LONDON (Reuters) - British
hospitals and doctors were on meningitis alert Saturday after seven people died
of a form of the disease found among Hajj pilgrims.
The Department of Health
issued a warning to doctors, saying so far 29 cases had been confirmed, one third
among pilgrims themselves and the rest in people who had come into contact with
them since their return from Mecca.
The W135 strain of meningitis responsible
for the outbreak is not found in Britain, but is prevalent in Saudi Arabia. It
is the same strain responsible for a separate outbreak that caused four deaths
after last year's Muslim pilgrimage.
``Cases of meningococcal infection
have been associated with previous Hajjs,'' a Department of Health spokesman said.
More
than 20,000 British Muslims are estimated to have traveled to Mecca in February
and March.
Pilgrims had been advised to be immunized with a vaccine covering
the strain but health officials said the uptake prior to the event this year had
been low.
It is not known from where the infected people are or whether
they are adults or children.
Saudi Arabia said earlier this month that
an outbreak of meningitis in France among people returning from the pilgrimage
did not necessarily originate in the kingdom as it enforced strict preventative
measures.
The disease, in which bacteria invade the bloodstream, can kill
within hours unless diagnosed and treated. Symptoms include a purple or red rash,
high fever, a stiff neck, vomiting and an aversion to light. |
