Ministry Warns People of Possible Virus from Hajj Pilgrims
19 September 2016 10:50 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Makassar - Muhammad Subuh, Director General of Disease Prevention and Control at the Health Ministry warned people to be cautious of dangerous viruses potentially brought back to the country by hajj pilgrims coming home from Saudi Arabia.
"There are three types of viruses that are easily transmitted from hajj pilgrims" Subuh said on Sunday, September 18, 2016.
Subuh added that hajj pilgrims are prone to the mers corona virus, yellow fever virus and zika virus, although there is still no report of the latter in Saudi Arabia.
"We still need to be cautious because the Indonesian pilgrims might have mingled with pilgrims from other countries," Subuh said.
Subuh and a medical team from the Port Health Agency at the Sultan Hasanuddin International Airport have installed a thermal scanner at the entrance door of a hall that will be used as temporary checkpoint for hajj pilgrims.
The thermal scanners have also been installed in 15 international airports and five connecting airports across Indonesia.
ABDUL RAHMAN (Makassar)
