Pakistan has suspended meningitis and influenza vaccination services for Umrah travellers at a government dispensary near Karachi Airport, amid an investigation into how the vaccines were procured. Border Health Services (BHS) stopped administering the vaccines at the facility on Saturday, 7 November, the Express Tribune reported on Sunday, with verbal instructions to halt the service said to have been issued a day earlier.

Passengers who had already paid for their vaccinations through NADRA's Pak ID application continued receiving doses until Friday, 6 November. NADRA has now temporarily suspended registration and fee collection for the meningitis and influenza vaccinations through the Pak ID app and its e-Sahulat outlets, the Thursday Times reported on Sunday. Travellers have been advised to contact Border Health Services directly for updated guidance.

The suspension follows a prime minister-ordered inquiry into the procurement of vaccines for Hajj and Umrah pilgrims. The inquiry committee recommended cancelling the existing procurement process and starting a fresh tender after finding that procurement requirements had not been met, The News reported, and questioned BHS officials for more than five hours. The vaccine contract was scrapped in late October, and three officials were arrested, according to Arab News.

The halt does not remove Saudi Arabia's vaccination entry requirements for pilgrims. Until a replacement tender is issued, travellers have been told to arrange their mandatory vaccinations through their travel agents, and to confirm vaccination and certificate arrangements with Border Health Services, their airline or an authorised Umrah operator before departure.