World Immunisation Week will encourage parents to visit primary healthcare centres to preserve their kids' health and protect them from infectious diseases.
Dubai - World Immunisation Week being marked across UAE
Published: Tue 26 Apr 2016, 3:20 PM
The Ministry of Health and Prevention, in collaboration with Health Authority-Abu Dhabi (HAAD) and Dubai Health Authority (DHA), has launched the 'World Immunisation Week' from April 24 to 30. The week is being marked in coordination with the World Health Organisation under the theme 'Close the immunisation gap, life span immunisation for all'.
Dr Hussein Abdul Rahman Al Rand, assistant undersecretary for health centres and clinics, inaugurated the event in Dubai. He said the ministry aims to raise awareness among community members about vaccination and immunisation of children against infectious diseases.
Through various educational campaigns and events organised in all medical districts, the event will encourage parents to visit primary healthcare centres to preserve their kids' health and protect them from infectious diseases.
What is World Immunisation Week?World Immunisation Week is a global public health campaign to raise awareness and increase rates of immunisation against vaccine-preventable diseases around the world. It takes place each year during last week of April.
Immunization can protect against 25 different infectious agents or diseases, from infancy to old age, including diphtheria, measles, pertussis, polio and tetanus. The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates active immunisation currently averts 2 to 3 million deaths every year.
However 22.6 million infants worldwide are still missing out on basic vaccines, mostly in developing countries. Inadequate immunisation coverage rates often result from limited resources, competing health priorities, poor management of health systems and inadequate surveillance.
The goal of World Immunisation Week is to raise public awareness of how immunisation saves lives, and support people everywhere to get the vaccinations needed against deadly diseases for themselves and their children.
|
Dr Al Rand said the World Immunisation Week is in line with the ministry's strategic objective to develop a healthcare system that protects the UAE society from communicable diseases and control them. The ministry has achieved great success in the field by providing community members with free access to basic vaccines. The coverage rate of these vaccines is more than 95 per cent, driven by the combined efforts at all levels of the ministry and the support of the wise leadership.
Dr Nada Al Marzouqi, director of preventative medicine, stressed that the World Immunisation Week aims to undertake intensive educational activities and lectures to eliminate the possibility of children catching serious diseases such as mumps, measles and rubella (MMR) by giving them all major vaccines.
She said not providing age-appropriate vaccinations keeps the society at risk of infection and diseases. She also pointed out that the National Measles campaign - that was launched in November 2015 targeting children aged between one and 18 years - has achieved "remarkable success".
Dr Laila Al Jasmi, head of vaccination department, advised parents about the importance of taking their children to primary healthcare centres to give them the basic vaccines as per their age. She noted that the ministry aims to provide all the vital vaccines free under the National Programme on Immunisation that has been running for years and has had considerable success in the eradication of infectious diseases such as polio.
reporters@khaleejtimes.com
iPhone | iPad
Android
Huawei
