Posted on 07/25/2009 5:08:06 PM PDT by Smokin' Joe
The Health Ministry announced Egypt's first swine flu fatality on 19 July. The victim was identified as 28-year-old Samah El-Sayed Salima, recently returned from Saudi Arabia after the omra. Her death came after the Health Ministry had repeatedly advised pilgrims to cancel omra trips.
El-Sayed began suffering flu-like symptoms in Mecca. She also had an underlying heart condition.
Egypt's first cases of swine flu were confirmed in June among people travelling from the US. Soon cases were being reported among passengers coming from Western countries and from Saudi Arabia after performing omra rituals. The Ministry of Health began to call on the public to postpone both the omra and hajj for this year, while issuing reassurances that "Egypt is internally safe".
Abdel-Rahman Shahin, official spokesman at the Ministry of Health, says El-Sayed travelled to Saudi Arabia on 6 July and returned to Egypt on 16 July. Her case was not detected by the thermal scanners because, it is thought, she had received medication while in Saudi Arabia that lowered her temperature. Salima's condition got worse... *************snip************* A meeting of Arab ministers of health at the WHO headquarters in Cairo yesterday discussed the possibility of canceling the pilgrimage this year to avoid further spread of the virus. Participants also discussed the national, regional and international status of the virus as well as precautionary measures to avoid any health disasters.
Health Ministry suggestions to cancel pilgrimage trips have been challenged by Minister of Tourism Zoheir Garana and Al-Azhar's Grand Sheikh Mohamed Sayed Tantawi.
"We warned against the danger of pilgrimage trips but nobody listened to us," says Shahin. The ministry is now warning that the elderly, pregnant women, children and those suffering from chronic diseases should forego the hajj and omra pilgrimages this year.
On Monday the health minister declared....
(Excerpt) Read more at weekly.ahram.org.eg ...
Ping...
This could be a good thing...
Eqypt has had a few H5N1 (avian influenza) cases in humans, and the opportunity for recombinants is present in the region, and also in regions returnees from the hajj might call home (Indonesia for one).
That could conceivably produce a really nasty, high mortality strain, and that might spread far and wide.
Postponing the hajj might benefit us all.
Yeah, you’re right.
You read my mind!
I’m still laughing!
“The Ministry of Health began to call on the public to postpone both the omra and hajj for this year, while issuing reassurances that “Egypt is internally safe”.
Governments everywhere say things are OK in their country, but it may be risky to visit some other one.
Funny how that works, no matter where you are...
Hey muslims — ignore what they’re saying! Everyone go do your Hajj. And for allah’s sake, DON’T wash your hands.. ever! Soap is unclean and icky. Just be sure to STAY in Mecca — for a long, long time.
No it's not. People have been making perfectly good soap with pig fat and lye for centuries.
Under Islam yes it is. To die during a hajj is supposed to get one directly into heaven. Other ways are to convert a non believer or to die in the holy city of Mecca. I never got a straight answer to the question of what would happen if a Muslim died in the holy city during hajj after converting a non believer? Would they get a special express lane?
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