Four pilgrims who had arrived in Saudi Arabia for the annual hajj pilgrimage which starts on Wednesday have died from influenza A (H1N1). The four pilgrims were from Morocco, Sudan, India and Nigeria. Sixteen other pilgrims are ill, of whom four are in a critical condition.

None of the fatalities had been inoculated against swine flu, which is known as Mexican flu in the Netherlands, in spite of appeals to do so by the Saudi government. Officially, people above the age of 65 are not allowed to take part in the hajj. However, three of the four people who died were 75 years of age.

Hundreds of thousands of Saudi citizens received flu shots at the start of the month. The authorities have installed cameras in the city of Jeddah, where most pilgrims arrive, which can detect whether people have a fever.

Around 15,000 doctors and nurses are available to treat potential patients and hundreds of extra beds have been made available at hospitals. A number of Muslim countries have taken measures to prevent the spread of the virus during the hajj. Iran and Tunisia, for instance, have banned their citizens from making the pilgrimage.

Mexican flu, swine flu, A(H1N1)
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