Lagos to vaccinate intending hajj pilgrims

The Lagos State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board and the Federal Ministry of Health (Port Health Services) have concluded arrangements for the inoculation of intending pilgrims that will participate in the 2022 pilgrimage to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

This was disclosed by the state Commissioner for Home Affairs, Anofiu Elegushi, over the weekend in Ikeja, following the successful medical screening for all the intending pilgrims.

The commissioner, according to a statement by the state government on Monday, noted that the inoculation exercise is a critical medical exercise that must be fulfilled by all intending pilgrims before embarking on the journey.

He said Yellow Fever, Oral Polio as well as the Meningitis vaccines would be administered to intending pilgrims in line with the requirements for international travels and to protect them against any contagious diseases.

The exercise, which commenced on Monday, will end on Thursday, June 2, 2022, at the Shamsi Adisa Thomas Mosque Hall, GRA, Ikeja, Lagos.

Reiterating the importance of the COVID-19 booster jab, the commissioner said every intending pilgrim must get the complete dose of the vaccine to ensure that they are well captured in the computer, stressing that any intending pilgrim without the complete doses would be denied entry into the kingdom.

The commissioner, therefore, urged all concerned to ensure that they attend the exercise because of its importance and benefits, as scheduled by the board on local government basis.

The inoculation exercise, which is a follow-up to the medical screening, is the final step towards ensuring that the intending pilgrims are certified with a clean bill of health before their journey as well as ensuring that they stay healthy for the spiritual exercise.