Skip to content
Entertainment
Link copied to clipboard

Islamic face coverings might be saving women from respiratory disease

The Middle East is experiencing an outbreak of a respiratory illness appropriately, if uncreatively, dubbed Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS).

The Middle East is experiencing an outbreak of a respiratory illness appropriately, if uncreatively, dubbed Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). Now, when we say "the Middle East" we mostly mean Middle Eastern men. They've made up 74% of cases reported so far in this outbreak. Why aren't women getting sick as much? It could be the way they dress.

Saudi Arabia has some of the most stringent interpretations of Islamic laws governing the dress and behavior of its citizens and the covering of the mouth and nose by the niqab may have decreased the likelihood of airborne transmission of the respiratory-borne disease. I suspect that the wearing the niqab may also decrease the amount of contact between contaminated fingers and the mucosal membranes of the face. Additionally, the prohibition of casual contact between unrelated sexes and the social seclusion of women through the enforcement of purdah may have resulted in an asymmetrical transmission effect, in which only men were exposed and women were unintentionally "barred" from exposure.

…This NEJM report on a MERS outbreak in Saudi Arabia offers a striking and fascinating insight into how religion and culture mediate our response to infectious diseases, whether enhancing or diminishing our susceptibility to infection. Right now in the Middle East, the widespread usage of the niqab and the enforcement of purdah – the segregation of sexes – may be inadvertently emphasizing a crucial aspect of infection control: contact precautions and containment. Perhaps we should view wearing the hijab, niqab and burkas as offering an unusual form of protection from biological hazards? [Body Horrors]