May 20, 2024
JAKARTA – With this year’s haj season kicking off, the Health Ministry has warned pilgrims to remain vigilant against potential infection by Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS).
First identified in Saudi Arabia in 2012, MERS is a viral respiratory disease caused by zoonotic Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV). The virus infects people through direct or indirect contact with infected dromedary camels or other sick people, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Health Ministry surveillance and health quarantine director Achmad Fachanny Tri Adryanto urged pilgrims to maintain good hygiene and minimize contact with camels by, among other measures, avoiding visiting camel farms or consuming undercooked camel meat or milk.
“If you ride a camel or touch it, wash your hands with soap or clean your hands with hand sanitizer afterward immediately,” Achmad said in a statement published on Thursday.
He also advised Muslims going on haj to wear face masks in crowded places, get enough sleep and visit the Indonesian haj healthcare center immediately if feeling ill or experiencing any MERS symptoms.
Among the typical symptoms of the illness are fever, coughing and shortness of breath, while pneumonia and gastrointestinal conditions, such as diarrhea, are also reported in some cases.
Around 35 percent of cases reported to the United Nations health body proved fatal.
Indonesian health authorities are working closely with their Saudi Arabian counterparts to curb the spread of the respiratory disease among pilgrims.
“We have educated healthcare workers in our haj clinic about MERS clinical management, including its symptoms and treatment,” Achmad said, adding that the haj management officials and pilgrims had been informed about how to minimize the risk of contracting the disease.
All pilgrims will undergo health screenings upon returning to Indonesia, Achmad continued. People showing flu-like symptoms will be immediately quarantined and admitted to healthcare facilities.
Some 241,000 Indonesians are expected to go on this year’s pilgrimage to Islam’s holiest site the city of Mecca, with the ultimate haj ritual of wukuf (staying) in Arafah field slated for June 15.
More than 34,000 pilgrims had arrived in Saudi Arabia, according to the Religious Affairs Ministry, as of Friday. More pilgrims are expected to arrive in the Middle Eastern country until June 10 to spend more than a month there before returning to Indonesia starting on June 22.
The Health Ministry has procured 62.3 tonnes of medical equipment and medicines to be available in Saudi Arabia at its haj heath station. Some of the medical supplies, such as intravenous (IV) drips, have been bought in Saudi Arabia rather than transported from Indonesia.
“Transporting these supplies from Indonesia to Saudi Arabia would cost us around Rp 3 billion [US$187,916] to Rp 4 billion,” said Agusdini Banun Saptaningsih, the ministry’s pharmaceutical management and service director, in a statement on May 13.
She added that the medical supplies provided by the ministry could help support the pilgrims and to prevent them from falling ill.
Despite the efforts, at least four pilgrims had died as of Saturday. The four pilgrims, who all died in the holy city of Madina, were identified as Basirun Mangsuri Wirya Besari, Upan Supian Anas, Didi Wowandi and Yusman Irawan.
Authorities, however, did not provide further details about the causes of death.
The families of pilgrims who die during the pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia will receive a life insurance payout amounting up to Rp 60 million. Authorities will also appoint officials to go on haj badal, or haj by proxy, on the deceased’s behalf.