Official Says Indonesian Hajj Pilgrim Died of Swine Flu
Jakarta Globe | November 26, 2010
Jakarta. An official at the Hajj Health Center in Mina, Saudi Arabia, confirmed that two Indonesian pilgrims were found positive for the H1N1 virus, also known as swine flu. One had died and another was still at the hospital.
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| Millions of hajj pilgrims praying in front of the Kabah in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. On Friday, an official confirmed that an Indonesian pilgrim died from the H1N1 virus. (Antara Photo) |
Wan Alkadri, head of the center, said that ST died two days ago after being declared H1N1 positive on Nov. 12. ST was originally from Surabaya, East Java.
“The other one is still being treated at the Al Wadi Hospital in Mina. Both pilgrims were suspected to have contracted the disease in Mecca,” Alkadri was quoted as saying by news portal Detik.com, adding that the two were not the carriers of the virus.
“We have conducted investigations and monitored everyone who shared the same floor with them, including members of their entourage. Nobody else showed symptoms of the disease,” he said.
Previously, Saudi's Health Ministry had said that four pilgrims had died due to swine flu and 67 others have been diagnosed with the virus. The casualties were a Moroccan woman, a Sudanese man and an Indian man who were all older than 75, and a 17-year-old girl from Nigeria.
The Saudi Gazette reported that meteorologists predicted more rains at the pilgrimage sites after Wednesday's sudden downpour. It was initially feared that the rains would hasten the spread of the virus, but Hasan Al-Bushra an epidemiologist at the Cairo office of the World Health Organization, said that this was not the case.
“It is carried in the air, by sneezes, coughs and touch. It is not waterborne. The rain could even be beneficial if it means crowds are smaller,” he told Saudi Gazette.
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