Swine Flu Precautions To Be Taken In Mecca

The issue of swine influenza is particularly touchy to Arab people

Health Ministers from a number of Arabian countries and the World Health Organisation have decided to restrict certain groups of people from undergoing the Haj pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia because of concerns surrounding the swine influenza virus. They said that elderly people, those who are very sick and children under the age of twelve should not take part in the Haj Mecca pilgrimage. The government of Saudi Arabia has already asked these groups of Muslims to postpone coming to Mecca but these new rules which will need to be ratified by the health ministers of various Arab governments will make sure they don’t come at all.

The issue of swine influenza is particularly touchy to Arab people because of their belief that all pigs are unclean. Arab people are forbidden from eating pork and in many Arab countries it is completely forbidden. The idea of catching a virus which originated from a pig is something abhorrent to them and is not only distressing physically but also psychologically.
Arab countries therefore have been extra vigilant in preventing the spread of swine flu in their countries and it would be considered a huge disaster if swine flu were to spread rapidly around an Arab country especially in Mecca which is the holiest Arabic shrine. In all around 3 million people from all parts of the world in huge crowds visit Mecca every year making transmission of a contagious virus statistically much more likely there.

In fact there are many people, especially Arabs who say that this virus should not be referred to as swine influenza at all because they say that there is no definite proof that it originated from pigs. Pig farmers all over the world are especially angry about the name ‘swine flu’ because they say that it has drastically affected their business.