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Saudi Arabia reports four H1N1 deaths among pilgrims

* Pilgrims unfazed by swine flu threat days before haj begins

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia said on Saturday four pilgrims had died of the H1N1 flu virus three days before the haj is due to begin.

The Al-Hayat newspaper quoted the Health Ministry as saying the deaths were among pilgrims who came from outside Saudi Arabia.

Health Ministry spokesman Khaled Mirghalani could not be immediately reached for comment, Reuters reported.

Disease experts from the US and Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia, said that waves of H1N1 flu virus spread by pilgrims travelling to and from Mecca for this year’s haj threaten to put pressure on healthcare systems around the world.

The pilgrimage provides perfect conditions for the spread of the H1N1 flu virus, which is transmitted by sneezing and physical contact.

Unfazed: Although, days before a forecasted three million Muslim pilgrims begin haj, the spectre of a possible outbreak of swine flu seems to be fazing few of them, AFP reported.

There might be posters in the streets, plastered on hotel facades and in their lobbies warning about H1N1, but not many of the hundreds of thousands of pilgrims already jamming Makkah are wearing facemasks and many say they are not worried.

“People are not paying too much attention to all these posters,” said Ashraf Abu Nimr, a 26-year-old Algerian from France as he left the Grand Mosque in the city centre.

“Personally, I’m not worried at all,” added Nimr, noting that he had received a swine flu vaccination before leaving home.

Saudi and world health authorities had been mobilising since May for the world’s largest gathering since swine flu began spreading across the globe.

Ibrahim Qanan, a Palestinian pilgrim, pointed to the fact that few people are wearing surgical masks in the street, even though the Saudi authorities have been distributing them to pilgrims. “People are not talking about the H1N1 flu. They reserve their time for their devotions, and talk a lot about football,” Qanan said.

Khaled, an Egyptian who lives in the holy city, said that he welcomed the pilgrims into his barbershop “without any fear of contamination”. agencies

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