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Health authorities warn against MERS ahead of Hajj season
Pilgrims on Jamaraat Bridge in Mina, Saudi Arabia, flock to Mecca in this Sept. 24, 2015, photo. AP-Yonhap
By Ko Dong-hwan
By Ko Dong-hwan
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) is working to ensure the safety of a wave of travelers to Saudi Arabia ― to attend Hajj ― from Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS). Hajj, lasting this year from June 26 to July 1, is an annual Islamic pilgrimage to the Saudi Arabian holy city of Mecca.
The health authority is concerned that those returning to Korea after visiting Mecca might carry the coronavirus causing MERS with them and transmit it locally.
The KDCA said Wednesday it has begun cooperating with other agencies to warn people of the risk and educate the public about the contagious disease which is contracted mainly through contact with camels. The disease is known to be prevalent in the Middle East and northern Africa.
The concern comes as Muslims worldwide are expected to make pilgrimages to Mecca in record numbers since before the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020.
The number of travelers to Saudi Arabia during Hajj was 1,000 in 2020. The figure was low compared to previous years when 2 million to 3 million visitors from around the world made the Mecca pilgrimage each year.
The figure took a steep rise each following year to 60,000 in 2021 and 1 million in 2022. This year, over 2 million are expected to visit the country for Hajj.
Cooperating with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Seoul and Korea Islam ― a local foundation dedicated to Muslims in Korea ― the KDCA began making leaflets regarding MERS. Published in Arabic, Indonesian, Uzbek, Russian, English and Korean, the leaflets contain information on vaccination shots against MERS, how to prevent MERS once in Saudi Arabia and the KDCA hotline to call in case of experiencing symptoms.
In the leaflets, the KDCA, advises avoiding local camel farms in the Middle East, contact with the animals and consumption of uncooked camel meat or raw camel milk. The leaflets also warn that MERS can be transmitted via contact with people who have already contracted the disease and recommend not to visit crowded places.
There has been a steady number of reports of MERS infections in the Middle East, and Saudi Arabia has accounted for the most cases. In Korea, there have been no report of MERS since 2018 when one patient was found.