Within Western Europe and the Americas, the highest volume of passengers traveled to London (10,608), followed distantly by Toronto

(1,626), New York City (1,606), Paris (1,535), Manchester (1,439), Frankfurt (1,135), and Washington, DC (1,036). We present a detailed description of the global migration of 2.5 million pilgrims that traveled to and from Mecca, Saudi Arabia in 2008 to offer insights into how the 2009 gathering for the Hajj might have interacted see more with the H1N1 influenza pandemic. We direct our attention to the world’s most resource-limited countries because they will undoubtedly face significant challenges securing Selleckchem ERK inhibitor adequate supplies of H1N1 vaccine for their populations and have difficulties detecting and responding to cases of H1N1 introduced via returning pilgrims. By studying the origins and volume of pilgrims traveling to Mecca from around the world in 2008, we identify countries that could be imminently vulnerable to H1N1 after the 2009 Hajj. We found that close to 200,000 pilgrims

performing the Hajj in 2008 originated from the world’s most resource-limited countries. In light of existing commitments made by a number of countries to share part of their H1N1 vaccine stock with the developing world, our analysis could be useful in guiding decisions about where and when supplies of internationally donated vaccine might best be utilized during the 2009 to 2010 influenza season. A strategy of pre-departure vaccination of pilgrims would have been ideal, in that it would have offered protection

to those performing the 2009 Hajj, reduced potential for the importation of H1N1 in returning pilgrims, and consequently slowed the evolution of epidemics in countries where large numbers of pilgrims returned to after the Hajj. However, for many countries a pre-departure vaccination strategy was not feasible given their inability to either purchase H1N1 vaccine or secure supplies of internationally donated H1N1 vaccine before the Hajj began. Consequently, MG-132 price international efforts to help vaccinate high-risk populations in resource-limited countries where a large numbers of pilgrims are expected to return to after the 2009 Hajj may be needed to mitigate the domestic effects of a potential wave of imported H1N1. For pilgrims traveling to Saudi Arabia by air, a detailed screening protocol was implemented at the Hajj terminal at Jeddah IAP. All pilgrims were screened for fever using non-contact infrared thermography.25 A medical team stationed at the Hajj terminal assessed febrile pilgrims.