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  Muslim pilgrims pray at the walls of the Kaaba as others circumambulate around the cubic building at the Grand Mosque in the Muslim holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, in  Oct. 11, 2013 file photo. (AP)

Umrah and Haj visas will not be issued to pilgrims from Liberia and Guinea due to the prevalence of Ebola hemorrhagic fever in the two African countries.

“Liberia and Guinea have been affected with this deadly virus, which has claimed several lives,” said one official from the Ministry of Health. “Authorities have therefore been advised not to issue Haj or Umrah visas to pilgrims from these two countries.”

“The World Health Organization (WHO), however, has not issued any travel advisory against these two countries,” he said.

“The Ministry of Health issues quarantine requirements to issue Saudi missions abroad through the Saudi Foreign Ministry.”

The outbreak of the viral hemorrhagic fever, which erupted in the West African country of Guinea, has claimed the lives of 59 people so far, with several others having fallen gravely ill. This type of fever is caused by the Ebola virus.

Officials with the World Health Organization (WHO) fear the outbreak may have spread to nearby Sierra Leone, where one fatality has been reported so far.

“There are seven suspected cases in Liberia,” he said. “Two patients have tested positive for the virus.”

Ebola is a severe and often fatal disease that affects and kills up to 90 percent of its victims. The virus manifests in five different types, four of which can lead to disease outbreaks among humans.

The virus is passed onto humans through close contact with animals carriers of the virus, including fruit bats, monkeys, gorillas and chimpanzees.

Disease carriers are highly contagious and pass the virus either through object contamination or close contact, in addition to bodily fluids or blood.

The incubation period for Ebola viral hemorrhagic fever is typically one week, during which the infected patient will suffer from an array of symptoms such as fever, chills, back pain, vomiting and diarrhea.

Infected individuals will develop a rash over their entire body as the virus progresses and will suffer from swelling around the eyes and genital area and bleeding from the mouth, nose, eyes, ears and rectum, followed by shock, coma and death in many cases.

A complete blood count test (CBC), coagulation studies or a liver function test is often used to confirm cases of Ebola.

The World Health Organization (WHO) is closely monitoring the situation and said that similar cases demonstrating like-kind symptoms such as fever, diarrhea, vomiting and bleeding have also been reported in nearby Sierra Leone.

While there is no cure for Ebola, there is medication available to help fight the virus.

Patients are often hospitalized and require intensive care both to save their lives and to prevent the spread of the deadly disease.

Source: ArabNews