Candidates For The 2020 Hajj Pilgrims In Yogyakarta Undergo Meningitis Vaccination Again

Photo archive - A number of pilgrims from Indonesia during their pilgrimage to Mina, Saudi Arabia, Sunday (11/8/2019. ANTARA/Hanni Sofia/aa.

YOGYAKARTA - Prospective pilgrims from the city of Yogyakarta who are scheduled to depart in 2020 will undergo re-vaccination for meningitis as well as health checks, although until now there has been no official information regarding the implementation of the pilgrimage from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

"Because the meningitis vaccination is only valid for two years, prospective pilgrims who are supposed to depart in 2020 must undergo re-vaccination", said Head of the Yogyakarta City Health Office, Emma Rahmi Aryani, in Yogyakarta, as reported by Antara, Monday, March 21.

According to her, vaccinations, as well as health checks, will be carried out at the public health center according to their respective domicile areas. The total number of prospective pilgrims from Yogyakarta, which is scheduled to depart in 2020, is around 400 people.

In addition to re-vaccination for meningitis and health checks, other preparations for the departure of prospective pilgrims that have been carried out are giving booster doses of COVID-19 vaccination.

“We have done this at the beginning of the year at the Primary Hospital. Some have implemented it in other health facilities", she said.

Meanwhile, the Head of the Referral Health Service Section of the Yogyakarta City Health Office, Okto Heru Santosa, targets that the meningitis vaccination and health checks for prospective hajj pilgrims can be completed within 10 days.

“Sometimes, there are some obstacles in the field. For example, it is difficult to contact prospective pilgrims because they live outside the city of Yogyakarta", he said.

In addition, there may be prospective pilgrims who died and were replaced by heirs. "It is possible that these heirs have never received the meningitis vaccine, so they must undergo vaccination", he said.

Although it is prioritized for prospective hajj pilgrims scheduled to depart in 2020, meningitis re-vaccination will also be offered to prospective pilgrims scheduled to depart in 2021.

Meanwhile, the Head of the Hajj and Umrah Section of the Regional Office of the Ministry of Religion of Yogyakarta, Ahmad Fauzi, said that he had not received official information regarding the implementation of this year's hajj.

"However, we still have to be optimistic that this year the Hajj can be held again for residents outside Saudi Arabia by looking at several indications", he said.

If it can be held, he continued, it is possible to hold it in a limited way and it will not be opened with a full quota because it is still in the pandemic period. "However, preparations must still be carried out", he said.

Based on data from the Special Region of Yogyakarta, there are around 50 prospective 2020 hajj pilgrims who do not meet the requirements to depart, one of which is due to death. Six of them are prospective pilgrims from the city of Yogyakarta.

"In addition to health preparations, we are also coordinating with the Immigration Office to make new passports because there are prospective pilgrims whose passports have expired", he said.