Hajj Umrah Practical Advice for British Pilgrims - ABH - Association of British Hujjaj (Pilgrims) UK

Last minute warning over Swine Flu vaccine for Hajj

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Health experts from the Association of British Hujjaj (ABH) have expressed concerned concerns over the number of people travelling on Hajj who are not properly vaccinated.

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Health experts are concerned that despite clear advice from the Saudi Arabian Government and the World Health Organisation (WHO) a substantial number of high risk categories are travelling to perform Hajj without getting vaccinated against the swine flu virus.

They are now issuing a last-minute warning to prospective pilgrims that they should be prepared for the screening process that is taking place at all ports of entry to Saudi Arabia.

If pilgrims are suspected of having swine flu then they will be temporarily quarantined and if tested positive they will be admitted to hospital for isolation.

The pilgrims must take the threat of swine flu seriously and they should take all necessary precautionary measures to safeguard their health. They should make personal hygienic habits such as covering the nose while sneezing, coughing into a tissue and washing hands with water and soap.

They should also utilise the personal hygiene kit that includes face masks and hand sanitizers which will be made available to them by the Saudi authorities at the airport upon arrival.

Khalid Pervez, General Secretary of ABH said, "Prospective British Hajj pilgrims should take lead of Egypt which has made health insurance coverage mandatory for all their pilgrims so that they would not have any problem in getting treatment in Saudi hospitals”.

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Swine flu: complacency or inoculation

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This rather wonderful picture from The Association of British Hujjaj shows Lord Ahmed of Rotherham being inoculated by a Dr Hussain, with government minister Lord Hunt looking on. I am tempted to run a caption competition. But the message is serious. Because of swine flu, they are urging Hajj pilgrims to take health precautions before leaving for Mecca.

They believe that swine flu could be a particular threat this year because of the large numbers from all over the world. But in fact a possibly more serious threat is meningitis. More than 20 British Muslims have died from meningitis after returning from Hajj in recent years, causing enormous grief.

A week on Wednesday, at the House of Lords, the British Hajj Association will launch its annual Hajj safety awareness week.

The impetus for this seems to be coming from Saudi Arabia itself.

Because in Britain, in the country's Christian communities at least, a sense of complacency is settling in.

Many churches are ignoring the Archbishop of Canterbury and York's recent instruction not to shake hands or kiss during the peace. And reports have reached me from several Roman Catholic churches in London, where communion is being taken in two kinds once more and the shared cup has returned.

When the annual autumn flu outbreaks begin, I wonder if anyone will do a comparison between the rate of infection in the two communities.

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Swine Flu And Meningitis: A Serious Threat To Hajj Pilgrims- Health Experts Warn, UK

Health experts from Association of British Hujjaj (Pilgrims) a National Hajj specific organisation in UK has warned over 25,000 prospective British Hajj pilgrims that they must safeguard their health against the risk of communicable diseases such as swine flu, meningitis and hepatitis due to over crowding at ceremonies, accommodation sites and public transports during Hajj pilgrimage.

"The communicable diseases can be transmitted through direct person-to-person contact with droplets of nasal or throat secretions of infected individuals. Close and prolonged contact (e.g. sneezing and coughing on someone, etc.) facilitates the spread of infection. The most common symptoms for swine flu are similar to those of seasonal flu, including unusual tiredness, headache, runny nose, sore throat, shortness of breath or cough, loss of appetite, aching muscles and diarrhea or vomiting. People aged older than 65, pregnant women, people suffering from chronic diseases i.e. lungs, heart, kidney, lever etc and children under 12 years old are more at the risk of catching swine flu." said the Health Experts from ABH.

The Saudi Government has advised that pilgrims planning to perform Hajj pilgrimage must be vaccinated against seasonal flu or the swine flu at least two weeks before applying for a visa depending on the availability of swine flu vaccine.

The Health experts from Association of British Hujjaj (Pilgrims) UK also reminded the prospective British hajj pilgrims that they should take meningitis threat seriously as well. Over 20 British Hajj returnees have lost their lives due to the meningitis outbreak in the recent past. The most common symptoms specifically for meningitis are stiff neck, high fever, sensitivity to light, confusion, headaches and vomiting. Therefore, it is vital that all prospective pilgrims must get 'quadrivalent meningococcal' vaccine (ACWY) before leaving for Saudi Arabia. A valid certificate of meningitis vaccine from your doctor is compulsory to obtain a visa from the Saudi Embassy.

