RIYADH, 21 August - The Ministry of Health has issued an international alert that pilgrims who will be performing the upcoming Haj should be vaccinated against WC5 type of meningitis, which is now spreading in Africa in a virulent form.
This was disclosed to Arab News by Dr. Amin Mishkhes, director of infectious diseases at the Ministry of Health. He said the past focus on vaccination against meningitis type A or C and other common strains had led to neglect of vaccination against WC5, whose outbreak needs to be controlled. This type of meningitis is endemic to Africa, which sends a large number of pilgrims every year to Saudi Arabia.
In this context, Dr. Mishkhes said an international group on meningococcal meningitis would be coordinating its activities, with assistance from the World Health Organization in Geneva.
The coordinating team was set up following the outbreak of meningitis in Africa between 1995 and 1996, which affected several hundred thousands in that continent. The aim of this multinational group initially was to extend technical and financial support to the African countries affected by meningitis infection. However, in view of the outbreak of the WC5 infection, WHO's office for the Eastern Mediterranean region, including the Kingdom, would be addressing this issue at a meeting to be held in Burkina Faso from Sept. 23 to 26.
Dr. Mishkhes will be attending the meeting as the Kingdom's delegate. "In previous such meetings we had issued an advisory that there should be a changeover from Quadrivalent meningitis vaccine administered against Type A or C to a new vaccine to immunize the pilgrims against WC5. Further, we advised the manufacturers to step up the production of this vaccine to combat WC5 and the previous strains."
Dr. Mishkhes said that for the first time they had noticed the growing spread of the WC5 type , which had hitherto been excluded from the program for conventional vaccination against the Types A and C.
Asked about the report that a group of Singapore Muslims had been infected with a bacteria linked to meningitis after they returned from last year's Haj, the official said the reason was that the pilgrims were not following the instructions issued by their ministry.
"All pilgrims who have been vaccinated against meningitis before traveling to Saudi Arabia should also be given antibiotics against meningococcal meningitis. Failure to do so leaves the pilgrims vulnerable to infection when they are in a crowded situation," he added.
