Iran may ban Mecca pilgrimages over flu scare

"The umrah during Ramadan will either be very restricted or even cancelled if necessary," Kamran Bagheri Lankarani told the ILNA news agency about the Muslim fasting month which begins around August 22.  

 As well as the annual hajj, which all Muslims are required to make once in a lifetime if they have the means, the faithful can also make a lesser pilgrimage or umrah to the holy sites in Saudi Arabia at any time of year.

Hundreds of thousands of Iranians make the pilgrimage every year.

Iran reported its first swine flu case in June and the number of those infected has now risen to 61, Lankarani said.

Upwards of two million people are expected in Saudi Arabia over the next five months on pilgrimages to the Muslim holy cities of Mecca and Medina, AFP reported.