WHO statement on successful conclusion of this year ’s hajj

Dr El Ziq, WHO Representative to Saudi Arabia (right) addresses a meeting on the successful conclusion of this year's hajj3 September 2017 –The World Health Organization would like to congratulate Saudi Arabia for successfully hosting the hajj this year without any public health events or disease outbreaks being reported among pilgrims performing hajj.  In addition, WHO expresses its deep appreciation to all the health care workers and volunteers for their great dedication and for the efforts that they have exerted this year in providing health care services to serve and protect the health of pilgrims. As in previous years and upon the kind invitation of HE the Minister of Health, WHO deployed a technical team comprising epidemiologists and experts in disease surveillance and public health emergencies to work closely with the Ministry of Health to oversee, guide and advise on appropriate public health preparedness measures to prevent any potential disease outbreaks. During the course of its mission, the team visited health care centres and hospitals in Mena, Muzdalefa and Arafat to provide its support to implementation of measures. WHO praises the effectiveness of the public health mitigation measures put in place by the Ministry of Health of Saudi Arabia to ensure a safe pilgrimage. These measures included: effective surveillance to early detect and respond to any infectious disease outbreaks among pilgrims; infection control and prevention; proper sanitation; food saf...
Source: WHO EMRO News - Category: Middle East Health Source Type: news