Preparations for the forthcoming Haj will focus on security, safety and the control of infectious diseases in Makkah and Madinah, according to a senior official from the Ministry of Health.

Mohammed Khoshaim, deputy health minister for Planning and Development, who chaired the third meeting of the Haj preparatory committee, said that preparations for the upcoming season are being made in line with the vision of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah.

Health Minister Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah set up the Haj preparatory committees for Makkah and Madinah for the forthcoming season in December.

Other committee members who were present at the meeting included deputy ministers of health, undersecretaries and the directors-general of health in both Makkah and Madinah. The ministry treated some 1.25 million pilgrims in the two holy cities during the last Haj season. They included 4,015 inpatient pilgrims, 459 cardiac catheterization operations, 22 open-heart surgeries, 1,624 dialysis sessions and 106 endoscopy operations.

The meeting reviewed several topics on the agenda and discussed future plans for existing projects for this year’s pilgrimage and assessed the condition of medical apparatus to be used.

The Haj Central Department within the Ministry of Health will coordinate with the preparatory committee for arrangements this year.

The official explained that the functions of the committee would be subdivided into three sections for planning arrangements, preparatory work and supervision of the Haj health related issues.

The committee will also be responsible for taking preventive measures against contagious diseases and for drawing up a contingency plan for the Haj season in Makkah and Madinah.

The directors-general of the two regions will be directly in charge of local Haj arrangements under the overall supervision of the health minister.

The primary purpose of the committee will be to provide adequate manpower for health services and ensure that health facilities for pilgrims in hospitals, clinics and dispensaries are well maintained.

Every year, the ministry sends out a circular to the Foreign Ministry for dissemination to missions abroad spelling out the quarantine requirements for entry the Kingdom during Haj season.

Before announcing health requirements, the official said the Kingdom would carefully monitor developments that take place throughout the world, especially with regard to infectious diseases. He pointed out that the requirements in the new circular would be in line with the World Health Organization’s requirements for combating the spread of infectious diseases.

He added that the quarantine requirements would also prescribe some vaccines, considering the incidence of infectious diseases in the pilgrims' respective countries. Moreover, ships and aircraft carrying pilgrims should also produce a certificate that the carriers are free of mosquitoes.

Meningitis vaccines are compulsory for all pilgrims, but vaccines against yellow fever and cholera are advised according to the pilgrim’s country of origin. Yellow fever-endemic countries are Angola, Benin, Sudan, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic and many other African and South American countries.

Polio vaccines are also compulsory for pilgrims coming from African countries, as well as for those coming from Pakistan, India, Nepal and Afghanistan.

Oral polio vaccination is compulsory for pilgrims arriving from countries such as Uganda, Kenya, Benin, Angola, Togo, Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali, the Central African Republic, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Ethiopia. Upon arrival, pilgrims from these countries are given another oral dose of polio vaccine irrespective of their age.

Besides these vaccinations, the official said the pilgrims would be advised to take precautions against influenza to prevent a flu

attack during their stay in the Kingdom.

The flu vaccine is not mandatory, but desirable considering the changing weather conditions and the susceptibility of pilgrims to influenza.

He said that high-risk patients who have chronic ailments, such as diabetes, hypertension and renal diseases, would be advised to take the flu vaccine to facilitate performance of Haj and Umrah rituals.