Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 and Hajj Pilgrims, Egypt | CDC EID

Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 and Hajj Pilgrims, Egypt | CDC EID: "EID Journal Home > Volume 17, Number 7–July 2011
Volume 17, Number 7–July 2011

Dispatch
Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 and Hajj Pilgrims Who Received Predeparture Vaccination, Egypt

Amr Kandeel, Michael Deming, Comments to Author Eman Abdel Kereem, Samir El-Refay, Salma Afifi, Mohammed Abukela, Kenneth Earhart, Nasr El-Sayed, and Hatem El-Gabaly
Author affiliations: Ministry of Health, Cairo, Egypt (A. Kandeel, E. Abdul Kereem, S. El-Refay, M. Abukela, N. El-Sayed, H. El-Gabaly); Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA (M. Deming); and US Naval Medical Research Unit No. 3, Cairo, Egypt (S. Afifi, K. Earhart)

Suggested citation for this article

Abstract
In Egypt, vaccination against pandemic (H1N1) 2009 virus was required of pilgrims departing for the 2009 Hajj. A survey of 551 pilgrims as they returned to Egypt found 542 (98.1% [weighted]) reported receiving the vaccine; 6 (1.0% [weighted]) were infected with influenza virus A (H3N2) but none with pandemic (H1N1) 2009 virus.

The annual Hajj pilgrimage brings >2.5 million pilgrims from >160 countries to Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia during a 1-week period (1). In the past, 6.0%–9.8% of Hajj pilgrims with acute respiratory tract infection have been found to have influenza (2–4). Seasonal influenza vaccine is recommended for pilgrims by Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Health (5), but vaccination coverage has been low (4,6).

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Suggested Citation for this Article

Kandeel A, Deming M, Kereem EA, El-Refay S, Afifi S, Abukela M, et al. Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 and Hajj pilgrims who received predeparture vaccination, Egypt. Emerg Infect Dis [serial on the Internet]. 2011 Jul [date cited]. http://www.cdc.gov/EID/content/17/7/1266.htm

DOI: 10.3201/eid1707.101484

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Michael Deming, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Rd NE, Mailstop F22, Atlanta, GA 30333, USA; email: msd1@cdc.gov