Hajj 2013: The Western Media Discourses

Respiratory Viruses and Bacteria among Pilgrims during the 2013 Hajj

Pilgrims returning from the Hajj might contribute to international spreading of respiratory pathogens. Nasal and throat swab specimens were obtained from 129 pilgrims in 2013 before they departed from France and before they left Saudi Arabia, and tested by PCR for respiratory viruses and bacteria. Overall, 21.5% and 38.8% of pre-Hajj and post-Hajj specimens, respectively, were positive for ≥1 v...

Enteric Infections Circulating during Hajj Seasons, 2011–2013

Hajj, the annual Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, is a unique mass gathering event that raises public health concerns in the host country and globally. Although gastroenteritis and diarrhea are common among Hajj pilgrims, the microbial etiologies of these infections are unknown. We collected 544 fecal samples from pilgrims with medically attended diarrheal illness from 40 countries dur...

Discourses on media portrayals of immigrants and the homeland

If they were to provide an equal flow of information and promote communication among people, the media might be seen as ideal facilitators of a living democracy. However, in today’s media-saturated society with increased access to different media (e.g., minority, transnational, national and local media), claims are being raised that democracy is under threat and that multicultural civil society...

Menstruation in news media: The impact of media discourses on the menstrual taboo in France

The Hajj

Mass gatherings can be hazardous. Hajj, the fifth pillar of Islam, is the largest annual mass gathering of humans, with more than 2 million people wearing specified garments, following prescribed religious rituals and fulfilling their religious obligations. There is a risk of communicable disease introduction, rapid amplification and, as pilgrims travel home, the potential spread into countries...