The Ministry of Health has ordered that planes from countries affected by dengue fever, yellow fever and plague be checked by special medical teams. A team of doctors, health inspectors and nurses will inspect planes at King Abdul Aziz International Airport in Jeddah. They will ensure that planes have appropriate certification and have been sprayed with antivirus disinfectants. “The airport's healthcare center is providing care to passengers in need of hospitalization. Those in need of surgery are moved to the hospitals by ambulances equipped with doctors,” said Abdulghani Al-Malki, Director of the airport's Health Control Center. If a pilgrim does not have a medical certificate or has not been vaccinated, then he or she will be given ciprofloxacin as a preventive measure. This treatment has been administered to 142,173 pilgrims so far. “Haj terminal teams will check if pilgrims were vaccinated against meningitis no more recently than 10 days and no longer than three years ago,” Al-Malki said. The Ministry of Health has assigned 612 specialized workers to provide curative and preventive medical services at the airport in Jeddah. It has also provided necessary medicines and supplies, a laboratory, a radiology unit and an infection department. About 568,150 pilgrims have arrived since the beginning of this month. Health authorities at the airport have already vaccinated 254,489 pilgrims against poliomyelitis, he said. __
