Indonesian Hajj Cohorts and Mortality in Saudi Arabia from 2004 to 2011

Abstract

The Hajj is an annual pilgrimage that 1–2 million Muslims undertake in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), which is the largest mass gathering event in the world, as the world’s most populous Muslim nation, Indonesia holds the largest visa quota for the Hajj. All Hajj pilgrims under the quota system are registered in the Indonesian government’s Hajj surveillance database to ensure adherence to the KSA authorities’ health requirements. Performance of the Hajj and its rites are physically demanding, which may present health risks. This report provides a descriptive overview of mortality in Indonesian pilgrims from 2004 to 2011. The mortality rate from 2004 to 2011 ranged from 149 to 337 per 100,000 Hajj pilgrims, equivalent to the actual number of deaths ranging between 501 and 531 cases. The top two mortality causes were attributable to diseases of the circulatory and respiratory systems. Older pilgrims or pilgrims with comorbidities should be encouraged to take a less physically demanding route in the Hajj. All pilgrims should be educated on health risks and seek early health advice from the mobile medical teams provided.

Risk Factors for Respiratory Death Among Indonesian Pilgrims in 2018

“…The results showing a relationship between having a pre-existing respiratory disease and death in Indonesian pilgrims are in line with other studies (Pane et al, 2019;Rudini, 2016). The available data also indicated that the most common respiratory diseases found in pilgrims were COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), asthma, and pneumonia.…”

“…There are also several risk factors associated with Hajj in Saudi Arabia that can contribute to the severity of respiratory disease, such as a lack of rest and dehydration. Pilgrims with pre-existing respiratory diseases like asthma or COPD may experience asthma attacks or difficulty breathing, which if not dealt with immediately can cause respiratory failure and death (Ihaji, Gerald, Helen, & Ogwuche, 2014;Pane et al, 2019;Rahman, Thu, Arshad, & Van der Putten, 2017;Rudini, 2016).…”

“…The Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia is a once-in-a-lifetime obligation for all Muslims (Pane et al, 2019). In 2018 or 1439 H, the number of pilgrims from all over the world reached 2,371,675, with 203,351 of these pilgrims traveling from Indonesia (Ministry of Health RI, 2018).…”

Disease surveillance during a large religious mass gathering in India: The Prayagraj Kumbh 2019 experience

“…The surveillance system did not collect data from admitted patients in the central hospital for the indicator-based surveillance. This may have resulted in incomplete capture of cases and deaths and the observed low number of deaths compared to other MGs ( Khan et al, 2018 , Pane et al, 2019 ). However, any clustering of events was reported by physicians attending to indoor patients.…”

Perception and Response of Religious Leaders in Precaution Transmission of COVID-19 Through Handling and Burial of Dead Bodies in Indonesia

“…This program is due to the in uence of religious spiritual activity in the pattern of disease transmission and plays an essential role in public education in certain religious groups (Charzyńska, 2015;Hall, Meador, & Koenig, 2008). Several research results show that the opinions of ulama are taken into consideration in making decisions in the health sector such as Hajj and Umrah in Islamic religious groups with the spread of disease so that Hajj and Umrah pilgrims in Saudi Arabia are required to have certain vaccines to be allowed to carry out religious activities in that country (Ahmed, Arabi, & Memish, 2006;Memish, Stephens, Steffen, & Ahmed, 2012;Memish et al, 2014;Pane et al, 2019). In addition, a religious approach is also carried out for persuasive methods of behavior change in health problems such as HIV-AIDS (Cotton et al, 2006;Gray, 2004;Noden, Gomes, & Ferreira, 2010;Zou et al, 2009), mental health (Koenig, 2009;Moreira-Almeida, Neto, & Koenig, 2006), and nutrition (Persynaki, Karras, & Pichard, 2017;Trepanowski & Bloomer, 2010).…”