Saudi Arabia downplays Ebola fears as hajj begins: Two million journey to Mecca pilgrimage

The Star ^ | 10/02/2014 | Mokhtar Shehata And Benjamin Wiacek

[SeekAndFind]

MECCA, SAUDI ARABIA—Saudi Arabia sought to assure the public that the kingdom was safe and free of health scares as an estimated 2 million Muslims streamed into a sprawling tent city near Mecca on Thursday for the start of the annual Islamic hajj pilgrimage.

Earlier this year, Saudi authorities banned people from Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea — the countries hardest hit in the Ebola epidemic — from getting visas as a precaution against the virus. The decision has affected a total of 7,400 pilgrims from the three countries.

Ebola is believed to have sickened more than 7,100 people in West Africa and killed more than 3,300, according to the World Health Organization.

The hajj sees massive crowds from around the world gather every year around the cube-shaped Kaaba in Mecca as part of a five-day spiritual journey meant to cleanse the faithful of sin and bring them closer to God. All male pilgrims dress in simple, white robes as a sign of equality before God.

The kingdom has not discovered a single case of Ebola so far and is taking all measures to ensure the safety and health of the pilgrims, said Manal Mansour, the head of Saudi Health Ministry’s department for prevention of infectious diseases.

“The most important precaution (the kingdom) has taken was to restrict visas from the affected areas,” she told The Associated Press.

Upon arrival to the kingdom, pilgrims were asked to fill out “medical screening cards with data” and asked about their travels in the past 21 days, Mansour said.

[Pearls Before Swine]

I heard on Rush’s show today (and saw here) that ISIS is threatening to send Ebola-infected soldiers to the US to infect as many as possible.

Well, God forgive me for saying so, but two can play that game.

[SeekAndFind]

RE: Ebola-infected soldiers

And how do they propose to:

1) Infect them with Ebola?

2) Bring them to the USA?

BTW, are these infected soldiers American traitor Muslims who have decided to become martyrs?

[Pearls Before Swine]

No, I think they’d be volunteers... martyrs for the cause.

As to how, all they have to do is send a few to Liberia or Sierra Leone with plane tickets to the US via Europe. Infected waste shouldn’t be too hard to find. Terrorists have done harder things before.

[corkoman]

[Pearls Before Swine]

I love it. Didn’t Mohammed Atta, the guy leading the 9/11 hijackings (and who flew the first plane into the Trade Center) spend some time investigating rental of crop dusters before he settled on his hijack/crash scheme?

[molson209]

Castration is a Cure for Ebola

[ronnie raygun]

Now this is an opportunity but zippy and his a##clowns are more interested in the real enemy here at home.........us

[thanatz]

Crop duster filled with Ebola — interesting thought, but I just have to ask myself, “What would Ripley do?”

[BlueNgold]

Time to rewatch/re-read flight of the intruder...

[corkoman]

Yes - you are correct - and they showed-up at a training facility right here in South Florida! My understanding is that they wanted to "dust" I-95 at rush hour. It only took one conversation about operating an Air Tractor and they realized that it exceeded their capabilities.

What with all the fluid shifting around and the proximity to the ground...you can easily lose it.

[Robert357]

I am reminded of the joke about a boat full of lawyers that sinks during a storm. The punch line was “a good start.”

I suppose that a medical virus induced loss of many of the most devout, during such a pilgrimage would send them straight to their Heaven. (? A win-win?)

[Resolute Conservative]

If only...