The Saudi Health Ministry on Thursday continued to issue warnings to pilgrims to adhere to safety precautions and stay out of the sun and drink plenty of water while performing their Hajj rituals in order to avoid the risk of heat stress and heat stroke.
The Ministry urged pilgrims to “use umbrellas, drink sufficient amounts of water and fluids, avoid exhausting themselves with unnecessarily excessive movement and avoid standing in lines for long periods while visiting the holy sites, to avoid the risk of heat stress and heatstroke”.
The Ministry said the heat stress centers in the hospitals of Makkah and the Holy Site have received around 1,700 heat stress and sunstroke cases on Thursday alone.
“The number of heat stress cases since the beginning of this day has reached 1,721,” the Saudi health ministry said, adding that this year, Hajj season is witnessing a significant rise in temperatures.
Also, health authorities said Saudi medical teams have handled over 6,500 cases of heat and sunstrokes among Muslim pilgrims during the current Hajj pilgrimage.
Heat exhaustion is a heat-related illness that can occur after a person has been exposed to high temperatures and is often accompanied by dehydration.
The symptoms vary and can include headache, fainting, dizziness, weakness, intense thirst, profuse sweating and an elevated temperature.
Without intervention, heat exhaustion can lead to a heatstroke, which may damage the brain and other vital organs, and even cause death, the Saudi Health Ministry spokesperson had warned earlier.
He advised pilgrims to use umbrellas, drink plenty of fluids, avoid physical exertion, and follow health guidelines.
