Global Health and Visa Policy Reform to Address Dangers of Hajj during Summer Seasons.

Mohanad Aleeban,Tim K Mackey

doi:10.3389/fpubh.2016.00280

Abstract

Every year on the 12th month of the Islamic calendar, 2–3 million Muslims from over 160 countries migrate to Holy sites in Saudi Arabia to perform the Hajj, representing one of the largest mass gathering events worldwide. Yet, the Hajj poses several challenges to global health and public safety, including the unique health risks posed by seasonal variability when Hajj occurs during summer months. Specifically, pilgrims taking the journey to Mecca are at higher risk for heat illnesses, heat-related injuries and exhaustion, and stampedes, when summer temperatures can reach up to 48.7°C. In response, we propose that the Saudi government, in coordination with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the World Health Organization, explore the establishment of an expert committee, create and use a predictive risk modeling tool, and establish a dynamic quota on Hajj visas to limit potential heat exposure for high-risk populations when the Hajj falls on seasons associated with extreme weather exposure. As climate change is projected to lead to future increases in temperatures in the region, this form of dynamic and evidence-based policymaking is needed to ensure human health and safety for generations of Hajj pilgrims to come.

Highlights

The Islamic religion is fast spreading throughout the world with the number of Muslims estimated at 1.6 billion [1]
We propose that the Saudi government, in coordination with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the World Health Organization, explore the establishment of an expert committee, create and use a predictive risk modeling tool, and establish a dynamic quota on Hajj visas to limit potential heat exposure for high-risk populations when the Hajj falls on seasons associated with extreme weather exposure
As one of the world’s largest mass movement and gathering of people, the Hajj has been associated with several health concerns including communicable disease spread, increased burden of chronic disease, environmental health concerns, trauma and injury, and security risks [2,3,4,5,6,7]

Summary

BACKGROUND

The Islamic religion is fast spreading throughout the world with the number of Muslims estimated at 1.6 billion [1]. As the Hajj continues to grow as a major global event, it is critical that public policies addressing the Hajj take into account the need to dynamically protect the public health and the safety of pilgrims in the face of uncertainty with rising temperatures and global climate change and plans to increase the number of pilgrims that will receive Hajj visas [8] This includes proactively assessing the potential risks of heat exposure that can lead to poor health outcomes and the role of high temperatures and overcrowding that can exaggerate the number of casualties when stampedes inevitably occur. As Hajj obligations are only mandatory for those pilgrims who are “physically and financially” able, additional Umrah visas will provide pilgrims other opportunities to visit the Holy site in Mecca outside of the summer season [25]

DISCUSSION

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