Health committees for Haj 1435 constituted

Health Minister Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah has set up the Haj preparatory committees for Makkah and Madinah for the forthcoming season, according to a statement issued by the ministry on Thursday.
Mohammed bin Hamza Khoshaim, deputy minister of health for planning and development, has been appointed the head of the new committee. Other committee members include deputy ministers of health, undersecretaries and the director generals of health in Makkah and Madinah.
An official from the ministry said the committee is being appointed ahead of time to allow health officials to make the necessary arrangements for next year's Haj season.
The Haj central department within the Ministry of Health will coordinate with the new Haj committee for necessary arrangements this year.
Koshaim explained that the functions of the committee would be subdivided into three sections — 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 drawing up a contingency plan for the Haj season in Makkah and Madinah, he added.
The directors general of the two regions will be directly in charge of the Haj arrangements in their respective areas under the overall supervision of the health minister.
In addition, the primary purpose of the committee will be to provide adequate manpower for health services and to ensure that the health facilities for pilgrims in hospitals, clinics and dispensaries are well maintained, the official indicated.
Every year, the ministry sends out a circular to the Foreign Ministry for dissemination to all its missions abroad spelling out the quarantine requirements for entering the Kingdom during Haj season.
The official explained that before announcing the health requirements, the Kingdom would carefully monitor developments that take place throughout the world, especially those in relation to infectious diseases. He pointed out that the stipulated 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 some of 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 several other African and South American countries.
Polio vaccines are also compulsory for pilgrims coming from African countries as well as for pilgrims coming from Pakistan, India, Nepal and Afghanistan.
Oral polio vaccine is compulsory for pilgrims arriving from countries such as Uganda, Kenya, Benin, Angola, Togo, Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali, Central African Republic, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Ethiopia. On arrival, pilgrims from these countries are given another oral dose of polio vaccine irrespective of their age.
Besides these vaccinations, the official pointed out that pilgrims would be advised to take necessary precautions against influenza to prevent a flu attack during their stay in the Kingdom. The flu vaccine is not mandatory but is desirable to take considering the prevailing weather conditions and the susceptibility of the 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 the performance of their Haj and Umrah rituals without any problems.