Minerva

Get ready now for the Hajj—October is approaching. More than nine million religious visas are issued each year for Islamic pilgrims heading to Mecca and with daytime temperatures reaching up to 45°C, spread of infection, dehydration, diarrhoea, and sunburn are all high on the risk list. A leaflet produced by the Royal College of General Practitioners and others urges pilgrims to take the meningococcal vaccine; avoid unlicensed barbers who may spread hepatitis B, C, and HIV; and carry good quality insect repellent, hand gels, and bottled water (www.mcb-vac.co.uk).

Children with venous thromboembolism (VTE) are screened for inherited thrombophilia, but should the screening stop there? A German study tested 533 first and second degree relatives of 206 children with VTE for inherited thrombophilia (Blood 2012;120:1510-5, doi:10.1182/blood-2012-01-405514). The incidence of VTE was high (2.82%) among family members found to be carriers of antithrombin, protein C or protein S deficiency, compared with carriers of other clotting …