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Supporting Saudi Arabia’s health authorities to ensure a safe Hajj pilgrimage
From 27 to 31 June 2023, the Hajj pilgrimage took place, drawing millions of millions of Muslims from every corner of the world to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. This year was of particular importance as Hajj is back to regular practice, with higher numbers of pilgrims expected after three years of special measures due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Just as in any mass gathering event, the public health risks associated with having so many people are important. In addition to the spread of epidemics and diseases, including of COVID-19, notifiable risks this year included the important numbers of pilgrims above 65 years of age and the high temperatures as the pilgrimage took place in mid-summer.
Building on decades of experience in ensuring a safe pilgrimage, including on lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, Saudi Arabia’s health authorities put in place robust mitigation measures in line with the International Health Regulations (2005).
These measures include effective surveillance to ensure prompt detection of and response to any infectious disease outbreaks among pilgrims; infection prevention and control; proper sanitation; food safety; vaccination; risk communication; and timely response to health threats. Robust health protocols and risk assessment tools are in also place, to help quickly inform decision-making. All Hajj-related operations, including emergency operations, health care facilities, hospitals, or surgeries are monitored through the Command and Control Center at the Saudi Ministry of Health.
Building on a continued partnership, WHO has supported health authorities to prepare for the recent Hajj season. Prior to Hajj, a WHO mission comprised of experts from the WHO Regional Office for Eastern Mediterranean (EMRO) and WHO Country Office to Saudi Arabia was deployed, notably to help with risk assessments and share expertise on preventing any potential disease outbreaks. In this respect, WHO works in close collaboration with the WHO collaborative Global Centre for Mass Gathering Medicine, in addition to several other centres such as the Emergency and Crises Command Centre.