为了防止H1N1流感的传播，阿拉伯国家的卫生部长们同意，对今年的麦加朝圣活动加以限制。
十多个国家的卫生部长星期三在开罗举行会议。会后他们同意，禁止65岁以上老人、12岁以下儿童和患有慢性病的人前往沙特阿拉伯的麦加参加朝圣活动。
沙特阿拉伯首先建议对每年一度的朝圣加以限制。此前，沙特出现了数例甲型H1N1流感病例。沙特阿拉伯卫生大臣表示，沙特政府正在增加流感疫苗的库存，以应对可能爆发的流感。
参加星期三会议的世界卫生组织官员说，限制人们参加朝圣的决定必须得到各国政府的批准。
世界卫生组织表示，从4月份甲型H1N1流感爆发到这个星期二，全世界因感染这种流感而死亡的人数已经超过了700人。
Arab health ministers have agreed to impose restrictions on this year’s Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca in a bid to prevent the spread of the H1N1 swine flu.
After meeting in Cairo Wednesday, more than a dozen ministers agreed to forbid those over the age of 65, people under the age of 12 and those with chronic illnesses from taking part in the Hajj in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia first recommended restricting participation in the annual pilgrimage, after a number of flu cases were reported in the kingdom. The country’s health minister (Abdullah al-Rabeeah) says the government is increasing the number of flu shots on hand to help control a possible outbreak.
World Health Organization officials, who also attended Wednesday’s meeting, say the decision must be ratified by the health ministers’ governments.
As of Tuesday, the WHO said the swine flu virus had killed more than 700 people across the world since emerging in April.