Pilgrims will leave for Mecca without swine flu vaccination

A top official on Thursday urged the first groups of pilgrims heading to Mecca in the coming two weeks to follow precautionary measures, as the H1N1 (swine) flu vaccine will not be available before they leave Jordan.

Minister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs Abdul Fattah Salah told The Jordan Times over phone from Saudi Arabia that pilgrims who are heading to Mecca by land will not be given the vaccine, as it is still being tested by authorities.

"Pilgrims heading to Mecca by land will travel between November 8 and 14 and they will miss the chance to be vaccinated," Salah, who is currently in Mecca, said, adding that others who are traveling by plane might be vaccinated as they are scheduled to leave the country five days before Eid Al Adha, expected to begin on November 28.

Because the first group will not be vaccinated in time, Salah said they should take precautions to avoid infection, stressing that wearing a protective mask during the Hajj pilgrimage does not contradict Islamic teachings in this instance as it is a necessary health measure.

The Jordan Food and Drug Administration (JFDA) said that it began testing the vaccine Thursday.

"Tests require two to three weeks to be concluded," JFDA Director General Mohammad Rawashdeh told The Jordan Times, adding that although Novartis Pharmaceuticals, the manufacturer of the vaccine, provided the administration with documents that prove its safety, the JFDA insists on conducting its own tests.

"We will not give the shots to any person before testing them and confirming their safety," Rawashdeh explained.

The Ministry of Health on Wednesday received the first shipment of 100,000 swine flu vaccines from Novartis, a Swiss company, to start vaccinating citizens according to a plan designed by the ministry.

Pilgrims are among the first group listed to receive the vaccine among other groups including medics working with swine flu cases, pregnant women, children and people with chronic diseases.

Since the outbreak of the disease, Saudi authorities have requested that people preparing for the pilgrimage this year be vaccinated against seasonal flu two weeks prior to the Hajj and inoculated against swine flu, if the vaccine is available.

However, since the vaccine is currently available in Jordan but not tested, "it will not be obligatory for Jordanian pilgrims to have it", Salah said Thursday.