H1N1 and the hajj

NPR had a story about the pilgrimage to Mecca and the potential of an H1N1 outbreak. 2.5 million people will be in close quarters and they can only do so much screening as the pilgrims enter the country.

Ebrahim, in Saudi Arabia to consult with the country's health officials, says it is more difficult to restrict people's movements during a huge religious ceremony like hajj than it was in Mexico, when the first big wave of H1N1 appeared.

"What happened in Mexico City was to close churches, to prohibit or limit the number of people attending funerals or people going to restaurants. The entire hajj is against all those principles," he says.

In other words, churches and schools can be closed; the hajj can't.

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