Indonesian Health Ministry warns Hajj pilgrims against ‘selfies with camels’ to avoid MERS

Indonesia’s Health Ministry is warning Indonesians going on the Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia to avoid close contact with animals in the country, particularly camels, over concerns that Indonesians intrigued by the desert-dwelling animals may put themselves at risk of highly infectious diseases.

“Please do not interact with animals in Saudi Arabia, especially camels. Do not take selfies with camels; take selfies with objects that are far more beautiful than camels because right now there are many sick camels. We don’t want their virus brought into Indonesia,” said Health Minister Nila F Moeloek during the sending off of the first batch of Hajj pilgrims from Indonesia today, as quoted by Detik.

Minister Moeloek was referring to the MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome) virus, which has killed 680 people throughout Saudi Arabia since June 2012. According to the latest report about the outbreak of the virus in the region, 13 patients were hospitalized in late June, while a woman died from the virus after having been indirectly infected by a camel.

MERS was first identified in Saudi Arabia in 2012. The kingdom accounts for approximately 80% of reported human cases. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), while the MERS virus is generally spread between humans, there is evidence that dromedary camels are a major reservoir host of the virus and are an animal source of the infection for humans.

A MERS infection may lead to severe acute respiratory disease and even death. Approximately 35% of patients infected with MERS worldwide have died.

There hasn’t been a single MERS case in Indonesia, though it has been reported in its close neighbor Malaysia.

According to the Indonesian government, 221,000 Indonesians are set to embark on the Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, which is going on from August 30 – September 4 this year.



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