptly announced limits to religious tourist visas (see KSA To Limit Umrah & Hajj Visitors), citing ongoing construction at the Holy Mosque as limiting the number of pilgrims they could accommodate.
Unstated, but widely assumed to be a factor, is the ongoing outbreak of MERS-CoV in the Kingdom, which has infected at least 64 people, killing 36 (see KSA Announces Two More MERS-CoV Deaths).
The Saudi Embassy has specifically asked that the following groups do not attend this year `for their own safety’: The elderly, the terminally ill, pregnant women, and children.
All able bodied Muslims are required to make at least one major pilgrimage to Mecca during their lifetime, at the time of the hajj. This is known as the fifth pillar of Islam, and is one of the duties incumbent upon all Muslims.
The faithful may also make `lesser pilgrimages’, called omra (or Umrah), at other times of the year. These minor pilgrimages don’t absolve the faithful of making the hajj journey unless they take place during Ramadan.
As a result, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) receives more than 7 million visitors each year, with most of them arriving during the month of Ramadan (this year: July 8th-August 7th) and during the Hajj in October.
The waiting list for obtaining a visa can exceed a decade in some countries, making the decision to postpone a pilgrimage an extraordinarily difficult one.
Which probably explains some of the reaction today from the calls of Professor Marc Van Ranst of the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven to avoid traveling to Saudi Arabia this year due to the MERS-CoV threat.
Typical of the reporting overnight - from VTM Nieuws - this report:
Another report, this time from De Standaard, indicates that the Deputy Prime Minister, Didier Reynders (MR), isn’t convinced of the threat.
"First need advice for discouraging hajj '
Today at 09:47 by jvt | Source: Belga
For Foreign Affairs would advise against travel to Mecca is necessary to first clear information about the possible risk. As Foreign Minister Didier Reynders (MR) to the call of virologist Marc Van Ranst responding. Who fears that the annual hajj MERS the new virus will spread worldwide.
"It is not the job of Foreign Affairs to tell if there is a risk or not, without clear and comprehensive information", said the Deputy Prime Minister during Wednesday Morning.
Reynders was responding to the call of virologist Marc Van Ranst in the newspaper De Morgen to discourage to participate in the pilgrimage to Mecca. Part Belgian Muslims this year
Another voice in this debate is that of of Belgium’s League of Muslims spokesman, Farid El Machaoud, whose comments appeared today in KNACK.BE.
While not conceding that an epidemic currently exists - Machaoud agreed that if conditions should warrant it – travel to this year’s Hajj could be prohibited.
League of Muslims in Belgium: "In case of epidemic Mecca pilgrimage should be banned '
(EXCERPT)
Farid El Machaoud, spokesman for the League of Muslims in Belgium, said in The Morning on Radio 1 that the call of Van Ranst 'is quite normal. " "If there is indeed an epidemic, then travel to Mecca not only discouraged, but simply prohibited. '
El Machoud feels that a good explanation to the people's needs, "so there is no political game is made of." El Machaoud: "Islam is always authenticated, so many people are paranoid. Some may think that nothing is going on, but it is a way to prevent them Muslims go to Mecca. " He argues for a consultation with the board of theologians, "which obviously open to that message."
While there is a general unease among many public health officials regarding this year’s Hajj and Umrah, quantifying the risks - when so little is known about the MERS coronavirus - has been impossible.
Thus far, the World Health Organization has not issued any travel warnings to the Middle East regarding this virus, and the CDC’s travel advice is based on Watch - Level 1, Practice Usual Precautions.
The WHO’s Advice to travelers (Dated June 5th):
(EXCERPT)
Although the source of the virus and the mechanism of transmission is unknown, it would be prudent to try to reduce the general risk of infection while travelling by:
- Avoiding close contact with people suffering from acute respiratory infections.
- Frequent hand-washing, especially after direct contact with ill people or their environment.
- Adhering to food safety and hygiene rules such as avoiding undercooked meats, raw fruits and vegetables unless they have been peeled, or unsafe water.
- Avoiding close contact with live farm or wild animals.
Travellers to the Middle East who develop symptoms either during travel or after their return are encouraged to seek medical attention and to share their history of travel. People with symptoms of acute respiratory infection should practice cough etiquette (maintain distance, cover coughs and sneezes with disposable tissues or clothing, and wash hands) and to delay travel until they are no longer symptomatic.
Based on the information available, WHO does not advise special screening at points of entry with regard to this event nor does it currently recommend the application of any travel or trade restrictions.
