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Riyadh tells hajj pilgrims to be careful of swine flu

The Saudi health minister said on Saturday that the kingdom will not bar anyone considered high-risk for swine flu from performing the hajj pilgrimage this year, though he urged countries where pilgrims set out from to take precautions.

The hajj, required of all able-bodied Muslims at least once in their lifetime, has become a concern for world health officials because the density of pilgrims — with shoulder-to-shoulder contact as they pray — has raised fears of a massive spread of swine flu.

The pilgrimage attracts about 3 million people from 160 countries annually and begins this year on Nov. 25.

Saudi Arabia invited international experts to a conference in June to examine Saudi measures to prevent the spread of the disease during the hajj.

The conference recommended that the elderly, pregnant women, people with chronic diseases and children skip the pilgrimage this year.

The Saudi health minister said it was the responsibility of individual countries to enforce those recommendations.
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