Makkah News and Updates

Tuesday, 06 May 2014

JEDDAH – A Saudi doctor working for King Fahd General Hospital has recovered from coronavirus, which he contracted while performing an operation on a patient.

Dr. Emad Al-Deen Alem, urologist and head of Urology Department, said he had the disease while he was in the operating room performing a nephrectomy. The patient condition deteriorated three days after the operation. The tests showed that she had coronavirus infection.

“After a week, I had the same symptoms – fever, cough, and fatigue. I took some antibiotics but they did not work. I underwent a chest X-ray and the results came out positive – I had pneumonia. It was persistent.”

Dr. Alem was taken to the isolation room and had to stay there for a week until he completely recovered.

He said he took a lot of honey, dates, black cumin, and anise in addition to drinking Zamzam water.

He called upon the general public to take precautionary measures everywhere they go, especially public places like malls, mosques, schools, etc. Those who have cold or cough should stay at home and do not go out. They also wear masks to curb infections.

Meanwhile, Eastern Province Health Affairs has launched an extensive awareness campaign to educate the public about coronavirus. The campaign started last week and targeted all healthcare professionals.

The next week the campaign will focus on the public and educate them about how to deal with and prevent coronavirus infections. It will continue for two months.

http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index...20140506204208

Makkah floods: Governor leads relief efforts

Around 50% of annual average rainfall, which varies
between 80mm and 100mm, fell within two hours

Sunday 11 May 2014

Makkah Gov. Prince Mishaal bin Abdullah has ordered the formation of an emergency committee to study and follow up on the floods caused by torrential rains that battered Makkah on Thursday.

Prince Mishaal also held an emergency meeting with officials at the Makkah Development Authority and security entities to discuss relief measures.

He heard detailed reports about the damages caused by the floods, in addition to efforts to ease the impact, while reviewing procedures that should be followed in such circumstances.

He called on authorities to double efforts to protect lives and property and offer help to people who have been affected by the floods.

“There is no excuse for officials failing to carry out their duties,” he said. “Officials should make use of every available facility to engage in public service.”

Ahmad Abdullah Al-Zaid, director-general of the flood projects at the Makkah Municipality, said that the Makkah governor has directed authorities to increase their efforts in helping out in the aftermath of the floods.

“Around 50 percent of our annual average rainfall, which varies between 80mm and 100mm, fell within two hours,” he said.

Al-Zaid said that heavy rains fell on a major street where construction work was taking place.

The accumulation of water from neighboring valleys and ongoing work in nearby mountains contributed to the increase in water flow, he said.

“Construction work on the Transport Ministry’s circular road toward Madinah created a new flood path, which altered the course of the water flow,” he said.

“The governor has ordered the removal of construction waste and accumulated water, which has been completely removed.”

Al-Zaid said more than 60 percent of Makkah’s neighborhoods are covered by a comprehensive sewage network and that the municipality is working to complete the rest of the project under the direct supervision of Makkah’s governor.

Work has begun in inner neighborhoods to prevent water from gathering inside the main roads of these residential areas.

He stressed the existence of cement barriers in various locations to curb soil erosion on the city’s main roads.

“Damage has been limited to two locations and the recent rains haven’t affected any of the roads and neighborhoods inside Makkah,” he said.

“We have been working around the clock on restoration and repair works since Friday,” Osama Al-Zaytouni of the Makkah Municipality said on Saturday.

“We have deployed 3,920 personnel, backed with 140 pieces of machinery, to clear the roads to restore vehicular movement. We do, however, admit that the severity of the rains caused a delay in these relief operations.”

Civil defense authorities, meanwhile, have announced that they are still receiving claims for compensatory damage due to the rains.

“More than 60 vehicle owners have made claims,” according Col. Saeed Sarhan of the Civil Defense.

“Special patrolling teams have been deployed on valleys in the Taif region.”

http://www.arabnews.com/news/569071

General statistics

of the Umrah season 1435/2014



Until 11 Rajab 1435 - 10 May 2014

Total Number of the Mutamirs:

4,408,440
______________________________________
Number expected for the whole Umrah season
6,000,000

* Mutamir/s: is/are the one who come into the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
to perform Umrah rituals and visit the Prophet's Holy Mosque.

 

Mataf expansion progress - Phase 2

11 May 2014






9 May 2014

via Haramain.info














Temporary Mataf

11 May 2014



Needles installed on bars to keep away birds



Needles designed to avoid birds from standing on the structure






Abbysid/Ottoman era Porticos

Tensaform build a tent at Madinah new airport



Turkish: http://www.tensaform.com/haber_detay.php?haber_id=17
english: http://www.tensaform.com/en/haber_detay.php?haber_id=17


On the pic below, it looks like it's the tent with a walkway near the airport building

Tuesday 13 May 2014

The Ministry of Health's plan for Haj this year includes measures to counter various infectious diseases and ensure pilgrims have vaccinations for yellow fever, cholera, meningitis, flu and polio.

