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MoH to provide free international vaccination cards to Haj pilgrims

ABU DHABI — Pilgrims going on Haj mission from the UAE this year will be given an international vaccination card free of charge, said a senior health official.

“To ensure safety of the UAE Haj mission for this Hijri year, the Ministry of Health (MoH) will provide pilgrims with a three-year validity international vaccination card free of charge,” said Dr Mahmoud Fekri, Assistant Undersecretary of the Central Preventive Medicine Department at the MoH.

For mandatory vaccinations, travellers need to get the international vaccination card signed and stamped by health authorities. The card must also contain comprehensive information about the pilgrim’s health so as to facilitate first aid and medical care should the need arise while performing the holy rituals.

Dr Fekri said all preventive medicine departments in the country have been enabled to provide the cards, noting that pilgrims have to get the quadrat vaccine against meningitis and other requisite medical check-ups.

The meningitis vaccination is a prerequisite for all pilgrims as it is demanded by the Saudi authorities for visitors of the holy sites. It is usually administered by preventive medicine departments across the country for people intending to go on pilgrimage before leaving the UAE soil.

The official stated that some primary healthcare centres across the country will also provide vaccination services to facilitate the precautionary measure required to be taken by pilgrims.