RIYADH, 11 November — Saudi Arabia has imposed tighter health conditions on pilgrims, especially those from some African countries where incidence of various contagious diseases has been reported recently.
Authorities in these countries have been asked to ensure that aircraft flying in pilgrims are fumigated before landing in the Kingdom.
The Ministry of Health is gearing itself to monitor all entry points into the Kingdom, where facilities will be set up to provide first aid and vaccinations.
They will also monitor cases of infectious diseases. All incoming and outgoing mails will be thoroughly checked to prevent possible attempts to spread anthrax germs.
In the wake of the recent anthrax scare throughout the world, the Directorate of Posts is concerned about the handling of the large quantity of mail during the Haj.
The postal employees across the Kingdom are taking precautions after a number of hoaxes recently caused great concern among the public.
The pilgrims suffering from infectious diseases will be isolated and treated as per international regulations, but they will be allowed to perform the pilgrimage if they meet the health conditions.
The pilgrims will not be allowed to carry with them any food items.
The pilgrims from several countries have to present vaccination certificates against yellow fever, a statement released by the ministry said yesterday.
These countries include Angola, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Benin, Chad, Congo, Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone, Zambia, Tanzania, Uganda, Togo, Sudan, Somalia, Senegal, Rwanda, Nigeria, Niger, Mali, Liberia, Kenya, Ghana and a few more countries from Africa.
The ministry also identified Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Honduras, Panama, Peru and Venezuela as countries where yellow fever has been detected. The pilgrims from these countries will be required to produce vaccination certificates against yellow fever.
This is in addition to the vaccination against meningitis, which has been made mandatory for all pilgrims including those within the Kingdom.
"Every pilgrim will have to present a valid certificate showing the he/she was vaccinated against meningitis within 10 days before the date of his/her departure to Saudi Arabia," said the statement.
It said that the ministry has made elaborate arrangements to educate pilgrims in this regard.
The ministry will distribute among the pilgrims brochures and videos to create awareness about the health requirements.
The health education kits have also been sent to the Saudi missions abroad for distribution among prospective pilgrims.