Some barbers around the Holy places pose a risk of spreading diseases, such as Hepatitis and other blood-borne pathogens by using the same razors repeatedly. The Doctors also warned pilgrims to be aware of the risk of using the services provided by these barbers and they must insist that the barbers use disposable razors to shave.

"Protect yourself and your family; don't ruin your journey with illnesses. Make the most out of this lifetime experience," said the Health experts from Association of British Hujjaj (Pilgrims) UK.

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British Hajj pilgrims are warned to take health & safety issues seriously

The Association of British Hujjaj (Pilgrims) UK has warned about 25,000 prospective British Hajj Pilgrims who are joining over 2 million others from all over the world in Makkah that they are at extra risk of contracting infection diseases and getting involved in accidents in such a crowded environment. The tragic deaths of over 32 British Hajj pilgrims in recent years due to stampedes, road accidents and meningitis outbreaks have caused a great amount of grief and distress to the community in the UK.

Performing the rituals of Hajj is physically demanding and requires patience. The large crowds can be daunting specifically for the elderly or frail. Therefore they are strongly urged to take all precautionary measures to safeguard themselves from potential risks to their safety and health particularly at the stoning of the Satan’s in Mina and while circumambulation of the Ka’bah.

The Association of British Hujjaj would also like to remind British pilgrims to make sure that their passport and visa for Saudi Arabia are in order and that their return airline ticket is fully confirmed, a photocopy of all the travel documents should be with them at all times and they must take out full travel insurance to cover any illness, injury, loss of money, baggage and tickets. They should also take care of their money and be aware of pickpockets and always carry their hotel or accommodation address. People can get lost and separated from their families or friends easily. Agree a meeting point with family and friends in case that they become separated while going to Harram or Mina and Arafat. Keeping a mobile phone with them could be very useful to stay in touch with family or friends.

“It is vital for the pilgrims to get vaccinated against seasonal flu or swine flu and meningitis before travelling. And, in case of any difficulties or if they require medical assistance they should contact the British Hajj Delegation based at Dar Alkhaleel Hotel, Ibrahim Khalil Street, Makkah.”, said Khalid Pervez, General Secretary of the Association.

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British Hajj pilgrims are warned to take Health & Safety issues seriously





Lord Phil Hunt (Minister), Steve McCabe MP, Councillor Neil Eustace (Chairman, Public Protection), Councillor Zaker Choudhry (West Midlands Police Authority), Chris Roe (Senior Trading Officer) and Maskeen Ali (Chairman, West Mids. Muslim Police Assoc.), Kahlid Pervez, Maulana Sarfraz Madni, Sardar Ahmad Qadri, Dr Rashid Bhatti, Dr Syed Raza Hussain, Qamar Bhatti, Aftab Parwaz, Javed Aziz, Farhan Khalid, Hamza Qamar addressing the participants at the Hajji Camp.

Every year, over 25,000 British Hajj Pilgrims travel to Saudi Arabia to perform Hajj. A substantial number of these Hajj pilgrims suffer hardship and difficulties. In the past there have been tragic incidents where many lives have been lost due to stampedes, traffic accidents and outbreaks of infectious diseases.

After launching the National Hajj/Umrah Health & Safety Awareness Week at the House of Lords, the Association of British Hujjaj (Pilgrims) UK (ABH) a national Hajj specific voluntary organisation, held a seminar over the weekend where religious scholars, senior doctors and safety experts provided up to date, practical advice and training to prospective Hajj/Umrah pilgrims to enable them to perform Hajj/Umrah in a safe and best possible manner.

Lord Phil Hunt OBE (Deputy Leader of the House and Government Minister) during his address to the prospective pilgrims acknowledged and complimented the work done by ABH since its inception in 1998. He said “much progress has been made due to the Association and the tremendous work it has done; first of all for bringing the attention of government to the issues that have to be faced but secondly its campaign on health and safety awareness amongst many pilgrims.”

