Hajj pilgrims won't be kept out of Saudi Arabia because of swine flu risk

Posted Saturday, Nov. 07, 2009 Comments   (0) Print Share Share Reprints
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The Associated Press

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — The Saudi health minister said Saturday that the kingdom will not bar anyone considered high-risk for swine flu from performing the hajj pilgrimage this year, though he urged the countries from which the pilgrims set out to take precautions.

The hajj, required of all able-bodied Muslims at least once in their lifetime, has become a concern for world health officials.

The pilgrimage attracts about 3 million people from 160 countries annually and begins this year on Nov. 25, as the winter flu season approaches in the Northern Hemisphere.

The H1N1 flu has killed 66 people in Saudi Arabia, and the government invited international experts to a conference in June to examine Saudi measures to prevent the spread of the disease during the pilgrimage.

The conference recommended that the elderly, pregnant women, people with chronic diseases and children skip hajj this year.

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