Meningococcal Disease Cases Linked to Travel to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA): Ensure Pilgrims Are Current on Meningococcal Vaccination [May 20 2024, 10:30 AM ET]

Details

• Corporate Authors:
  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.). Health Alert Network (HAN)
• Description:
  May 20 2024, 10:30 AM ET
  
  CDCHAN-00508
  
  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is issuing this Health Alert Network (HAN) Health Advisory to alert healthcare providers to cases of meningococcal disease linked to Umrah travel to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Umrah is an Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, that can be performed any time in the year; the Hajj is an annual Islamic pilgrimage this year taking place June 14–19, 2024. Since April 2024, 12 cases of meningococcal disease linked to KSA travel for Umrah have been reported to national public health agencies in the United States (5 cases), France (4 cases), and the United Kingdom (3 cases). Two cases were in children aged ≤18 years, four cases were in adults aged 18–44 years, four cases were in adults aged 45–64 years, and two cases were in adults aged 65 years or older. Ten cases were in patients who traveled to KSA, and two were in patients who had close contact with travelers to KSA. Ten cases were caused by Neisseria meningitidis serogroup W (NmW), one U.S. case was caused by serogroup C (NmC), and the serogroup is unknown for one U.S. case. Of nine patients with known vaccination status, all were unvaccinated. The isolates from the one U.S. NmC case and two NmW cases (one U.S., one France) were resistant to ciprofloxacin; based on whole-genome sequencing, the remaining eight NmW isolates were all sensitive to penicillin and ciprofloxacin.
  
  In the United States, quadrivalent meningococcal (MenACWY) conjugate vaccination is routinely recommended for adolescents, and also recommended for travelers to countries where meningococcal disease is hyperendemic or epidemic, including a booster dose of MenACWY if the last dose was administered 3–5 or more years previously (depending on the age at most recent dose received). In addition, all Hajj and Umrah pilgrims aged one year and older are required by KSA to receive quadrivalent meningococcal vaccine. Healthcare providers should work with their patients considering travel to perform Hajj or Umrah to ensure that those aged one year or older have received a MenACWY conjugate vaccine within the last 5 years administered at least 10 days prior to arrival in KSA. Healthcare providers should also maintain increased suspicion for meningococcal disease in anyone presenting with symptoms of meningococcal disease after recent travel to KSA for Hajj or Umrah pilgrimage. U.S. health departments and healthcare providers should preferentially consider using rifampin, ceftriaxone, or azithromycin instead of ciprofloxacin for chemoprophylaxis of close contacts of meningococcal disease cases associated with travel to KSA.
  
  
• Content Notes:
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  Categories of Health Alert Network (HAN) messages:
  
  Health Alert: Requires immediate action or attention, highest level of importance.
  
  Health Advisory: May not require immediate action; provides important information for a specific incident or situation.
  
  Health Update: Unlikely to require immediate action; provides updated information regarding an incident or situation.
  
  HAN Info Service: Does not require immediate action; provides general public health information.
  
  
• Subjects:
  Meningococcal Infections Travel
• Keywords:
  HAN Health Alert Network
• Source:
  HAN ; 508
• Series:
  Health Alert Network
• Subseries:
  CDC Health Advisory
• Publisher:
  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (U.S.)
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Alert
• Place as Subject:
  Saudi Arabia
• Rights:
  Public Domain
• Issue:
  00508
• Collection(s):
  Health Alert Network (HAN)
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:8e0cde8dd232ab60258da61bb794219dc735b26808445b8f7d94d96febbe055b94d70ce97dbc658c8218e4981c02943ec97b6b290ccb483df4d722c207b63819
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/156541/cdc_156541_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 89.36 KB ]