Swine Flu and the UAE

Last weekend, I was talking to my sister on the phone and she asked how the Swine flu situation has affected Dubai? She said that at the kids' school, nearly half of the students were away from school because of it! Half! Granted, it is a small rural school but still ... half! Thankfully, my sister reported that they have all been healthy and received the vaccine. It seems their family will escape this outbreak without any ill effects ... insha'allah.

To be honest, I haven't given H1N1 much thought other than to skim over an email memo from our HR department instructing us to stay away from the office if we are suffering from symptoms. In the last 2 weeks I have been suffering from some pesky symptoms but fortunately (or unfortunately) it seems to be just a plain old common cold. (My colleague in the next office has been away all week. Not sure why but apparently he had tickets to the debut Formula 1 in Abu Dhabi last weekend and missed it, he must be REALLY sick!)

In fact, UAE has fared reasonably well in the face of H1N1. The powers that be have taken precautions, educated the public and offered vaccinations to residents free of charge. There have been only 79 confirmed cases and no deaths according to the WHO website (but other sources including the newspapers have reported 6 deaths). By comparison, others in the region are far more at risk:

Oman: 2,829 cases; 25 deaths.
Kuwait: 6,640 cases, 17 deaths.
Saudi Arabia: 4,119 cases; 28 deaths.



View Swine Flu Interactive Map in a larger map


One of the 5 pillars of Islam is that every Muslim should travel to Mecca (or more correctly, "Makka" or مكة in Arabic), at least once in their lifetime if they are physically, mentally and financially able. This pilgrimage is called the Hajj. It takes place between the 7th and 13th days of the Islamic month of Dhu al-Hajjah (which translates to "Lord of the Pilgrimage") In Gregorian calendar dates, this will be November 25 to 29, 2009. Mecca is the holiest place in the Islamic religion and if a person performs the pilgrimage and the rituals correctly, all his or her sins will be forgiven. It is an important event in the Muslim world, millions of people participate; it is the single largest, annual gathering in the world.

The sheer magnitude of the Hajj presents a myriad of logistical and safety challenges without the additional wrinkle of a world-wide flu pandemic. Participants gather from all geographical corners the world, massive crowds in very tight quarters, hygenic conditions that are less than ideal and participants who then return to their place of origin ... with whatever nasties they may have picked up along the way.

World health officials and the Saudi goverment are advising "Hajj-ers" to get vaccinated at least 2 weeks in advance (some nationalities are required to prove this), they are screening travelers at all points of entry and children, elderly, pregnant and chronically ill would-be pilgrims are encouraged to stay away from the pilgrimage for this year. Mecca will still be there to Hajj another day.