Danger of Ebola as haj pilgrims kept in dark

Jakarta, NU Online
Around 170,000 Indonesians are set to fly to Saudi Arabia for the annual haj pilgrim in the coming weeks, but few are aware of the lurking danger of the Ebola virus, following the deaths of at least 1,500 people in western Africa over the past six months.<>

While Indonesia is fully geared up to handle the virus with isolation facilities established in around 100 hospitals nationwide, the country’s preventive measures against the virus have been questioned.

Indonesian Haj and Umrah Tour and Travel Union (Kesthuri) and Nahdlatul Ulama’s Haj and the Umrah Counselors Association (Asbihu-NU) said recently that they had received no information from the health authorities on precautionary measures against the virus.

“Travel associations were invited by the authorities for a meeting following the outbreak of MERS-CoV [Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus] earlier this year. But until now, we’ve heard nothing from them in regard to an awareness campaign on Ebola,” said Kesthuri deputy chairman Artha Hanif.

The first batch of Indonesia’s haj pilgrims is slated to depart for Saudi Arabia on Sept. 1, and will return in the first week of October.

Aunur Rafiq, a haj counselor from Jakarta-based haj and umrah (minor pilgrimage) travel company PT Gema Shafa Marwa said many of his clients were worried about the possibility of being infected with Ebola during their pilgrimage.

“In our recent manasik [haj rehearsal], many of our clients raised questions about the Ebola outbreak. Since there is no guidance from the government, we could only answer their questions based on our general knowledge of the disease,” he was quoted by The Jakarta Post as saying.

Amid the lack of transparency in Saudi Arabia, the kingdom has insisted that it is free from Ebola, which has a fatality rate of 90 percent, higher than that of MERS-CoV, which is 60 percent.

Every year about 3 million Muslims worldwide perform the Haj in Saudi Arabia, which is still dealing with the MERS-CoV outbreak.

In response to the Ebola outbreak, Saudi Arabia has blocked any haj or umrah visas for anyone traveling from the West African countries of Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia.

Asbihu-NU deputy chairman Hafidz Taftazani Hafidz said the lack of official information about Ebola left many haj counselors having to research the virus on the Internet. “Fortunately, the procedures for handling MERS-CoV and Ebola cases are quite similar. I believe it won’t be a problem for the on-duty haj counselors,” Hafidz said.

Those infected by Ebola exhibit symptoms of sudden fever, intense weakness, muscle pain, headaches and a sore throat. The disease is highly infectious and can be transmitted through physical contact with body fluids such as blood, saliva, urine, sweat and semen.

The Health Ministry’s acting chief of disease control and environmental health, Agus Purwadianto, denied the government’s response to the Ebola outbreak was slow and poorly coordinated.

Agus said Indonesia had followed all recommendations set out by the World Health Organization regarding the Ebola outbreak, particularly by increasing surveillance at the country’s points of entry and exit.

“Both [MERS-CoV and Ebola] viruses can also be easily killed with soap. Therefore, we are able to protect ourselves from these viruses by implementing general health precautions,” he said.

Agus, however, acknowledged that the authorities were prioritizing the prevention of MERS-CoV more than Ebola.

“For now, we still see MERS-CoV as a bigger threat to Indonesia since it can spread through airborne transmission, and many of our citizens will soon perform the haj pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia [where MERS-CoV cases have been found],” he said.

How to handle Ebola patients

* A patient suspected of having contracted the Ebola virus must be treated in a special isolation unit. A specially designed ambulance is required to transport the suspect and avoid virus transmission.

* A blood test in a highly secure biological laboratory must be taken within 24 hours to confirm the status of those suspected of having Ebola.

* People entering the patient room should wear gloves, fluid-resistant gowns, eye protection and face masks at the very least.

* Since there is no proven cure for Ebola, patients require intensive care, including the provision of intravenous fluids and maintenance of blood pressure, to increase the chance of survival.

* Only trained personnel wearing protective equipment should touch or move any Ebola-infected remains.

* Autopsies on patients who die of Ebola should be avoided.

* The remains should be cremated or buried promptly in a hermetically sealed casket.

Editing by Sudarto Murtaufiq