The 25,000 health care workers are deploying throughout eastern Saudi Arabia to treat sick pilgrims as well as collect epidemiological data and, in some cases, biological samples. Health inspectors, nursing staff, public health experts and physicians will maintain checkpoints at each of Saudi Arabia’s 13 land, air or sea entry ports. The teams will check pilgrims’ immunization records and administer prophylactic medication and polio vaccinations as needed.
During the hajj, hundreds of mobile surveillance teams, consisting of trained clinicians, have traveled through temporary camps looking for individuals displaying symptoms of an infectious disease. In addition to permanent hospitals in Mecca and Medina, about 25 temporary hospitals and clinics with over 5,000 hospital beds are opened every year.
Through these combined efforts, Memish estimates that robust epidemiological data will be collected for approximately 60 percent of those attending hajj, with all data sent to a command center for real-time surveillance and data analysis. Any surveillance data collected will be published and shared with the WHO and broader global health community.
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