Hajj pilgrims meningitis warning
19 October 2009
National charity Meningitis Research Foundation (MRF) is reminding pilgrims to Mecca for this year's Hajj to make sure their meningitis travel vaccine is up to date or risk being denied entry to Saudi Arabia.
Following an upturn in cases of meningitis and septicaemia earlier this decade, vaccination is now a visa entry requirement for pilgrims on Hajj and for anyone travelling to Saudi Arabia around the same time as Hajj. Pilgrims and travellers must have a certificate showing that they have been vaccinated within the last three years.
Travellers will need to have had the 'quadrivalent' meningococcal vaccine (ACWY vaccine) at least 10 days before leaving for Saudi Arabia. This vaccine protects against strains A, C, W135 and Y and is available from GP surgeries or travel clinics. Once vaccinated, protection in adults lasts for about three years.
MRF Chief Executive Christopher Head commented: "Meningitis and septicaemia are diseases that can kill in hours. It is vital that pilgrims protect themselves against these diseases by having the vaccine. But this vaccine only protects against some forms of the diseases, so it is also important for people to know the symptoms. Knowing the symptoms and getting medical help if a case is suspected saves lives."
Call Meningitis Research Foundation's
Freefone 24 hour helpline - 080 8800 3344 - for more information about meningitis vaccines and the symptoms of the disease.
Written and audio information about this and other meningitis vaccines, and about symptoms, is also
available in 22 languages on this website. Languages include Arabic, Bengali, Gujarati, Punjabi, Somali, Turkish and Urdu. An interpretation service in 150 languages is also available via the helpline.
Read more about travel vaccines
Media Contact: Harpinder Collacott 01454 281811 or 07711 057875
Notes to Editor:
- Meningitis Research Foundation is currently funding 24 research projects into the prevention, detection and treatment of meningitis and septicaemia. The Foundation has spent £15.6 million on research since its inception in 1989.
- Meningitis Research Foundation operates a Freefone 24 hour helpline - 080 8800 3344 - providing information on meningitis and septicaemia to the general public and health professionals.
- Information on meningitis and septicaemia is also available on the Foundation's world-renowned website - www.meningitis.org - in 22 languages. An interpretation service in 150 languages is available through the 24-hour helpline.
- The Foundation offers support for those affected by meningitis and septicaemia. Trained helpline staff are available 365 days a year. A befriender service links people with experience of meningitis and septicaemia to share their experiences.
Symptoms of meningitis:
Fever; vomiting; severe headache; rash (not present in all cases); stiff neck*; dislike of bright lights*; very sleepy/vacant/difficult to wake; confused/delirious; seizures (fits) may also be seen. (*Unusual in young children.)
Symptoms of septicaemia (blood poisoning form of the disease):
Fever; vomiting; limb/joint/muscle pain (sometimes stomach pain/diarrhoea); pale or mottled skin; cold hands and feet; shivering; breathing fast/breathless; rash (anywhere on the body); very sleepy/vacant/difficult to wake; confused/delirious.
Other symptoms in babies include: tense or bulging fontanelle (soft spot); refusing to feed; being irritable when picked up with a high pitched or moaning cry; a stiff body with jerky movements or else floppy and lifeless.