Al-Rabeeah said a million doses of the vaccine will cover the first stage of the campaign. Pilgrims residing in Saudi Arabia, health workers and other officials involved in hajj, especially in Mecca and Medina, top the vaccination priority list.

Al-Rabeeah said only two cases of swine flu have been reported so far among the half a million pilgrims who have already arrived in the kingdom.

Asked whether fewer pilgrims are expected to attend because of swine flu concerns, al-Rabeeah said, "There are indications there will be an increase."

Al-Rabeeah said CDC experts are already at health centers in Mecca to assess the need for the free anti-viral medication stockpiled for the gathering.

Other preparations include thermal screening equipment at entry points to detect passengers with fevers, rapid reporting of illnesses from a network of hospitals and clinics back to the emergency operations center and special hospitals for quarantining those who catch the disease.

___

Associated Press Writer Omar Sinan contributed to this report from Cairo.