Meningococcal Vaccine
Because there is no evidence of ongoing epidemics, CDC no longer recommends meningococcal vaccine for Saudi Arabia, Nepal, India, Mongolia, Kenya, Burundi, and Tanzania. We recognize that the most recent edition of Health Information for International Travel (1996-1997) still recommends meningococcal vaccine for those countries; the recent announcement in the Summary of Health Information for International Travel (the Blue sheet) is meant to supercede that edition and these new recommendations will be reflected in the next version of Health Information for International Travelers. That edition is scheduled for June 1999.
For the months of December through June, vaccination is still recommended for countries in the meningitis belt of Africa. While no longer a CDC recommendation, our understanding is that pilgrims and "Umra" performers are required to produce a certificate of vaccination against meningococcal meningitis issued not more than three years and not less than 10 days before arrival in Saudi Arabia, but we would recommend that people who plan to travel to Saudi Arabia during this period verify these requirements with the embassy.
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