The Ministry of Health has confirmed the importance of adhering to the health requirements that shall be available in performers of Umrah and Hajj for the current year 2014. It circulated the requirements to Saudi Embassies and missions abroad to be acted upon these requirements when granting visas for this year's Umrah and Hajj performers. Undersecretary of the Ministry for Public Health, Dr. Ziad Memish, said that the ministry is following developments of epidemic diseases first hand and has a national scientific committee monitoring the disease developments at the international and national levels. He said that all sides shall be informed of any amendment made to these requirements, such as what happened with the people coming from the States of Guinea and Liberia, noting that the health requirements of the current year focused on several axes, the yellow fever; meningitis; and polio, vaccination against seasonal influenza virus. Dr. Memish made clear that the requirements stipulated that the following countries are at risk of yellow fever transmission: Angola, Benin, Sudan, South Sudan, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Central African, Republic, Cameroon, Burundi, Chad, Uganda, Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Sierra Leone, Ethiopia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Togo, Kenya, Liberia, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Ecuador, French Juan, Juan, Brazil, Bolivia, Surinam, Peru, Panama, Trinidad& Tobago, Venezuela, Argentina and Paraguay. He added that all travelers arriving from the above mentioned countries or areas at risk of yellow fever (listed above) must present a valid yellow fever vaccination certificate showing that the person was vaccinated at least 10 days and at most 10 years before arrival at the border of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Concerning meningococcal meningitis, he said that health requirements stipulated that visitors arriving for the purpose of Umrah or Hajj or for seasonal works at Hajj areas are required to submit a certificate of vaccination with the quadrivalent (ACYW135) vaccine against meningitis issued no more than 3 years and no less than 10 days before arrival in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The responsible health authorities in the visitor's country of origin shall ensure of the completion of vaccination by given each of them just one dose of the quadrivalent polysaccharide (ACYW135) vaccine. As for visitors coming from the countries of the belt of Africa (Sudan - South Sudan - Mali - Burkina Faso - Guinea - Guinea-Bissau - Nigeria - Ethiopia - Ivory Coast - Niger - Benin - Cameroon - Chad - Eritrea - Gambia - Senegal - Central Republic of Africa) shall be given the preventive treatment in the entry ports of the Kingdom, adding to the vaccination given to them in their respective countries. Regarding polio, Dr. Ziad Memish recommended the visitors coming from the following countries: Pakistan - Afghanistan - Nigeria - Cameroon - Niger - Chad - Ethiopia - Syria - Somalia - Kenya - Yemen - Palestine - ( Gaza Strip, West Bank, Arabs of 1948) to provide a certificate to prove they have already vaccinated with oral polio vaccine (OPV) six weeks before coming to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and they shall be given another dose of OPV upon arrival at the Kingdom regardless of their age. He said that the Ministry of Health recommends that international pilgrims be vaccinated against seasonal influenza before arrival into the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, particularly those at increased risk of severe influenza diseases, including pregnant women, children under 5 years, the elderly, and individuals with underlying health conditions such as HIV/AIDS, asthma, and chronic heart or lung diseases. The Health Ministry also recommended that Health authorities in countries of origin are required to provide information to pilgrims on infectious diseases symptoms, methods of transmission, complications, and means of prevention. Hajj and Umrah performers are not allowed to bring fresh food in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Only properly canned or sealed food or food stored in containers with easy access for inspection is allowed in small quantities, sufficient for one person for the duration of his or her trip. In the event of a public health emergency of international health concern, or in the case of any disease outbreak subject to notification under the International Health Regulations, the health authorities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia shall undertake additional preventive precautions (not included in the measures mentioned above) following consultation with WHO and necessary to avoid the spread of infection during Hajj or on return to their country of origin.
