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

Date

2019-03-27

Authors

Pane, Masdalina
Yin Mei Kong, Fiona
Purnama, Tri Bayu
Glass, Kathryn
Imari, Sholah
Samaan, Gina
Oshitani, Hitoshi

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

Elsevier Ltd

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.

Description

Keywords

Mass gathering, cohort study, pilgrim

Citation

Source

Journal of Epidemiology and Global Health

Type

Journal article

Book Title

Entity type

Access Statement

Open Access

License Rights

Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) license

Restricted until