H1N1 shot available for Haj pilgrims

The UAE's first batch of the vaccine will be given to Haj pilgrims in time for their departure to Saudi Arabia.

The nurse Manal Ali Abdul Rahman administers the swine flu vaccine at the Emirates Centre for Studies and Strategic Research in Abu Dhabi yesterday.

ABU DHABI // The country's first batch of H1N1 vaccine will be given to Haj pilgrims just in time for their departure for Saudi Arabia later this month, the Government confirmed yesterday. Launching the official vaccination campaign, Dr Mahmoud Fikri, the chairman of the national committee for combating swine flu, said the UAE's 6,200 pilgrims would be at the top of the priority list, followed by six other groups.

The timing will be tight; it takes two weeks for immunity to develop after a vaccination and the Haj is expected to start between November 25 and 30. The ministry says it will release details today of where and when pilgrims can be vaccinated. "The vaccine is here," said Dr Fikri. "It is free of charge for all nationals and residents of the UAE. It is voluntary and not mandatory for people to take it, and it will be administered to people according to where they fall on our list of priority categories. Although it is not mandatory, we advise everyone to see the importance of the vaccine and work with us on preventing the spread of swine flu."

The initial batch of vaccines, supplied by Glaxo SmithKline, would be enough to treat 40,000 people, Dr Fikri said. After Haj pilgrims, the six priority groups will be healthcare workers, especially those in emergency care; pregnant women; people with chronic diseases or health risks; children between six months and two years old; children up to five years old; and children up to the age of 18. Once those groups are covered, it will be made available to everyone else. Another batch is due to arrive before the end of the year.

The ministry said it had started training medical staff to administer the jabs and would soon release details of vaccination sites. "The health authorities of each emirate will decide what centres people should head to to get vaccinated," said Dr Fikri. "In general, it will be some hospitals and some public health and primary care centres, as well as mobile teams that will head out across the UAE. Also, we will have vaccines at the health clinics of some schools."

Manal Abdelrahman, a nurse working with the Ambulatory Health Services, administered the country's first dose of the vaccine to Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, on Saturday evening. "As soon as swine flu became a problem months ago, we've had thousands of calls from people asking about the vaccine and asking when we'd have one.

"Now, we can finally tell them it has arrived," she said. Those with severe chicken and egg allergies cannot take the vaccine, but everyone else can. [e-mail]