As one of the world’s greatest yearly religious gatherings came to an end, 4,082 pilgrims were admitted to hospitals and medical centres, according to authorities.
Heat exhaustion and sunstroke were the common health triggers during the pilgrimage. Some pilgrims had open-heart surgeries, cardiac catheterisations, and kidney dialysis procedures.
The Ministry of Health conducted 24 open-heart surgeries, 249 cardiac catheterisations, and 1,006 kidney dialysis procedures. Specialised clinics, pharmacies, intensive care units, and isolation units were also provided by the authorities for the pilgrims.
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During the pilgrimage, authorities from multiple countries said at least 22 people had died, many of them from “extreme heat”, highlighting the acute physical toll of the annual rites which in recent years have fallen during summer in Saudi.
During last year’s Haj, at least 240 people died, according to figures announced by various countries which also did not specify causes of death.
Temperatures reached 51.8℃ on Monday, June 17, at Mecca’s Grand Mosque, where pilgrims were circling the Kaaba, the large black cubic structure towards which all Muslims pray.
The number of cases of heat exhaustion and sunstroke reached 2,764 cases in one day alone, according to authorities. Last year, more than 2,000 pilgrims suffered heat stress during the Haj pilgrimage after temperatures soared to 48℃ during the annual rites.
More than 10,000 heat-related illnesses were recorded last year, 10 percent of them being heat stroke, according to a Saudi official.