Saudi Arabia began vaccinating its population against swine flu yesterday, with priority going to government employees working on the annual hajj pilgrimage that takes place later this month.

Health ministry officials were the first to receive the inoculation against A(H1N1), the official SPA news agency said.

It said the vaccine has also been distributed to all government bodies involved in the hajj, which sees some three million pilgrims descending on the Muslim holy city of Mecca, including about a million from within Saudi Arabia.

Local pilgrims will have the option to be vaccinated.

The ministry said it is ready to combat the flu during the busy hajj season, which peaks between November 25 and 29.

Saudi health authorities said earlier this month that the kingdom has received the first tranche of 11 million vaccine doses it has ordered.

Swine flu deaths in the kingdom reached 62 at the beginning of this month, most of them involving people with other health problems.

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