Children under five to receive polio boosters

Minister and medical professionals say latest immunisation campaign puts vigilance at heart of health strategy.

A doctor administers a polio vaccine to a Yemeni boy during an immunisation campaign in Sanaa. The UAE is watching regional trends in a disease it has eliminated. Mohammed Huwais / AFP

DUBAI // A national polio immunisation campaign was launched this month to provide boosters for children under five.

The Minister of Health, Abdul Rahman Al Owais, said that the UAE was polio-free and no cases had been registered since 1992, but that it was important to continue to implement the national immunisation campaign in all emirates.

This particular initiative provides an additional booster that will increase immunity in children, which is supplementary to the national immunisation campaign.

It targets newborns to five-year-olds. Children will receive two oral inoculation drops twice. The first dose of the vaccine will be administered from Sunday until November 27 and the second dose between January 11 and 22.

“The ministry prepared a clear strategy in November and December to target 416 children depending on the participation and coordination between all the partners of the campaign – distribution of work, transparency and participation and efforts to achieve successful results of the campaign.

“Our working plan includes supervision and follow-up from all the committees and includes regular visits to ensure the adequate implementation of the campaign”, Mr Al Owais said.

He said that the Ministry of Health was very keen to cooperate with the federal ministries and government authorities to provide comprehensive immunisation coverage for every child in the UAE.

“We have not seen any cases of polio in the UAE since 1992,” said Dr Farida Al Hosani, acting head of public health at Health Authority Abu Dhabi. “However, some cases of the disease have been found in a few countries in the region in the last couple of years. The World Health Organisation has emphasised greatly on immunisation, and thus we are having a mass immunisation programme for the first time in 10 years. People from all over the world are coming to the UAE, and we want to ensure that the immunity in the children is 100 per cent. We are polio-free but we want to make sure that the children are protected.”

Dr Al Hosani said that the number of children targeted by the campaign was based on population data.

“Two doses of the drops are recommended and the first dose will be given in November and the second in January. Nationals, residents and visitors are all being targeted,” she said. The vaccine is free for all.

Dr Hussein Al Rand, assistant undersecretary for clinics and health centres and chair of the organising committee, said that the purpose of the national immunisation campaign was to promote immunisation against polio, enhance immunisation to prevent the spread of disease among children, fight the entry of the virus into the UAE and achieve immunisation coverage for more than 90 per cent of the targeted population.

“The campaign targets 416 children in the UAE and there are 116 members in the immunisation teams,” said Dr Al Rand.

“All team members will work morning and evening shifts on the condition that they are organised by the Ministry of Health in cooperation with Abu Dhabi and Dubai Health Authorities.

“All our efforts will maintain the declaration that the UAE is polio free”, Dr Al Rand said.