British pilgrims to the annual Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca could be required to prove they have been vaccinated for swine flu, including showing certificates, Saudi officials warn.
Next month’s pilgrimage, the largest international gathering in the world, provides “perfect” conditions for the spread of the
H1N1 pandemic flu virus, scientists warned.
Encouraging pilgrims to get vaccinated at least two weeks before departure is the best way to stop its spread, said U.S. and Arab experts, including Saudi Arabia's deputy minister for preventative medicine.
Authorities are also advising pregnant women and those with health risk factors such as diabetes, chronic heart and lung or kidney problems to stay at home.
The Saudi government has
already announced that British Muslims will need an injection against seasonal flu if they are travelling to the country.
Some three million Muslim pilgrims from more than 160 countries will travel to and from the holy city of Mecca, in Saudi Arabia.
About two million will be those who have travelled from abroad.
The climax is a four-day period later next month during which people gather in and around Mecca to perform a series of rituals
Writing in a study published in the journal Science, Shahul Ebrahim of the U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention and Ziad Memish of Saudi Arabia's health ministry, said some of the preparations needed to stop the virus spreading included:
* Encouraging pilgrims to get vaccinated at least two weeks before departure and then provide certificates as evidence.
* Rapid reporting of illnesses from a network of hospitals and clinics back to the emergency operations centre.
* Saudi aid groups donating personal hygiene kits to arriving pilgrims that contain face masks and hand sanitizer.
* Thermal screening equipment to detect passengers with fevers, are in place in Saudi airports.
Dr Memish said due to the large congregating crowds it would make it easier for the virus to spread.
“We are hoping that the countries sending the pilgrims will comply with giving the vaccine and we think that would probably be the best measure to prevent the spread of disease outside the country,” he said.
"Hajj-related exportation of H1N1 virus by returning pilgrims could potentially initiate waves of outbreaks worldwide and burden health care systems.”
“We need to be prepared.”
But the study's authors warned such measures were only partly effective as some infected travellers may not yet be showing symptoms when they arrive.
Health authorities have stopped counting the number of people who have caught swine flu but say many millions are likely to have been infected since it began to spread around the world in March.
It was declared a pandemic in June, and according to the World Health Organisation, as of Oct. 17 there were nearly 5,000 reported deaths worldwide from swine fu including 137 in Britain.
Around 78,000 people contracted swine flu last week, a rise on 53,000 the previous week although there was no doubling in the number of doubling of cases seen the week before.
Some three million Muslim pilgrims from more than 160 countries will travel to and from the holy city of Mecca, in Saudi Arabia next month.
Photo: REUTERS