Abstract
Thousands of Palestinian and Arab-Israeli pilgrims travel to Mecca each year to complete their pilgrimage. To the best of our knowledge, no previous studies have characterized the infectious and noninfectious morbidity among Arab-Israeli or Palestinian Hajj pilgrims. Thus, we designed and conducted an observational questionnaire-based study to prospectively investigate the occurrence of health problems among these Hajjis who traveled to complete their Pilgrimage during 2019 Hajj season. For the purpose of the study, questionnaires were distributed to Hajj pilgrims at three different time occasions-before travel, inquiring on demographics and medical comorbidities; and 1 and 4 weeks after returning recording any health problems encountered during or after travel. Initial recruitment included 111 Hajjis. The mean age of responders was 49.5 (±9.1) years, with a Male:Female ratio of 1.3:1. The mean travel duration was 18.7 (13-36) days. Altogether, 66.3% of the pilgrims reported at least one health problem during and after the trip, of which 38.6% sought medical attention. Five (4.8%) hajjis were hospitalized, including life-threatening conditions. Cough was the most common complaint (53.8%), and 11.5% also reported fever. Pretravel counseling was associated with reduced outpatient and emergency room visits. We therefore concluded that a high rate of morbidity was reported among this cohort of Hajj pilgrims with a morbidity spectrum similar to pilgrims from other countries. Pretravel consultation with the purpose of educating the pilgrims on the health risks of Hajj may help reduce the morbidity for future Hajj seasons.
Highlights
The WHO defines mass gatherings as “events attended by a sufficient number of people to strain the planning and response resources of a community, state, or nation.”[1,2] A major public health concern in relation to mass gatherings is spread of infectious diseases between attendees, to the local population, and back to travelers’ countries of origin
Palestinian pilgrims are usually vaccinated at primary healthcare clinics, whereas Arab–Israeli pilgrims are usually vaccinated at travel clinics or primary healthcare clinics.[4]
Participation of both Palestinian and Arab–Israeli pilgrims is limited by the Hajj quota, set at 7,000 for Palestinian pilgrims and 3,500 for Arab–Israelis
Summary
The WHO defines mass gatherings as “events attended by a sufficient number of people to strain the planning and response resources of a community, state, or nation.”[1,2] A major public health concern in relation to mass gatherings is spread of infectious diseases between attendees, to the local population, and back to travelers’ countries of origin Examples of such mass gathering events include the Olympic games and the Kumbha Mela religious festival in India. A decision to grant an exit permit for the roundtrip journey to Mecca is given based on a priority list, with older applicants receiving higher priority This has resulted in thousands of Hajjis being denied exit permits, with some of them having to wait several decades to fulfill their pilgrimage.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
