58 malaria cases registered among foreign pilgrims

RIYADH: The Ministry of Health announced on Friday that 58 cases of malaria have been detected among pilgrims from eight countries.

All 58 cases were reported among incoming pilgrims, as Hajj areas are free from malaria-carrying mosquitoes, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.

Of the number, 56 have been treated and two are still being treated in a hospital, the SPA added.

The ministry said that malaria is endemic in a number of Islamic countries, and the number of cases observed during Hajj varies from year to year depending on the activity of the disease in the countries where the pilgrims come from.

It added that in the epidemiological aspect, monitoring and investigation of malaria during the Hajj season are aimed at detecting cases as quickly as possible.

The ministry said this is being done through rapid screening methods and treating all cases by classification.

“The prevention of endemic diseases in Hajj areas depends on continuous insect monitoring and prevention of carrier return to these areas,” the ministry said.

It added that in the same context, public health teams visited the headquarters of pilgrimage missions with malaria infections among their pilgrims’. The purpose of the visit was to coordinate the evaluation and treatment of the mosquitoborne infectious disease at the pilgrim’s residence using rapid detection, and to provide full on-site service and coordination for the transfer of cases requiring intravenous medications to hospitals.