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It is the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Encourage doctors To protect against potentially fatal meningitis To travel to Saudi Arabia.
Since April, there have been 12 confirmed cases of meningitis linked to the Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, the birthplace of the Prophet Muhammad in Saudi Arabia. Believers in the Muslim faith make the Umrah pilgrimage to Mecca throughout the year to receive blessings. Muslims make the longer, more ritualistic pilgrimage at least once in their lives. This year's Hajj is from June 14 to 19.
Five of the sick pilgrims this year live in the United States. France had four cases, and the United Kingdom three cases. Ten of the sick people had traveled to Mecca, and two had close contact with a sick person.
Meningitis is highly contagious among unvaccinated people. Nine of the patients whose vaccination status was known were unvaccinated.
MeningitisMeningitis is a rare disease caused by the bacterium Neisseria meningitidis. Infections of the lining of the brain and spinal cord can cause symptoms such as memory and concentration issues, seizures, balance problems, hearing loss and blindness. The disease can lead to a serious blood infection called septicemia, or blood poisoning.
Studies show that Supposedly 10% to 15% will die. Even with Appropriate treatment.
According to the CDC, the number of cases in the US is on the rise. At the end of March this year, 143 cases were reported, compared to 81 in the same period last year. In the year In 2023, there were a total of 422 cases, more than in 2014 According to the CDC.
Meningitis can be treated with antibiotics if caught early. However, diagnosis is often delayed because symptoms can mimic those of other infectious diseases, such as Covid-19 or the flu. Symptoms include fever, headache, nausea or vomiting, trouble walking, neck stiffness, skin rash, sensitivity to light, and brain fog.
Bacterial testing of the newly confirmed cases showed resistance to ciprofloxacin, one of the first-line antibiotics used to treat meningococcal disease, in one case in the US and one in France. Eight cases responded to treatment with penicillin or ciprofloxacin.
Vaccinations and incentives are available
Saudi Arabia requires all Umrah or Hajj pilgrims age 1 and older to receive the quadrivalent meningococcal vaccine, as well as the meningococcal conjugate or MenACWY vaccine. It protects against four types of bacteria in the general circulation: A, C, W, and Y. In general, most cases in the US are associated with serogroup Y.
In the US, doctors may recommend the MenB vaccine to protect against the B variant of the bacteria.
Penbraya, a shot made by Pfizer that was approved in the US last year, prevents meningitis from five of the most common serogroups.
Most of the sick pilgrims tested positive for the W variant. One case in the United States was caused by serogroup C.
In the US, the vaccine is routinely recommended for everyone Pre-teens and teenagers And for some young children and adults in certain situations. One of these is before traveling to countries where meningitis is common. This includes recommendations for boosters if a traveler last received their shot three to five or more years prior to travel.
The CDC announced last Monday that health care providers should work with patients planning to travel for Hajj or Umrah to ensure that they receive the MenACWY vaccine at least 10 days prior to travel.
In a new announcement through the CDC's Health Alert Network, the agency urges anyone with symptoms after recent travel for Hajj or Umrah to suspect meningitis.
The CDC advises health departments and providers to consider using several preferred antibiotics. It is used to treat meningitis in humans Related to the trip to Mecca.
People who have been in close contact with someone with meningitis should receive antibiotics as soon as possible after exposure, the CDC says, regardless of their vaccination status, and within one day of the first case.
The most recent outbreak linked to mass It was in 2000-01, the CDC said, and was primarily caused by the W strain of the bacteria. Only since 2002 has Saudi Arabia required all pilgrims to provide proof of meningitis vaccination, but vaccination coverage among these pilgrims is “known to be suboptimal,” according to the CDC.