Hajj pilgrims go home

The Hajj pilgrims who were quarantined at Caura Chest Hospital after displaying symptoms of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) have been discharged and are now at their respective homes.

This was confirmed by a Health Ministry source today.

The four pilgrims, who had gone to Mecca for Hajj and spent 25 days there, returned home last Monday.

Before they began their journey the Hajj pilgrims were given a clean bill of health and were required to present their health cards to health officers and Immigration when they returned.

They were also required to report any symptoms relating to MERS which included fever, cough and symptoms of respiratory tract infection. Because many respiratory tract infections have similar symptoms, and considering the association of MERS with a history of travel to the Arabian Peninsula, standard protocols were applied in testing for the infection.

They were warded at the health facility on Friday where they underwent tests which showed up negative.