Jeddah : King Abdulaziz International Airport (KAIA) has dedicated two lounges to receive pilgrims coming from Nigeria and some other African countries as a preventive measure against the Ebola virus.
So far, there was not a single suspected case of the deadly virus among anyone of them,” said Abdul Ghani Al-Malki, supervisor of Haj affairs at the terminal. He told Al-Watan daily that aircrafts coming from Nigeria are also thoroughly checked against the deadly virus. He said an integrated plan is being implemented at the airport to prevent the spread of Ebola. Emergency doctors and consultants in infectious diseases are participating in the execution of the plan in addition to qualified teams who are capable of checking the virus. Al-Malki said pilgrims arriving from all parts of the world are being checked against contagious diseases.
“We are particularly checking pilgrims coming from countries with reported cases of Ebola including Nigeria, Kenya and Congo,” he said. The Kingdom has already prevented entry of pilgrims from the Ebola-infected countries in West Africa namely Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea. “The trained and well-equipped medical teams board the planes immediately after landing. With the help of the crew, the teams will be looking at all passengers to see if any of them show symptoms of the virus,” he said. Al-Malki said special forms were distributed among all airline companies containing questions for the pilgrims to answer. “The pilgrims are asked about their whereabouts for the last 21 days which is the incubation period of the virus,” he said.
He said any suspected case will be transported immediately to King Fahd Hospital in Jeddah for quarantining and treatment. “Thank God, there are no suspected cases so far,” he added. Representatives of Gulf countries met last month to discuss precautions against the Ebola epidemic ahead of the annual Haj pilgrimage in early October. The executive bureau of the Gulf Cooperation Council’s committee of health ministers met in the light of “preventive measures taken by some countries to protect against the Ebola virus… and the approach of the Haj,” bureau director Taufiq Khoja said.
The epidemic, the worst since Ebola was first discovered four decades ago, has killed more than 1,000 people since early this year, according to the World Health Organization. Meanwhile, 788,713 pilgrims had arrived in the Kingdom by Saturday, according to the figures released by the Directorate General of Passports. The Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Endowments, Call and Guidance has completed the implementation of a number of special projects for the service of pilgrims at a cost of SR 29,954,628. Ministry’s Undersecretary for Administrative and Technical Affairs Abdullah Al-Hwaimel said that some of the most prominent projects that have been completed are the supply and installation of air conditioners for Miqaat of Yalamlam in Al-Layth, maintenance, cleanliness and operation of toilets adjacent to Al-khaef mosque, maintenance and cleanliness of the Centers for Islamic Awareness in Mina, Muzdalifah, and Arafat, supply and installation of security and safety systems for buildings of the ministry in Mina, Muzdalifah and Arafat, maintenance, cleanliness and operation of Namira Mosque in Arafat, maintenance, cleanliness and operation of field Islamic awareness centers for the Grand Mosque’s squares and centers for pilgrims’ reception. The ministry’s completed projects also include those for printing books and pamphlets which will be distributed in Haj, accommodation of staff and guests of the ministry and the participants in Haj, printing publications for Haj rituals, production, filming and directing 195 TV episodes to educate pilgrims during this year’s Haj season, and making copies of tapes and CDs which will be distributed during Haj.