Almost all children are protected from a host of killer diseases in the UAE thanks to a widespread childhood vaccination programme.
However, doctors said the number of vaccinations on offer and those taking them up can wildly vary from year-to-year.
At Bareen International Hospital in Mohamed bin Zayed City, Abu Dhabi, 354 children received vaccinations in 2017.
That figure dropped to 148 in 2018 before increasing this year to 256.
Doctors said variable figures are due to availability of vaccines, the number of working paediatricians and the total number of patients visiting hospitals.
“Some parents think vaccines can cause more harm than good to their children,” said Dr Anuradha Ajesh, a paediatrician at Bareen International Hospital.
“Some parents link MMR vaccines with autism — although no hard scientific evidence has been found to support this conclusion.
“Some parents think vaccines contains toxins that will harm their babies more than protect them.
"Another misconception is that vaccines may prompt diseases which they are in fact meant to prevent.
“If vaccine administration will be put to a halt, those contagious, dangerous, and possibly deadly diseases which disappeared over time may start coming back.”
A widespread fear that vaccines increased risk of autism originated from a 1997 study published by British surgeon Andrew Wakefield in respected medical journal, The Lancet.
It suggested the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine was increasing autism in British children but has since been completely discredited due to ethical violations and serious procedural errors, costing Wakefield his medical license.
Doctors at the 120 New Medical Centre health facilities and clinics in the UAE delivered more than 60,000 flu shots in the winter of 2018-19.
As the flu virus mutates each year, manufactures face a race against time each summer to prepare the most suitable preventive vaccine in time for winter.
“By and large, the protection provided by the vaccination is far more than any side effects,” said Dr Wael Mohamed, a paediatric specialist at NMC Royal Hospital, Abu Dhabi.
“Any children who missed their vaccination can complete their schedule through a tailored made programme so they are adequately protected.”
To date, GlaxoSmithKline has provided around 35 million total vaccine doses to the UAE.
The company exports 12 different vaccines to the Emirates, covering 13 different vaccine preventable diseases.
A third of GSK’s vaccines in development target diseases common in emerging markets, including all three World Health Organisation infectious disease priorities of HIV, Malaria and tuberculosis.
Government figures show the UAE has an uptake of more than 95 per cent in 14 of the vaccines it offers during childhood.
“Vaccination is a means to build natural immunity against certain contagious, dangerous, and deadly diseases and keeps the general public from getting and spreading the disease,” said Dr Ajesh.
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
MATCH INFO
Tottenham Hotspur 0 Everton 1 (Calvert-Lewin 55')
Man of the Match Allan (Everton)
How does ToTok work?
The calling app is available to download on Google Play and Apple App Store
To successfully install ToTok, users are asked to enter their phone number and then create a nickname.
The app then gives users the option add their existing phone contacts, allowing them to immediately contact people also using the application by video or voice call or via message.
Users can also invite other contacts to download ToTok to allow them to make contact through the app.
Five famous companies founded by teens
There are numerous success stories of teen businesses that were created in college dorm rooms and other modest circumstances. Below are some of the most recognisable names in the industry:
- Facebook: Mark Zuckerberg and his friends started Facebook when he was a 19-year-old Harvard undergraduate.
- Dell: When Michael Dell was an undergraduate student at Texas University in 1984, he started upgrading computers for profit. He starting working full-time on his business when he was 19. Eventually, his company became the Dell Computer Corporation and then Dell Inc.
- Subway: Fred DeLuca opened the first Subway restaurant when he was 17. In 1965, Mr DeLuca needed extra money for college, so he decided to open his own business. Peter Buck, a family friend, lent him $1,000 and together, they opened Pete’s Super Submarines. A few years later, the company was rebranded and called Subway.
- Mashable: In 2005, Pete Cashmore created Mashable in Scotland when he was a teenager. The site was then a technology blog. Over the next few decades, Mr Cashmore has turned Mashable into a global media company.
- Oculus VR: Palmer Luckey founded Oculus VR in June 2012, when he was 19. In August that year, Oculus launched its Kickstarter campaign and raised more than $1 million in three days. Facebook bought Oculus for $2 billion two years later.
The specs
Engine: 3-litre twin-turbo V6
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Points about the fast fashion industry Celine Hajjar wants everyone to know
- Fast fashion is responsible for up to 10 per cent of global carbon emissions
- Fast fashion is responsible for 24 per cent of the world's insecticides
- Synthetic fibres that make up the average garment can take hundreds of years to biodegrade
- Fast fashion labour workers make 80 per cent less than the required salary to live
- 27 million fast fashion workers worldwide suffer from work-related illnesses and diseases
- Hundreds of thousands of fast fashion labourers work without rights or protection and 80 per cent of them are women
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Countries recognising Palestine
France, UK, Canada, Australia, Portugal, Belgium, Malta, Luxembourg, San Marino and Andorra
Ways to control drones
Countries have been coming up with ways to restrict and monitor the use of non-commercial drones to keep them from trespassing on controlled areas such as airports.
"Drones vary in size and some can be as big as a small city car - so imagine the impact of one hitting an airplane. It's a huge risk, especially when commercial airliners are not designed to make or take sudden evasive manoeuvres like drones can" says Saj Ahmed, chief analyst at London-based StrategicAero Research.
New measures have now been taken to monitor drone activity, Geo-fencing technology is one.
It's a method designed to prevent drones from drifting into banned areas. The technology uses GPS location signals to stop its machines flying close to airports and other restricted zones.
The European commission has recently announced a blueprint to make drone use in low-level airspace safe, secure and environmentally friendly. This process is called “U-Space” – it covers altitudes of up to 150 metres. It is also noteworthy that that UK Civil Aviation Authority recommends drones to be flown at no higher than 400ft. “U-Space” technology will be governed by a system similar to air traffic control management, which will be automated using tools like geo-fencing.
The UAE has drawn serious measures to ensure users register their devices under strict new laws. Authorities have urged that users must obtain approval in advance before flying the drones, non registered drone use in Dubai will result in a fine of up to twenty thousand dirhams under a new resolution approved by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai.
Mr Ahmad suggest that "Hefty fines running into hundreds of thousands of dollars need to compensate for the cost of airport disruption and flight diversions to lengthy jail spells, confiscation of travel rights and use of drones for a lengthy period" must be enforced in order to reduce airport intrusion.
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Stars:Robert Pattinson
Director:Matt Reeves
Rating: 5/5
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Empty Words
By Mario Levrero
(Coffee House Press)
Need to know
Unlike other mobile wallets and payment apps, a unique feature of eWallet is that there is no need to have a bank account, credit or debit card to do digital payments.
Customers only need a valid Emirates ID and a working UAE mobile number to register for eWallet account.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
