Global health leaders have praised Saudi Arabia’s management of the 2026 Hajj season after the pilgrimage concluded without any confirmed or suspected cases of epidemic disease, despite ongoing international health threats.

Saudi Health Minister Fahad bin Abdulrahman AlJalajel said the Kingdom’s efforts to protect pilgrims also contributed to wider global health security.

“Health security for the Hajj is global health security,” he said, noting that the protection of millions of pilgrims from around the world depended on prevention, preparedness, rapid response and international cooperation.

The World Health Organization’s Director-General, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, congratulated Saudi Arabia on delivering a safe pilgrimage and praised the work of the Kingdom’s healthcare teams.

Saudi authorities said the remarks reflected growing international confidence in the country’s ability to safely manage one of the world’s largest annual gatherings.

Dr. Hanan Balkhy, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, also commended Saudi Arabia’s use of advanced technology during the season, including robotics, drones and health-monitoring systems used to track pilgrims throughout their journey.

She said WHO teams monitored disease risks throughout the Hajj period and described the outcome as evidence of a strong system capable of handling the health risks linked to mass gatherings.

The praise followed the Ministry of Health’s announcement that the Hajj season passed without any epidemic outbreak, which resulted from one of the Kingdom’s largest-ever healthcare operations.

Authorities strengthened health entry requirements before the pilgrimage and expanded disease surveillance across ports and holy sites. Rapid-response teams, field epidemiology units and advanced laboratory systems were also activated throughout the season.

Multilingual awareness campaigns and heat-stress prevention initiatives were launched to support pilgrims during the summer pilgrimage period.

Saudi officials confirmed that no cases of Ebola, Hantavirus or any other epidemic disease were detected among pilgrims.

The Ministry of Health said the successful season highlighted Saudi Arabia’s growing leadership in mass gathering medicine and reaffirmed its commitment to protecting pilgrims and global public health.