By Joseph Varghese

Staff Reporter

 Qatar’s Supreme Council of Health (SCH) yesterday issued a number of guidelines for pilgrims travelling to perform the Haj and Umrah, in the light of the prevalence of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (Mers CoV) infections in Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia had announced on Tuesday a jump of nearly 50% in deaths from Mers after re-examining old data that also showed the number of infections since 2012 was a fifth higher than previously reported.

The increase in total confirmed cases of Mers in Saudi Arabia to 688 from 575, and the rise in deaths from the virus to 282 from 190, came in a review of data ordered by the health ministry last month.

The sharp increase in deaths now attributed to Mers  means the mortality rate from the virus in Saudi Arabia is  41%, instead of the 33% previously thought.

The SCH guidelines were issued in Doha at a press conference attended by senior officials, led by Dr Salih Ali al-Marri (assistant secretary general for medical affairs), Dr Mohamed al-Thani (director of Public Health), Dr Abdul Latif Mohamed al-Khal (senior consultant, Infectious Diseases, Hamad Medical Corporation) and Dr Juliet Ibrahim (clinical Affairs executive director, Primary Health Care Corporation).

Pilgrims from Qatar are advised to consult a healthcare provider before travelling. This will help review any risk and assess their physical condition.

The guidelines state that people with pre-existing major medical conditions of chronic diseases such as diabetes, chronic lung disease, immunodeficiency, elderly above 65 years old, pregnant women and children are more likely to develop severe infection for Mers if exposed to the virus.

All pilgrims will have to make sure that they receive the recommended Haj and Umrah vaccination at least two weeks prior to travel. They are also advised to ensure hand hygiene and respiratory hygiene - covering mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing, washing hands after contact with respiratory secretions, and keeping a distance of one metre with other persons when having acute febrile respiratory symptoms.

The SCH also advises  pilgrims to adhere to good food-safety practices, such as avoiding undercooked meat or food prepared under unsanitary conditions as well as properly washing fruits and vegetables before eating them. They  have to maintain good personal hygiene.

Pilgrims should cover their mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing, wash hands afterwards, or cough or sneeze into upper sleeves of their clothing. They should avoid attending crowded places and isolate themselves if they develop any respiratory symptoms. If isolation is not possible, use a tissue for covering nose and mouth or a surgical mask when in crowded place.

They also must avoid close contact with camels, visit farms and consume unpasteurised camel milk and improperly cooked meat.

After returning from pilgrimage, if any pilgrim becomes sick with respiratory infections and fever within two weeks they should seek medical consultation. They will be screened for infectious diseases and treated accordingly, the guidelines added.

Meanwhile, UAE’s health minister has said the Mers coronavirus has killed 10 people and infected 68 in the country since March 2013.

The minister, Abdul Rahman al-Owais, gave the toll in remarks to the national federal council, a partially-elected parliament, saying six UAE nationals and four foreigners had died from the disease, newspapers said.

Sixty-eight people have been infected since March 2013, when the  UAE’s first case of Mers was diagnosed, he added.

In April, health authorities in the UAE said a Filipino paramedic diagnosed with the disease in the eastern city of Al-Ain had died.

Mers is considered a deadlier but less transmissible cousin of the Sars virus that appeared in Asia in 2003 and infected 8,273 people, 9% of whom died.

Like Sars, it appears to cause a lung infection, with patients suffering coughing, breathing difficulties and a temperature. But Mers differs in that it causes rapid kidney failure.

Health council survey

Though there is no new case of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus or anyone undergoing treatment in Qatar, the virus is present among dromedary camels in Qatar, it was announced yesterday. People dealing very closely with these camels may become infected though they may not develop severe disease, according to the preliminary  results of a survey conducted by the Supreme Council of Health (SCH).