The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Institute for Hajj and Umrah Research represented by the Environmental and Health Department will study suspended dust concentration and its impact on respiratory diseases and pilgrims health during this year's Hajj season 1437 H, in collaboration with the College of Medicine in the University.
The Head of the Environmental and Health Research Department, Dr. Turki bin Mohamed Habibullah said the study is aimed at identifying the impact of fine dust resulting from climate changes on the health of pilgrims and finding a relation between change in suspended dust concentrations and spread of respiratory diseases such as chest allergy and asthma amongst pilgrims in Makkah. He explained that air pollution is the availability of harmful substances in the air from natural or man-made sources.
He added that dust is the soft dirt suspended in the air and might cause respiratory system diseases such as allergy and infections besides skin diseases and infection of eyes and the allergic nose and in some cases it might increase the risk of blood clots.
He went on to add that during this season the concentrations of the suspended substances (PM10 & PM2.5) will be registered in the stations affiliated to the Institute in Makkah and the previous data about the respiratory diseases (chest allergy and asthma) for the years from 1425-1436 H will be reviewed and compared with the results of this year in which the reference of the respiratory diseases will be identified for a sample of pilgrims with respiratory diseases. Additionally, he said their demographic characteristic including sex, age, chronic diseases and places of infection will be monitored, besides the hospitals' locations and the number of deaths and registered cases, etc.
After that the data will be analyzed, calculated and modeled using Air-Q 2.3 program approved by the World Health Organization.
At the conclusion Dr. Habibullah said that the study carried out by the main researcher in the department Dr. Omer Bashir Ahmed with the participation of a large number of researchers from the institute and college of medicine faculty members in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and participation of a large number of students of the college of medicine who are providing services for pilgrims as assistants in data collection and analysis.