Govt to keep Haj infection-free

August 24, 2014

Riyadh, Aug 24: The Ministry of Health announced Saturday mandatory measures for Haj and Umrah pilgrims coming from countries with high rates of infectious diseases.

The ministry had already sent out a circular to the Foreign Ministry, which distributed among embassies the notice spelling out health requirements prior to issuing pilgrim visas.

Sami Badawood, Jeddah Health Affairs director, told Arab News on Friday that the Kingdom has been carefully monitoring developments that are taking place around the globe in the field of infectious diseases.

“The requirements stipulated in the circular are in line with World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines on controlling the spread of infection,” he said.

The Kingdom’s focus this year is on the Ebola virus, which has registered the worst outbreak ever.

Ebola is centered in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Nigeria and Guinea but has spread to other countries in recent months.

According to the latest WHO report, 221 laboratory-confirmed and suspected Ebola cases surfaced between Aug. 17 and 18 and a total 106 deaths were reported from these four main endemic countries during the same period.

“Although we do not issue Haj visas for pilgrims coming from endemic countries, we will still be monitoring pilgrims coming from other African countries for Ebola symptoms,” said Badawood.

He said the ministry would also focus on diseases such as yellow fever, meningitis, seasonal influenza, polio and food poisoning.

He added that vaccination should be administered to pilgrims 10 days before the dates of their departure for Makkah and Madinah.

“We have prescribed certain vaccines depending on the country,” he said.

“Ships and aircraft with pilgrims on board should also produce a certificate that carriers are free of mosquitoes.”

Yellow fever-endemic countries are Angola, Benin, Sudan, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic (CAR), Cameroon, Burundi, Chad, Uganda, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Ethiopia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Togo, Kenya, Liberia, Sao Tomé and Principe, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, Mali, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Brazil, Bolivia, Suriname, Peru, Panama, Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela, Colombia, Argentina and Paraguay.

He said that vaccination against meningitis is mandatory for local as well as foreign pilgrims.

The vaccination should be given 10 days before departure and is valid only for a period of three years.

Badawood pointed out that meningitis may spread during Haj, causing outbreaks, especially among pilgrims coming from endemic areas. He added that congestion and overcrowding exacerbates transmission of diseases.

The meningitis vaccine is given to adults and children over the age of two and it is not administered to pregnant women.

Vaccination for polio is also compulsory for all pilgrims coming from African countries, Pakistan, India, Nepal and Afghanistan.

An oral dose of polio is also compulsory for people coming from Uganda, Kenya, Benin, Angola, Togo, Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali, CAR, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Ethiopia.

Upon arrival, pilgrims from these countries will be given another oral dose of polio vaccine irrespective of their age.

Besides these vaccinations, the spokesman advised pilgrims to take precautions against influenza to prevent flu during their stay in the Kingdom.

The flu vaccine is not mandatory but is strongly advised considering present weather conditions and the susceptibility of pilgrims to influenza.

High-risk patients who have chronic ailments, such as diabetes, hypertension and renal diseases, have been advised to take the flu vaccine, which will help them to perform Haj and Umrah rituals more efficiently.

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Syrian Town erupts after Israeli forces enter Beit Jinn; heavy casualties reported

News Network

November 28,2025

Several Syrians were killed and more than two dozen others injured in Israeli strikes on the outskirts of Damascus, amid intensified incursions by the occupying regime since the fall of former president Bashar al-Assad and the rise of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) rule.

Syrian state TV reported that the casualties occurred during an overnight Israeli assault involving helicopters and drones on the town of Beit Jinn in the Damascus countryside. The attack followed an Israeli military unit’s entry into the town, where they were surrounded by local residents, leading to gunfire and direct confrontations.

According to the report, “The occupation army’s helicopters and artillery shelled Beit Jinn, located at the foothills of Mount Hermon, resulting in 13 martyrs and 25 injured civilians.” The broadcaster did not specify the full extent of damage.

Al-Ikhbariyah Syria confirmed that the shelling coincided with Israeli soldiers entering Beit Jinn, while artillery pounded surrounding areas. The broadcaster stated that the escalation began after local residents clashed with an Israeli patrol that had infiltrated the southern town and “kidnapped” three young men.

Following a two-hour exchange of heavy fire, Israeli forces withdrew and repositioned on the hill of Butt al-Warda at the town’s outskirts.

Israeli media acknowledged that six soldiers were wounded in the clashes—three of them seriously—describing the confrontation as a “sudden ambush” that forced the deployment of reserve units and air support to secure an exit route. No further details were provided.

The aggression has fueled renewed displacement from Beit Jinn, with residents fleeing to nearby villages amid increasingly frequent Israeli attacks.

The raid came just a day after Israeli troops carried out another ground incursion into Umm al-Luqas village in Quneitra province. According to SANA, an Israeli unit in four vehicles entered the village, raided several homes, and later withdrew.

Syria condemned the repeated incursions as violations of the 1974 Disengagement Agreement and UN resolutions, urging the international community to enforce compliance and pressure Israel to halt its operations and withdraw fully.

Israel has expanded its attacks across Syrian territory following the collapse of the Assad government last year. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly instructed his forces to push deeper into Syrian territory and seize strategic positions.

Meanwhile, critics say the HTS-led interim government’s inaction and growing normalization gestures toward Israel have emboldened Tel Aviv to intensify its military operations. HTS, formerly linked to al-Qaeda, seized control of Damascus last December, formally ending Assad’s rule.

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