The initiatives were outlined Monday at the ministry's headquarters in Riyadh after officials held their fourth Haj preparatory committee meeting.
Mohammed bin Hamza Khoshaim, deputy minister of health for planning and development, chaired the meeting.

Speaking to the press following the meeting, Hussein Ghannam, general supervisor of the directorate for Haj and Umrah, said the discussions focused on general health issues.

“The members of the committee were keen to complete all arrangements, especially finalizing the work force comprising health officials and non-health workers to be deployed by August this year,” he said.

The committee has to ensure that all facilities in Makkah and Madinah have adequate stocks of medicines and the required medical equipment.

Khoshaim said preparations for the forthcoming Haj would focus on measures to counter the spread of infectious diseases. The preparations are in line with orders from Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah for pilgrims to get the best possible care.

The Haj preparatory committees for Makkah and Madinah were set up in December last year.

This year, the ministry would again send out its annual circular to the Foreign Ministry for dissemination to all missions abroad, spelling out the requirements to enter the Kingdom during the Haj season.

Khoshaim said the requirements are in line with World Health Organization recommendations for combating infectious diseases. This includes vaccinations, and for ships and aircraft carrying pilgrims to have certificates that they do not have mosquitoes.

Meningitis vaccines are compulsory for all pilgrims, but vaccines against yellow fever and cholera are advised for pilgrims coming from certain countries. Yellow fever is endemic to Angola, Benin, Sudan, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, and many other African and South American countries.

Polio vaccines are also compulsory for all pilgrims from African countries, and those from Pakistan, India, Nepal and Afghanistan. Oral polio vaccine is compulsory for pilgrims arriving from countries including Uganda, Kenya, Benin, Angola, Togo, Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali, Central African Republic, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Ethiopia. Pilgrims from these countries are, on arrival, given another oral dose of polio vaccine irrespective of their age.

Besides these vaccinations, the official said pilgrims should take flu vaccines. It is not mandatory, but recommended because of prevailing weather conditions and the susceptibility of pilgrims.

He said that high-risk pilgrims, who have chronic ailments such as diabetes, hypertension and renal diseases, should take the flu vaccine.

During last year's Haj, the ministry treated some 1.25 million pilgrims in the two holy cities. This included 4,015 pilgrims admitted to hospitals, 459 cardiac catheterization operations, 22 open-heart surgeries, 1,624 dialysis sessions and 106 endoscopy operations.

http://www.arabnews.com/news/570041

Monday 12 May 2014

Several MERS patients who have fully recovered from the disease have said that there is an urgent need to dispel the myths and the hype that have plagued the Kingdom about the virus.

One patient, a 36-year-old who requested anonymity for fear of being avoided by friends and relatives, told Arab News of the difficulties of being a MERS patient.

“I really thought I could die thanks to an absence of accurate information about this disease,” they said. “Before contracting the virus, I had heard it killed anyone it afflicted. However, doctors told me I could fully recover and urged me to remain strong. My parents fully supported me and gave me natural remedies such as honey and ginger syrup.”

The patient said: “I spent three weeks in hospital with fever, cough and throat congestion. When I got my home, I remained quarantined in my room,” and added: “I would open my window in the morning to ventilate the room and would eat healthy food. I soon went back to normal.”

An Asian nurse, who had also made a full recovery from the MERS virus, told Arab News that she would have preferred to leave the Kingdom to be among her family.

“It is hard to be a patient in another country, much less with a virus for which there is no cure,” she said. “I spent four weeks in hospital. My colleagues and doctors supported me throughout. My parents, however, had urged me to come home.”

Several doctors have said that many MERS patients had not done enough to protect themselves from falling ill.

“Most MERS patients contracted the virus because they had recklessly come into contact with other people with the flu,” Mohamed Thabet, an emergency doctor at a private hospital, told Arab News.

Thabet also blames the media for the unnecessary frenzy that has engulfed the nation.

“The media has not played any role in quelling public fears,” he said. “In addition, the absence of a comprehensive awareness campaign has contributed to the sharp increase in the number of cases and has led people to think they are bound to die if they are inflicted with the disease.”

He added: “There are still many people who avoid dealing with previous MERS patients, but fail to stay away from people with the common flu.”

http://www.arabnews.com/news/569476