A move by Saudi Arabia to replace its health minister amid a rising toll of cases of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, Mers, is a welcome sign that Riyadh is taking the dangers of this disease seriously.
Mers has so far killed 93 people worldwide, the vast majority of the victims, 81, being in Saudi Arabia. With emergency units in a Saudi hospital shutting down and medical staff refusing to work, signs of panic were beginning to emerge.
There had been murmurs in the international community that the Saudi authorities may not have fully appreciated the gravity of the matter.
The minister’s replacement is likely an attempt to dispel such notions and eliminate any doubt on the kingdom’s credibility in dealing with the matter.
Saudi Arabia should be reminded that it sits at a global crossroads that places on its shoulders a global responsibility. Being the home of Islam’s holiest sites, it attracts millions of pilgrims from all corners of the world.
The recently revealed case of Mers in Malaysia was diagnosed in a person who had just returned from pilgrimage. This means that the disease may have spread to the holy city of Makkah, which poses a danger not just to Saudi Arabia and the region, but any country that sends pilgrims there.
The region being an epicentre of a major global disease is unprecedented in recent history. If regional governments do not have the necessary experience or appropriate action plans in case of an outbreak, they should not hesitate to seek help from abroad.
We live in a globalised era where such problems can no longer be confined to our borders. The responsibility for solving such problems is therefore also a global one.
Transparency is key. While governments’ economic considerations and their attempts to prevent mass panic must be appreciated, it is the citizens’ right to know the level of danger they face. This will allow the public to take the kind of precautions that will prevent the disease from spreading.
