With the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) virus showing no signs of abating, several nations have issued stark warnings and travel advisories for Muslims planning a Hajj pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia later this year.
Saudi health officials said the number of MERS cases almost doubled in April and since its discovery two years ago, over 400 people have contracted the virus with over 100 deaths.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed the first US case of MERS last week, an Indiana man who had recently returned from Saudi Arabia.
Saudi deputy health minister Ziad Memish said people above the age of 65, pregnant women, and children under the age of 12 should not travel for the annual pilgrimage in October, which attracts over two million inbound Muslims.
Some travel agents have begun restricting visas to pilgrims most at risk, which also include the elderly, diabetics and people with lung and respiratory diseases.
MERS has a fatality rate of around 30% and there is no vaccine or anti-viral treatment against it.
So far, Palestine, Egypt, Indonesia and Thailand have all urged nationals to postpone trips.
In Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim nation, fears have especially been heightened as the first two suspected MERS-related deaths were reported this week in the country.
There are also a further three Indonesians quarantined with the virus, according to health officials.
The government said it would "improve monitoring at Indonesian points of entry" for pilgrims currently returning from Umrah, or the ‘minor hajj’ which takes place throughout the year.
