A strong warning has been issued to British Hajj Pilgrims by a team of senior doctors from Association of British Hujjaj (Pilgrims) UK (ABH), a National charity, that they must get Meningitis (ACWY vac) to protect themselves and their families before leaving for Hajj Pilgrimage this year.
Over 25,000 British Hajj Pilgrims will join about 3 million Pilgrims from all over the world to perform Hajj Pilgrimage in the last week of October 2012 in Makkah, Saudi Arabia which will include Pilgrims from countries in the traditional African Meningitis belt. Meningitis vaccination is a mandatory legal requirement by the Saudi authorities to issue them entry visa for Saudi Arabia.
The Pilgrims are at risk of Meningitis infection due to the crowded conditions at ceremonies, accommodation, sites and public transport. Meningitis is a real and serious disease which is transmitted through direct person-to-person contact with droplets of nasal or throat secretions of infected individuals.
“Close and prolonged contact (e.g. sneezing and coughing on someone, etc.) facilitates the spread of the infection. The most common symptoms are stiff neck, high fever, and sensitivity to light, confusion, headaches and vomiting”, said the senior doctors of ABH.
Over 20 innocent human lives of British Hajj Pilgrims have been tragically lost in the recent past as a result of the outbreak of Meningitis during Hajj Pilgrimage which has caused great amount of grief and distress to the community in the UK. Association of British Hujjaj (Pilgrims) UK, which is working for the welfare and wellbeing of British Hajj Pilgrims is setting up a special Meningitis vaccination clinic at its Annual Hajj Conference event on 22nd September 2012 in Birmingham where senior doctors will administer the vaccination to the prospective Hajj Pilgrims.
