Okaz/Saudi Gazette

MINA — Dr. Muhammad Al-Abdali, spokesman of the Ministry of Health, said that the ministry attaches great attention and high readiness to deal with cases of heat stress among the Hajj pilgrims. He emphasized that the risks of heat stress are high in light of the extreme hot temperatures during the current the Hajj season.

The spokesman said that the health situation of the pilgrims is so far reassuring. “We are dealing with any such cases quickly and we will provide affected pilgrims with the best protocol for treatment and protection. We hope that the sunstroke cases would be limited and at the lowest level,” he said.

The spokesman underlined the need for compliance on the part of pilgrims with taking all the necessary precautionary measures and having proper awareness of our instructions,” he said while speaking to Okaz/Saudi Gazette.

Dr. Al-Abdali drew attention to the warnings issued by the relevant authorities in this regard. “There are alerts and warnings issued by the National Center of Meteorology (NCM) and the Ministry of Health. We underscored the importance of pilgrims to have proper awareness with regard to taking the necessary precautionary measures, such as using umbrellas, drinking liquids and water in sufficient quantities, taking rest from time to time, and not being exposed to accumulated stress.”

With regard to epidemics and diseases that have recently broken out in some countries and the extent of the ministry’s preparations to deal with them, the spokesman said: “We had started monitoring, did follow-up work and took preventive measures well before the Hajj season in all entry ports,” he said.

Temperature on Arafat Day hit 48 degrees

Meanwhile, Hussein Al-Qahtani, spokesman of NCM, revealed that the Arafat Day witnessed the highest temperature at the holy sites, reaching 48 degrees Celsius in the shade, in addition to hot winds from north to northwest, with a speed of 34 km/h, and a low humidity of 14 percent.

Al-Qahtani asked the pilgrims to fully adhere to the instructions issued by the concerned authorities, especially the health authorities during the extreme hot climate. He urged them to be careful not to be exposed to direct sunlight in order to preserve their safety and ensure their comfort.