The Jigawa State Pilgrims Welfare Board has started vaccination for intending pilgrims across the state.
This initiative is part of the ongoing preparations for the 2025 Hajj, which aims to prioritise the health and safety of the pilgrims.
Speaking while flagging off the exercise on Sunday at the Primary Healthcare Centre in Hadejia, the board’s Director General, Umar Labbo, reaffirmed the board’s commitment to ensuring the well-being of pilgrims.
‘This vaccination exercise underscores our readiness for a successful 2025 Hajj.
_I urge all pilgrims to cooperate fully, adhere to health guidelines, as they prepare for this sacred journey’, he said.
Labbo emphasised the importance of pilgrims being law-abiding and patient throughout the Hajj process.
He also encouraged them to attend all scheduled enlightenment lectures, which will provide essential knowledge on the rites of Hajj and practical guidance for the journey ahead.
Labbo further explained that the vaccination, which includes the meningitis vaccine, oral polio vaccine, and yellow fever vaccine, is mandatory under the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s health regulations.
Earlier, Dr. Bala Ismaila, who heads the Primary Healthcare Centre in Hadejia, stressed the crucial role of these vaccines in safeguarding individual and public well-being.
According to Ismaila, the yellow fever vaccine is valid for 10 years, while the meningitis vaccine lasts three years.
He also addressed potential side effects, advising pilgrims to seek immediate medical attention if they experience severe or prolonged symptoms.
The Director General assured all that the vaccination would be a continuous process until departure for the Holy Land.
He expressed confidence that the exercise would boost the confidence of pilgrims and reinforce public trust in the board’s preparedness for the Hajj operations.
Sunday PUNCH reports that the vaccination is being conducted across all 27 local government areas in the state, as the DG personally monitored the exercise and administered the first dose to an intending pilgrim at the Primary Healthcare Centre, Hadejia.
