This year's Hajj pilgrimage is going to have a much smaller turnout in Mecca since many of the people from the West African countries most affected by the Ebola outbreak are Islamic and are not permitted to attend.
Today marks the start of the five-day annual Islamic hajj pilgrimage to Mecca. The Saudi Arabian city is the center of the Islamic religion - Prophet Muhammad was born in Mecca and founded the religion there. The pilgrimage to Mecca is a mandatory religious duty for Muslims that must be made at least once in their life time.
However, in efforts to keep the Ebola virus from spreading Saudi Arabia banned Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea from obtaining visas to come into the country earlier this year, and the ban is continuing to stand, reports The Associated Press.
The precautions appear to be effective, as Manal Mansour, the head of Saudi Health Ministry's department for prevention of infectious diseases, reportedly says the country has not encountered a single reported case of the Ebola virus.
Saudi Arabia is also putting other safety measures in place for the hajj pilgrimage such as having officials monitor incoming planes (mostly from places that had reported cases of Ebola) and by bringing in 24 isolation units and other emergency health facilities in case an outbreak does occur, reports The Guardian.
