Great News: Health Ministry declares Haj 2014 free of Ebola, MERS

Health Minister Adel Fakeih has declared this year's Haj epidemic-free as he announced that 70 people who were considered as possibly having MERS have all tested negative of the coronavirus.
"I am pleased to announce the Haj was free of all epidemic diseases," Fakeih told reporters in Mina as pilgrims performed the last rituals of the Haj and began leaving the holy sites.
About two million Muslims from 163 countries have performed Haj this year. The Haj drew a cross-section of humanity, from presidents to commoners, including a wounded Syrian rebel war veteran.
The health ministry employed thousands of health workers to make sure pilgrims were protected from two deadly viruses, Ebola and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) coronavirus.
Passengers were monitored by thermal cameras that detect high body temperature, and 15 isolation rooms were set up to hold any suspicious cases at the airport in the city of Jeddah.
Saudi Arabia is the country hardest hit by MERS, which has killed 322 people in the kingdom since it first appeared in September 2012.
Because of the Ebola epidemic that has killed more than 3,000 people in West Africa, pilgrims from the hardest-hit countries of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone were not allowed to perform Haj this year.