TRAVEL HEALTH ADVICE (click for general advice)

SAUDI ARABIA

• Confirm primary courses and boosters are up to date as recommended in the vaccination schedule - including vaccines given to special groups because of risk exposure or complications (e.g. hepatitis B for health care workers, influenza and pneumococcal vaccines for the elderly).
• Courses or boosters usually advised: tetanus; poliomyelitis; hepatitis A.
• Vaccines sometimes advised: diphtheria; typhoid; tuberculosis; hepatitis B; meningococcal meningitis; rabies; influenza.
• Yellow fever vaccination certificate required from travellers coming from areas with risk of yellow fever transmission.
• Meningococcal vaccination certificate requirements:

• Visitors from any country arriving for Hajj pilgrimage and Umrah, or for seasonal work, are required to produce a certificate of vaccination against meningococcal infections ACWY which has been issued not more than 3 years and no less than 10 days prior to arrival in Saudi Arabia.
• All arrivals from countries within the African Meningitis Belt (Benin; Burkina Faso; Cameroon; Chad; Central African Republic; Cote d'Ivoire; Eritrea; Ethiopia; Gambia; Guinea; Guinea-Bissau; Mali; Niger; Nigeria; Senegal and Sudan) will also be administered antibiotic treatment at the point of entry as an added precaution.

• Influenza Vaccination:

• The Saudi Ministry of Health recommends influenza vaccine before arrival, especially for those at increased risk e.g. the elderly, chronic chest or heart disease.

• Poliomyelitis Vaccination:

• The Saudi Arabian Ministry of Health has announced that proof of vaccination against polio will be required of all pilgrims under the age of 15 coming from the following countries where polio is currently an issue: Afghanistan, Angola, Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo, India, Myanmar, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Somalia and Sudan.

Notes on the diseases mentioned above

• Tetanus is contracted through dirty cuts and scratches and poliomyelitis spread through contaminated food and water. They are serious infections of the nervous system.
• Typhoid and hepatitis A are spread through contaminated food and water. Typhoid causes septicaemia and hepatitis A causes liver inflammation and jaundice. In risk areas you should be immunised if good hygiene is impossible.
• Tuberculosis is most commonly transmitted via droplet infection. BCG vaccination is recommended for travellers under 16 years of age who will be living or working with local people for a prolonged period of time (three months or more). Following individual risk assessment, vaccination may also be considered for travellers under the age of 35 years who may be at high risk through their occupation abroad eg healthcare workers.
• Meningococcal meningitis and diphtheria are also spread by droplet infection through close personal contact. Vaccination is advised if close contact with locals in risk areas.
• Influenza - should be considered for travellers to the Hajj pilgimages especially for those at higher risk of complications following infection.
• Hepatitis B is spread through infected blood, contaminated needles and sexual intercourse, It affects the liver, causes jaundice and occasionally liver failure. Vaccination is recommended for those at occupational risk (e.g. health care workers), for long stays or frequent travel to medium and high risk areas, for those more likely to be exposed such as children (from cuts and scratches) and those who may need surgical procedures.
• Rabies is spread through bites or licks on broken skin from an infected animal. It is always fatal. Vaccination is advised for those going to risk areas that will be remote from a reliable source of vaccine. Even when pre-exposure vaccines have been received urgent medical advice should be sought after any animal bite.

Malaria - See Map

• Risk is mainly from the malignant form (88%) and exists throughout the year in most of the Southern Region (except in the high altitude areas of Asir Province) and in certain rural areas of the Western region. There is no risk in Mecca or Medinasaudiarabia.
• Malaria -precautions are essential. Avoid mosquito bites by covering up with clothing such as long sleeves and long trousers especially after sunset, using insect repellents on exposed skin and, when necessary, sleeping under a mosquito net.
• Check with your doctor or nurse about suitable antiMalaria tablets.
• Chloroquine together with proguanil are usually advised for those visiting risk areas.
• If you have been travelling in a malarious area and develop a fever seek medical attention promptly. Remember Malaria can develop even up to one year after exposure.
• If travelling to high risk malarious areas, remote from medical facilities, carrying emergency Malaria standby treatment may be considered.