Hajj pilgrims advised to take pneumococcal vaccination - Medical expert

Hajj pilgrims are recommended to get the vaccine that can protect them against pneumococcal (lung infection) diseases.

Sungai Buloh Hospital, infectious disease physician, Dr Azureen Azmel said, according to studies conducted in Saudi Arabia nearly 50 percent of hospital admissions during the Hajj Pilgrimage is due to pneumonia.

She said respiratory related infection is common during Hajj season because the large, crowded number of people within a confined area is an ideal condition for transmission of infectious diseases.

"Such environments place pilgrims at higher infection risk, and those who are infected are not able to complete their holy journey.

"There is a low awareness of pneumococcal disease and the benefits of pneumococcal vaccination in adults, and I think more awareness campaigns are needed to make them (pilgrims) understand," she said at a media roundtable discussion on adult vaccination for Hajj here today.

The Hajj is the annual pilgrimage of Muslims to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. It is one of the largest mass gathering in the world with more than two million Muslims from 180 countries performing the Hajj rituals every year.

Dr Azureen said apart from the compulsory meningococcal vaccine, influenza and pneumococcal are highly recommended especially in high risk group.

She said pilgrims can reduce the risk of getting pneumonia by following simple behavioural interventions like wearing the face mask, cough etiquette and contact avoidance (with sick people).

"Always maintain good personal hygiene and cleanliness, I would recommend to wash their hands often with soaps and water especially after coughing or sneezing," she added.

Meanwhile, Hospital Sultanah Bahiyah Head of the Respiratory Department Dr Razul Md Nazri said people who are infected by pneumonia often have a shortness of breath, fever and chest pain.

"These are the common symptoms of pneumococcal diseases, and if a person is diagnosed with pneumonia, they are normally advised to stay at home and limit contact with others to prevent infecting someone else," he said.