Public health risks related to communicable diseases during the Hajj 2018
ECDC has published an up to date Rapid Risk Assessment document to address public health risks related to communicable diseases during the Hajj 2018, 19-24 August 2018, Saudi Arabia. Over two million pilgrims travel yearly to perform Hajj in Saudi Arabia and over one and a half million of these are foreign pilgrims. International mass gatherings of such magnitude and duration can pose a risk for communicable disease outbreaks and global onward transmission of infectious diseases. The ECDC Rapid Risk Assessment document aims to assess the potential health risks related to communicable diseases and other health threats for European citizens during their Hajj pilgrimage. The main threats of infectious disease outbreaks are food and water borne diseases and respiratory illness due to crowding. Of note, MERS-CoV remains an active threat on the Arabian Peninsula.
To read the full ECDC Rapid Risk Assessment go to: https://ecdc.europa.eu/sites/portal/files/documents/risks-diseases-hajj-saudi-arabia-rapid-risk-assessment-24-august-2018.pdf