Tuesday, November 24, 2009 MAKKAH: About 2.5 million Muslims are converging on Mecca this week to take part in the annual Hajj. This year many pilgrims are adding extra step to their preparations - getting the H1N1 vaccine. Soad, a well-educated women in her 50s from Cairo, has made the Hajj several times before.As usual getting ready for the trip, one of the five pillars of Islam, involved arranging visas, finding a travel agency and packing special clothes. But this year there was an added task, a trip to the doctor to get vaccinated against the so-called Swine Flu.The idea of millions of people from all over the world standing shoulder to shoulder, sharing germs as well as spirituality, has health officials alarmed. Saudi authorities say that because it is a religious event, they are not banning anyone from taking part. But they have urged other countries to follow precautions, such as age restrictions and vaccinations, to slow the spread of the disease.Soad, who prefers not to giv...
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