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Experts urge pregnant women, elderly to skip hajj Published Date: July 01, 2009 RIYADH: International experts have recommended children, pregnant women, the elderly and those with chronic diseases stay away from the annual hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia to prevent catching swine flu. The recommendations come at the end of a four-day meeting in the western seaport city of Jiddah that examined Saudi measures to prevent the spread of swine flu during the Muslim pilgrimage in December. The workshop, which ended yesterday and included experts from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization, was meant to allay fears of a wide-scale transmission of the disease during hajj. he pilgrimage attracts about 3 million people every year to the holy cities of Mecca and Medina.
