The Ministry of Health reminded pilgrims of health precautions they are required to take before entering the Kingdom to perform Hajj.
Those pilgrims coming from countries affected by Yellow Fever should be vaccinated against the disease and bring a certificate of proof, thus fulfilling conditions specified by the World Health Organization. The following are such countries: Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bassao, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Somalia, Sudan, Togo, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia and Sierra Leone.
Pilgrims coming from Bolivia, Guyana, Brazil, Columbia, Panama, Peru, Surinam and Venezuela should obtain the same vaccination, said a report published by ‘Al-Madina’ Arabic newspaper yesterday. “If they do not carry vaccination certificates at the time of entry into the Kingdom, they will be quarantined, vaccinated and put under observation for six days,” the report quoted from a statement by the Ministry of Health.
Aircraft and other means of transportation carrying pilgrims from these countries should ensure that they are fumigated and made free from insects and mosquitoes. Foreign pilgrims and those working at Hajj locations should have vaccinations against meningitis no less than 10 days, or more than three years, before they leave their countries. They should carry certificates of proof. Domestic pilgrims should also be vaccinated against meningitis. Pilgrims are also advised to take precautions against influenza.
Brig. Mansour Sultan Al- Turki, Director of Pilgrim Affairs at Public Security, said that all bus owners who intend to rent their buses to the General Car Syndicate or domestic pilgrim establishments to carry pilgrims should register their names with the traffic department and bring the vehicles to check that they are in good condition. Their drivers should also be well acquainted with traffic regulations.
Source: SPA
