MEDICAL TEAM SCREENS ARRIVING HAJJ PILGRIMS

This year’s pilgrimage to Mecca by Muslims took place amidst great fear around the world over the Middle East virus, a deadly virus that infected a number of pilgrims visiting Saudi Arabia. As the first batch of Ghanaian pilgrims arrive in the country, medical research team from Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Ngouchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research and Port Health are keeping a keen eye on them. Due to this, a medical screening and samples were taken from the first 319 pilgrims who arrived last night. The medical team comprising of bio-chemist from the above mentioned medical institutes are stationed at the Hajj village in Accra to make sure every individual is screened. Collected swabs from the mouths and noses of pilgrims by the team will be sent to the Ngouchi medical institute at the University of Ghana for scrutiny. The reports will be ready in 10 days. Although most of the people arrived with coughs, the medical reports whether or not one has contracted the corona virus (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome). Hajj is an Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca and the largest gathering of Muslim people in the world every year. It is one of the five pillars of Islam, and a religious duty which must be carried out by every able-bodied Muslim who can afford to do so at least once in his or her lifetime.