Meningococcal Disease Linked to Travel to Saudi Arabia

The CDC issued a Health Alert Network (HAN) Health Advisory to alert healthcare providers to cases of meningococcal disease linked to travel to Saudi Arabia. Since April 2024, 12 cases of meningococcal disease have been reported to national public health agencies in the United States (5 cases), France (4 cases), and the United Kingdom (3 cases). Ten cases were in patients who traveled to Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah (an Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca that can be performed any time in the year), and two were in patients who had close contact with travelers to Saudi Arabia. Of nine patients with known vaccination status, all were unvaccinated. Read the HAN Health Advisory.