WHO successfully concludes its mission to Saudi Arabia for the hajj (1438/2017): No major public health events reported
10 September 2017 – Upon the kind invitation of His Excellency the Minister of Health of Saudi Arabia, the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean deployed a team of experts headed by the WHO Representative in Saudi Arabia to oversee the public health preparedness for hajj 2017 (1438 H). The team comprised of epidemiologist and expert in disease control and was deployed to Mina and Arafat from 27 August to 4 September 2017 where nearly 2.4 million pilgrims assembled to perform hajj this year.
The WHO team worked collaboratively with the Ministry of Health of Saudi Arabia to ensure that the public health preparedness, readiness and mitigation measures for early detection and rapid response to any health threats amongst the pilgrims remain effective, responsive and appropriate for such mass gatherings settings.