27 July 2009

27 July 2009=

WHO Regional Office Addresses Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 virus with Regard to the Hajj and Umrah Pilgrimages

The World Health Organization (WHO) Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office (EMRO) posted on its pandemic (H1N1) influenza website Sund= ay, July 26, a situation report that provides important interim updates. They note t= hat one person has died and there have been 1,028 lab-confirmed H1N1 virus infections. The single lab-confirmed fatality was a 28 year-old woman from Egypt who died on July 19. Sh= e was reported previously in the media to have become ill while traveling to Saudi Arabia.

The section of this July 26 EMRO/WHO update that pertain specifically to the discussions recently in the media regarding public heal= th measures for persons making the Hajj and the minor pilgrimage, or Umrah, to Saudi Arabia is quoted below. The full update is available at: www.emro.who.int/csr/h1n1

“A special session of the Regional Committee of the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region on

pandemic (H1N1) 2009 was held on 22 July 2009 at WHO-EMRO Office, Cairo, Egypt. Twenty

one countries participated in this special session represented by 15 Ministers,= 4 Deputy Ministers

and 2 Directors. Following the technical discussions the Regional Committee approved a draft

resolution directed to the Member States and the Regi= onal Director in the form of

recommendations. Key recommendations included a call to Member States to adopt a= nd

implement the public health measures recommended for Hajj and Umrah by the international

consultative workshop held in Jeddah from 27 to 30 June 2009, and request Saudi Arabia to

translate the recommendations of the workshop into clear requirements for = the Hajj and Umrah

this year; and other requests the Regional Director to “Form a regional technical committee

comprising experts from the countries of the Region and the WHO Secretariat= to study and

update all information regarding the development of the pandemic and vi= ral change, and

establish appropriate criteria for measuring the severity of the infection= .”

“The workshop on “Influenza A (H1N1) Pande= mic Communication Strategies: Principles, Lessons Learnt and the Way Forward= 221; is scheduled to be held in Cairo from 29 to 30 July 2009. This workshop is being organized by the WHO’s Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean and will be participated by the communication focal points of Ministries of Health of Member States of WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region, WHO Country Offices and UNRWA.=

Updated behavioural interventions, communication strategies for public with regards to

Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 as well as risk communication strategies for religious mass gatherings

will be discussed and presented in the workshop”.

Additional further communications from the WHO and its Regional Office (EMRO) following this July 29-30 conference this week are awaited and will be posted here.

Daniel R. Lucey, MD, MPH

EROne Institutes, Department of Emergency Medicine

Washington= Hospital Center

Department of Microbiology and Immunology

Georgetown Univer= sity Medical Center, Washington, DC

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