Urgent Foreign Office warning as travellers return to UK and Europe with ‘rapidly-spreading’ disease that kills 1 in 10

A NEW Foreign Office warning has been issued over travellers returning to the UK and Europe carrying a ‘rapidly spreading’ disease.

Cases of the rare but devastating invasive meningococcal disease have been spotted in Brits returning from Saudi Aradia.

The Foreign Office-supported website Travel Health Pro revealed that 14 cases of the sometimes fatal infection have been identified in people coming back from the region.

The rapidly progressing disease was also spotted in travellers returning to Europe and the US from Saudi Arabia, as well as people who’d been in contact with travellers.

The disease often progresses rapidly has 8–15 per cent fatality rate – meaning it can kill around in 10 people it infects.

Caused by the bacterium Neisseria meningitidis, invasive meningococcal disease can trigger meningitis – an infection of the protective lining around the brain and spine – and septicaemia, also known as blood poisoning.

N. meningitidis often lurks in the back of the throat without making people ill, but the bacterium can occasionally invade the body and cause a severe bacterial infection.

Meningococcal meningitis and septicaemia need urgent treatment with antibiotics and rapid admission to hospital so they don’t become life-threatening.

As of June 21, four cases of invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) have been reported in France, three in the United Kingdom, five in the United States, one in Norway and one the Netherlands, all among travellers or contacts of travellers returning from pilgrimages in Saudi Arabia.

Approximately three million Muslims from around the world tend to gather in Meccah for the Hajj pilgrimage each year.

All adult, able bodied Muslims are required to undertake Hajj at least once in their lifetime if they can afford to do so. This year, the pilgrimage took place between June 14 and 19.

Umrah is a shorter, non-compulsory pilgrimage for Muslims, which is performed as part of the Hajj ritual, but can also be undertaken independently at any time.

Due to the large crowds, mass gatherings such as Hajj and Umrah present unique health risks.

Aside from the threat of spreading diseases, pilgrims are also vulnerable to the searing heat of the region.

During this year’s Haij – which was attended by around 1.8 million pilgrims – it was reported that at least 1,300 had died due to extreme heat.

Health authorities in Saudi Arabia this year issued a list of requirements for 2024 Hajj and Umrah pilgrims, which included getting the quadrivalent meningococcal vaccine (ACYW) polysaccharide vaccine at least 10 days prior to arrival or having had the jab in the last three years.

To combat the threat of risk of respiratory diseases and mosquito borne illnesses, health officials also asked travellers to:

• Wear facemasks when in crowded places
• Wash hands frequently, with soap and water or a disinfectant, especially after coughing, sneezing, using
  toilets, before handling and consuming food, and after touching animals
• Use disposable tissues when coughing or sneezing and dispose of used tissues in wastebaskets
• Avoid contact with those who appear ill and avoid sharing personal belongings
• Avoid contact with camels in farms, markets, or barns
• Avoid drinking unpasteurised milk or eating raw meat or animal products that have not been thoroughly
  cooked, as well as applying measures to avoid insect bites during the day and night

In its most recent Communicable Disease Threats Report, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said the risk of people in EU getting sick from the imported cases of meningococcal disease was slim, due to “very low probability of exposure and potential infection”.

It added: “The probability of infection to the EU/EEA citizens with communicable diseases during the 2024 Hajj is considered to be low, due to the vaccination requirements for travelling to Mecca and Medina and the preparedness plans by Saudi Arabia that address the management of health hazards before, during, and after Hajj.

“The risk of infection is considered to be moderate for people with underlying conditions, the elderly, and pregnant women, with a moderate probability of infection and moderate impact.

“As with other mass gathering events, the risk of communicable disease outbreaks is highest for respiratory, food-, waterborne, and vector-borne diseases.”

However, in it’s previous report, the ECDC did note the a person in the Netherlands had picked up the sometimes deadly disease without having travelled to Saudi Arabia.

Though they hadn’t gone there themselves, the patient fell ill with IMD after coming into “close contact” with people who’d returned from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on May 8.

“The case itself did not join on the travellers and it is not possible to rule out other potential exposures,” the ECDC stated.

The person began experiencing symptoms of IMD serogroup W on May 16 and wasn’t vaccinated against the disease.

What are meningitis and septicaemia?

Meningitis and septicaemia are both serious, life threatening illnesses that require prompt medical treatment, as they can kill within hours, according to the Meningitis Research Foundation.

Meningitis is the swelling of the meninges, which is the lining around the brain and spinal cord, caused mainly by germs entering the body, while septicaemia is blood poisoning caused by the same germs that can cause meningitis.

The illnesses can affect people of any age, though young children and people with lowered immune systems are at higher risk of getting them.

The best way to protect yourself from meningitis and septicaemia is through vaccine, which can protect you from common causes of the illnesses.

Jabs available in the UK that offer protection against meningococcal bacteria are:

• Men ACWY: offered to teenagers between 13-15
• Men B: offered to babies at eight and 16 weeks with a booster aged one
• Men C: offered to children aged 12-13 months (as a combined MenC/Hib vaccine) with a booster dose (with the MenC containing vaccine, Men ACWY) for teenagers at 14

But there are still some causes of meningitis and septicaemia which are not vaccine preventable and some vaccines are not routinely provided in some parts of the world.

Being able to recognise the symptoms of meningitis and septicaemia is vital because early recognition and treatment provide the best chance of a good recovery.