INDONESIAN GOVERNMENT CAUTIONS HAJJ PILGRIMS ABOUT MERS by Fardah

   Jakarta, June 28, 2015 (Antara) - No MERS cases have been recorded in Indonesia so far, but the government have taken precautions against the disease ahead of the Hajj pilgrimage season to prevent any of its citizens from catching the infection.   
    A pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, known as the Hajj, is one of the Five Pillars of Islam. Every Muslim must make at least once in their lifetime if they are able and can afford it.
    Precautions are crucial because Indonesia always sends the largest number of Hajj pilgrims, reaching up to more than 200 thousand annually, to Saudi Arabia, where the vast majority of MERS cases have so far occurred.

         Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) is a viral respiratory disease caused by a coronavirus (MERS-CoV) that was first identified in Saudi Arabia in 2012.

         Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that can cause diseases ranging from the common cold to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), the World Health Organization (WHO) said on its website.

         According to WHO,  25 countries have reported cases of MERS, including  Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Yemen , Austria, France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom,  Algeria, Tunisia,  Egypt,  China, South Korea, and the United States of America.

         As the Hajj Pilgrimage is nearing, Indonesian Vice President M. Jusuf Kalla has suggested that likely Indonesian Hajj pilgrims should get vaccinated against the MERS-CoV before leaving for Saudi Arabia.

         "Before departing, they should get the vaccination first. Once they reach Saudi, they should not get too close to camels," Kalla said in Jakarta, on June 26, 2015.

         Earlier, Indonesian Health Minister Nila F. Moeloek had urged would-be Hajj pilgrims to have medical check-ups and to prepare themselves against the MERS virus.

         "Every would-be Hajj pilgrim must take care of his or her health from the beginning," Moeloek emphasized.

         Moreover, President Joko Widodo recently chaired a limited cabinet meeting to discuss efforts to prevent MERS from affecting Indonesia. The meeting was attended by Minister Moeloek and the religious affairs minister.

         "We have to realize that in general, our Hajj pilgrims are old and categorically at high risk. Therefore, we remind them to take care of their health, to use face masks and to be hygienic," the health minister noted.

         The Indonesian government has urged people who plan to perform Hajj or Umrah (minor Hajj) pilgrimage to Mecca to carry out clean and healthy lifestyle by eating nutritious food, having adequate rest, washing hands with soap, and using  face mask when being in a crowd.

         For prospective pilgrims who have chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart, lung, kidney disorders or other diseases need to have medical check-up before departure and take regular medication.

         Concerning MERS cases in South Korea, the government has issued a travel advice for Indonesians traveling to or those who are in South Korea.

         "We have already issued a travel advice," Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno L.P. Marsudi said on June 8, 2015.

         The Indonesian Embassy in Seoul, South Korea, urged Indonesians visiting the country to be wary of the transmission of the MERS virus with regard to some suggestions issued by the Ministry of Health of South Korea.

         South Korea's health ministry said on June 26, 2015, the total fatality due to MERS-CoV reached 31, and the total number of cases increases to 181 in an outbreak that is the largest outside Saudi Arabia.

         In the meantime,  Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu and Health Minister Nila F. Moeloek signed a cooperation agreement to prevent the outbreak of infectious diseases such as Ebola and MERS virus.

         The cooperation includes certification of health facilities and infrastructure to develop an integrated health information system and to promote scientific research and development to improve the public's health, Minister Ryacudu stated after signing the cooperation agreement recently.

         "The agreement will also help to strengthen the detection and response capacity to chemical, biological, radiation, nuclear, and explosive hazards in the health field for boosting the state's defense system," he added.

         The cooperation is a step forward to create synergy between the two ministries in strengthening the state's defense system in the health field.

         The outbreaks of Ebola in Africa and MERS-CoV are a cause of concern for the global community.

         Therefore, Indonesia should stay on alert for such infectious diseases because every fatal disease could sooner or later affect national resilience, according to Ryacudu. 
    The defense minister and the Indonesian Defense Forces (TNI) have the required facilities, infrastructure, equipment, and human resources to deal with non-military threats in the health field.

         Minister Moeloek affirmed that the cooperation agreement is strategic in improving the public's health.

         Maintaining good health is everyone's responsibility, and therefore, it needs the support of every stakeholder, including from the defense ministry, she added.

         "I hope this cooperation agreement can be implemented well and can be useful for the public, including the TNI soldiers who can avail quality medical services," she stated.

         Regionally, all ASEAN member states have been strengthening their preparedness, prevention, detection, information sharing and response mechanisms which were tested during the time of SARS until the threat of Ebola.

         "ASEAN is concerned about the widening spread of MERS," said Le Luong Minh, Secretary-General of ASEAN, in a statement issued by the Jakarta-based ASEAN Secretariat, recently.

         "ASEAN is taking initiatives on preparedness in responding to the MERS coronavirus (MERS CoV) disease," he added. ***4***
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