Dubai Health Authority to roll out Hajj awareness campaign

Campaign to take place across several Dubai government entities, 14 DHA primary healthcare centres etc.
 
United Arab Emirates, Dubai, September 3, 2013: The Primary Healthcare Sector of the Dubai Health Authority(DHA) will roll out a Hajj awareness campaign to educate pilgrims on the precautions they need to take before and during the Hajj pilgrimage.

The campaign will be launched on the 12th of September during the live DHA twitter clinic and will later be rolled out across all 14 DHA primary healthcare centres, several Dubai Government entities such as Dubai Customs, Dubai Tourism and Commerce Marketing as well as Dubai Diabetes Centres and Hatta Hospital.

Dr Ahmad bin Kalban, CEO of primary healthcare sector at the DHA said: “The aim of the campaign is to provide health information to pilgrims about the do's and don'ts when they undertake this pilgrimage. Simple precautions taken by pilgrims can protect their health and that's the message we want to advocate through this campaign.”

Kalban said that DHA will distribute several health education booklets during these campaigns so that pilgrims can avoid health risks.

He added that the DHA has stocked up all vaccines required for Hajj pilgrims across its health centres and traveller's clinic and is advising all pilgrims to ensure they obtain the necessary vaccines before they travel to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The DHA provides all the vaccines which are mandatory for Hajj pilgrims including: vaccines against meningitis and seasonal influenza, pneumonia vaccine for the elderly and people with chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart problems.
Dr Fatima Al Attar, Head of Preventive services at the DHA said that it is imperative for pilgrims to get vaccinated at least two weeks before they enter the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to perform the Hajj pilgrimage.

She also highlighted that because of the risk of certain respiratory diseases, the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Health has recommended that the following groups should postpone their plans for Hajj and Umrah this year: people over 65 years old, children under 12 years old, pregnant women, people with cancer or terminal illnesses, people with chronic diseases (such as heart disease, kidney disease, diabetes, or respiratory disease.)

She said that all pilgrims should follow basic personal hygiene to protect themselves from respiratory and other diseases. “ Behavioral interventions such as hand hygiene, cough etiquette, social distancing, using your own prayer mat and contact avoidance can be effective at mitigating health risks including respiratory illness among Hajj pilgrims.”

Al Attar also said that those pilgrims who develop cold, cough, or any other health problems- respiratory or otherwise- should seek timely medical intervention.

She said that most of the behavioural health tips are simple to follow and that education is key to ensure health safety.

The DHA will discuss Hajj health tips in detail during its live Twitter clinic which will take place on the 12thof September from 9:30 am to 11:30 am. If you have any specific query, do join the clinic and tweet your queries @DHA_Dubai.