Many remain unclear of Saudi’s vaccination requirements for Hajj

Many who travel to Saudi Arabia for hajj were not aware that they are required to be vaccinated against Meningococcal Meningitis prior to their departure.

A pilgrim being vaccinated for meningitis prior to embarking on the hajj. Photo by Eric Ireng, Antara.

The Indonesian Health Ministry’s head of disease control and environmental health, Tjandra Yoga Aditama, said many Indonesians who traveled to Saudi Arabia for umrah, or as migrant workers, did not know about the government regulation due to a lack of information and education about the disease.

“Many of them are not aware that the disease can cause death,” he said during a seminar titled “Protect the Nation, Prevent Meningitis” in Jakarta recently.

Tjandra said the ministry had set up posts at airports to check Indonesians travelling to Saudi Arabia for their International Certificate of Vaccine (ICV), as proof that they had been vaccinated.

The Saudi Arabia government requires that all visa applicants to receive a meningitis vaccination as detailed in the Journal of Infection and Public Health.

Meningitis is a bacterial and viral disease found in nasal and esophageal liquid. It is transmitted from person to person by coughing and sneezing.

The vaccination should be administered at least 10 days before the departure date.

“If it is done less than [10 days] before, the antibody system will not be ready,” said Samsuridjal Djauzi, a professor at the University of Indonesia’s School of Medicine, as quoted by kompas.com.

Indonesian haj pilgrims have been embroiled in a clinical dilemma involving meningitis vaccines since 2008, when the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) declared that the GlaxoSmithKline vaccine previously used by pilgrims was haram (unlawful).

However, last year the MUI defended its fatwa (edict), declaring that two other brands of the meningitis vaccine were halal, dismissing experts’ claims that no vaccines for the disease were porcine-free as mere business competition strategy.

The Health Ministry provided free halal meningitis vaccinations last year to people planning to make the haj pilgrimage to Mecca.

The country’s Food and Drug Controlling Agency issued a registration number for the Italian-made Novartis meningitis vaccine, which shows that the vaccine has passed the agency’s quality, security and fitness tests, according to the Health Ministry’s head of pharmacy and medical equipment, Sri Indrawaty.

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