Health News
Saudi authorities boost health surveillance as pilgrims flow in
Nov 22, 2009, 12:47 GMT
Riyadh - Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Health said Sunday it was increasing its monitoring of those arriving in the country for the hajj, after announcing four pilgrims had died from the A(H1N1) pandemic virus.
The ministry also said additional medical staff would be deployed in a bid to help prevent the spread of the virus that is known commonly as swine flu.
Those who died were identified as a Moroccan woman, a Sudanese man and an Indian man, all aged 75, along with a 17-year-old Nigerian girl.
The older pilgrims, who died Saturday, were all believed to have had underlying medical conditions such as heart problems or cancer.
Some 2.6 million people are estimated to be taking part in the Muslim pilgrimage to the holy sites in Saudi Arabia this year. Authorities said 1.6 million people had been granted entry visas for the hajj.
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