To protect pilgrims from the risk of contracting meningitis disease, the Ministry of Health sets out all Indonesian pilgrims and officials will be given Mencevax ACW135Y New Meningitis vaccination. Inoculation meningitis vaccine will be given not later than the end of September 2010, ie two weeks before departure first pilgrims flight group left for Saudi Arabia, dated October 14, 2010.

The decision was taken with some consideration from the security side Mencevax ACW135Y New vaccines have got the marketing authorization from the Food and Drugs Supervisory Agency, the WHO prequalification, and not against the ruling Indonesian Ulama Council (MUI).

This was said by Minister of Health, dr. Endang Rahayu Sedyaningsih, MPH, Dr. PH in a press conference related to the preparation of the Hajj 2010 (1431 AH), Fridays (02/07/2010) in Jakarta.

Menkes added, the MUI Fatwa No.. U-336/MUI/VI/2010 dated 17 Rajab 1431 H or June 30, 2010 points 3  mention that the MUI fatwa No.05 Year 2009 regarding Use of Meningitis Vaccine for Hajj or Umrah using ACW135Y Meningokokkus vaccine is permissible (mubah) in an emergency or when there is an urgent need (lil hajah). Terms of meningitis vaccine is allowed to use only temporary because it has not found a halal meningitis vaccine.

Chairman of the MUI Fatwa Commission, HM, Anwar Ibrahim, who is also attending the event added, it has conducted two audits directly to the Meningitis vaccine manufacturers GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Biologicals Belgium and Novartis Vaccine and Diagnostics Italy.

Having discussed in several plenary meetings of the Fatwa Commission, decides that produced GSK vaccine is haraam because it is still using the media elements in growing pigs. Meanwhile, Novartis has not produced a vaccine that otherwise lawful or is still doubtful because of its source material that should be clarified further. Therefore, the MUI declared until now there is no established lawful Meningitis vaccine.

Therefore, in accordance with the MUI Fatwa No.. 2005 Year in 2009, the use of meningitis vaccine ACW135Y permissible (permissible) because the conditions dharurat, says HM Anwar Ibrahim.

Minister of Health added that the meningitis vaccine according to the mandate of Law. 13 Year 2008 regarding the provision of Pilgrimage, "the government shall provide protection to the pilgrims." One form of protection against the threat of disease through vaccination Meningitis”

Also based on Diplomatic Note from the Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Jakarta No. 588/PK/VI/06/61 which states that every pilgrim, labor, and umrah should get meningitis immunization to obtain a visa. This provision is mandatory and applies to all pilgrims from all over the world. In addition to WHO in 1988 recommended that all pilgrims coming to Saudi Arabia should get the meningitis vaccine, says Minister of Health.

According to the present Minister of Health, meningitis is still a threat for both pilgrims and umrah because at the time of the worshipers, the people who were there came from all over the world, including countries where meningitis is still endemic, especially from the African continent, there is an area called Meningitis Belt / Meningitis Belt. Meningitis cases in Indonesian pilgrims occurred in 1987, when the pilgrims there were 99 people who contracted meningitis and 40 of them died (CFR = 40%).

Given the Hajj season is near, meningitis vaccine distributed gradually start to the affected areas starting on July 9, 2010 with a distribution preference for the pilgrims, while vaccines for Umrah pilgrims will be distributed later. The process of injecting the vaccine was done at the health center and hospital

Meningitis immunization for Indonesian pilgrims have been conducted since 1988 by using Mencevax vaccine, and since the year 2009 using the New Mencevax ACW135Y. This vaccine has also been used by 77 countries of origin pilgrims including Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Oman, Pakistan, Turkey, Singapore, and Thailand.

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