Dhaka to send 60,000 Umrah pilgrims in 2015

Bangladesh will send around 60,000 Umrah pilgrims to the Kingdom throughout 2015 Ambassador Mohammed Shahidul Islam said on Monday.
The envoy was speaking to Arab News following his meeting with Haj Minister Dr. Bandar Al-Hajar in Riyadh on Monday.
Islam said that his country sent 98,000 pilgrims for the recently concluded Haj. “Now we are preparing to send Umrah pilgrims on a regular basis this year,” he added.
He said that the purpose of his meeting with the Haj minister was to offer his thanks to the Saudi government for managing the Haj in such an efficient manner which garnered the praise of all participating countries.
“A total of 170 flights operated by Biman and Saudi Arabian Airlines ferried the pilgrims to and from Bangladesh,” the ambassador added.
He said some 1500 pilgrims from the total of 100,000 performed the annual pilgrimage under the government scheme and that a special administrative Haj delegation of the government from Dhaka was also present in Jeddah to attend to the needs of the Bangladeshi pilgrims.
Jeddah-based Consul General Mohamed Shahidul Karim said his consulate would offer any assistance needed by the pilgrims during their Umrah pilgrimage. “Our doors are always open for our countrymen for services required from the mission,” Karim added.
More than five million Umrah pilgrims from all parts of the world are expected during the coming months. Last year, six million Umrah pilgrims came to the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah during the Umrah season. Vaccination against meningitis is mandatory.
While the other vaccines depend on the incidence of diseases in those countries, a ministry of health official said here.
He said that the vaccination should be taken at least 10 days before the pilgrims’ arrival to the holy cities pointing out that the vaccination against meningitis is valid for a period of three years only.
Explaining the seriousness of the disease, the official said that meningitis can break out due to the overcrowding especially with pilgrims coming from endemic areas and that congestion can lead to the quick transmission of the virus.
He added that the ministry’s national scientific committee which acts as a command center for the pilgrimage monitors the pilgrims arriving from all countries to keep tabs on all infectious diseases.
He pointed out that the health requirements for this year focused on several diseases including Ebola, MERS corona virus , yellow fever, meningitis, polio, and vaccination against the seasonal influenza virus.
He noted that the quarantine requirements for the Umrah visas have already been notified to all Saudi overseas missions through the ministry of foreign affairs in Riyadh.