Saudi Arabia is to begin a wide-ranging vaccination campaign against the Mexican flu. It has received an initial batch of 11 million flu vaccines.

In the run-up to the haj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca, hundreds of thousands of people are to be compulsorily vaccinated against the A(H1N1) virus. These will be mainly pilgrims and those helping with the pilgrimage. Residents of Mecca and Medina – respectively, the birth and burial place of the prophet Muhammad - can also choose to be vaccinated.

This year, the highpoint of the haj comes in the last week of November, when two million pilgrims from at least 80 countries are expected to arrive at their destinations. One million of those pilgrims are expected from Saudi Arabia itself.

With almost 7000 Saudi Arabians infected with the virus, the number of the country’s fatalities now stands at 62.

Photo of Al-Masjid al-Ḥarām (The Sacred Mosque) at Mecca from Wikimedia Commons