Senior doctors from ABH warned the prospective pilgrims that they should safeguard against the additional risks to their health such as Swine flu, Meningitis, Hepatitis and other communicable diseases due to the over crowding at the ceremonies, accommodation sites and public transport. Dr Rashid Bhatti warned about the risk of contracting swine flu that “pilgrims must take the threat very seriously and get vaccinated before leaving for the pilgrimage”. Dr Syed Raza Hussain also advised pilgrims about meningitis which is a life threatening disease. He said, “it is vital that all travellers must get ‘quadrivalent meningococcal’ vaccine (ACWY vac).”

In his presentation, Khalid Pervez (General Secretary of ABH) made the prospective Hajj pilgrims aware of the necessary precautions which they need to make in order to perform a safe Hajj.

Steve McCabe (Member of Parliament), also addressing the participants at this event, said “I find it outrageous that on what should be a profoundly significant event in anyone’s life going on pilgrimage, should be undermined by a small minority of unscrupulous tour operators.” He urged the prospective pilgrims to send their complaints to the local trading standards for further investigation.

Councillor Neil Eustace (Chairman, Public Protection), Councillor Zaker Choudhry (West Midlands Police authority), Police inspector Maskeen Ali (Chairman West Midlands Muslim Police Assoc.) and Chris Roe (Senior Officer, Trading Standards) assured the community that they will make every effort to protect them from the malpractices and illegal activities of the unscrupulous tour and travel operators.

The feedback received from the British Muslim community about this event was tremendously positive. The community appreciated the efforts of ABH UK for bringing this event together and for the support from various government departments towards the welfare and wellbeing of the British Hajj pilgrims.

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National Hajj and Umrah (Health & Safety) Awareness Week Launch

The National Hajj and Umrah (Health & Safety) awareness week was launched yesterday at the House of Lords by the Association of British Hujjaj (Pilgrims) UK (A.B.H).




Delegates at the Hajj & Umrah awareness week launch 2009 including Lord Ahmed of Rotherham, Steve McCabe MP, Roger Godsiff MP, Hazza Al-Hasher from Saudi Embassy London and ABH Executive Members.

The purpose of this national event was to raise awareness of the Health & Safety issues amongst the 25000 prospective British Hajj & Umrah pilgrims who will start travelling from next week to join over 2 million other pilgrims in Makkah to perform Hajj. Lord Ahmed of Rotherham, Steve McCabe MP, Roger Godsiff MP, Hazza Al Hasher from Saudi Embassy (London), officials from various Government departments and community dignitaries were present to support this prestigious event.

The British Pilgrims are at greater risk of accidents and contracting infectious diseases such as meningitis, hepatitis, influenza etc due to crowded conditions at ceremonies, accommodation sites and public transports. “It is particularly important that pilgrims must be aware of the precautionary measures towards the recent Swine flu threat and that they must get vaccinated before their departure to Saudi”, said Lord Ahmed of Rotherham.

Officials from Business, Innovation & Skills Department (BIS) and Metropolitan police also highlighted the issue of exploitation of the pilgrims by some tour operators. Members of Parliament Steve McCabe and Roger Godsiff commended the hard work of the Association of British Hujjaj (Pilgrims) UK towards the welfare and well being of the pilgrims. They strongly urged the British Muslim community that they should be aware of the illegal activities of some unscrupulous and rogue Hajj tour operators who are causing tremendous hardship and difficulties to the British Hajj & Umrah pilgrims and they also expressed their full support to ensure that the Hajj & Umrah travel industry is regulated.

The tragic accidents that took place during Hajj pilgrimage in recent years where a substantial number of travellers lost their lives including over 12 British Hajj pilgrims due to stampede and over 20 tragic deaths due to meningitis outbreak amongst British Hajj returnees caused a great amount of grief and distress to the British Muslim community in UK.

“The Association of British Hujjaj (Pilgrims) UK (A.B.H) the National Hajj specific organisation is organising high profile publicity campaign during this week through press and electronic media, and also organising seminars and educational training programs to raise awareness of pre-travel Health & Safety issues amongst prospective Hajj pilgrims to prevent such tragic incidents in future”, said Khalid Pervez, General Secretary of the Association of British Hujjaj.

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