UNMEER
Maouloud festival in Mali, January 2015
Health team staff member gives hand disinfectant to pilgrims entering the national stadium in Bamako, Mali.
The first 2 weeks of January 2015 were marked by large gatherings of people celebrating the Maouloud festival marking the birth and baptism of the prophet Muhammad. During Maouloud celebrations, it was estimated that more than 140,000 pilgrims would converge to different locations in Mali including stadiums and other locations such as mosques throughout the country. Many pilgrims came from neighboring African countries, including those affected by Ebola virus disease (EVD) such as Guinea.
Due to the foreseen high risk of transmission of EVD during these events, the Emergency Operations Centre (known by the French acronym COU) coordinated joint efforts to conduct prevention, screening, and awareness activities involving partners such as the Malian Red Cross, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the World Health Organisation (WHO), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), and the Ministry of Health. The preventive measures included mandatory hand washing and temperature checks. The surveillance system, in place at each site, did not detect any suspicious case.
9 January 2015
Photo: UNMEER/Pierre Peron
Maouloud festival in Mali, January 2015
Health team staff member gives hand disinfectant to pilgrims entering the national stadium in Bamako, Mali.
The first 2 weeks of January 2015 were marked by large gatherings of people celebrating the Maouloud festival marking the birth and baptism of the prophet Muhammad. During Maouloud celebrations, it was estimated that more than 140,000 pilgrims would converge to different locations in Mali including stadiums and other locations such as mosques throughout the country. Many pilgrims came from neighboring African countries, including those affected by Ebola virus disease (EVD) such as Guinea.
Due to the foreseen high risk of transmission of EVD during these events, the Emergency Operations Centre (known by the French acronym COU) coordinated joint efforts to conduct prevention, screening, and awareness activities involving partners such as the Malian Red Cross, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the World Health Organisation (WHO), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), and the Ministry of Health. The preventive measures included mandatory hand washing and temperature checks. The surveillance system, in place at each site, did not detect any suspicious case.
9 January 2015
Photo: UNMEER/Pierre Peron