RIYADH: The Ministry of Health in conjunction with the Ministry of Education has sent 10 million forms to parents and guardians of schoolchildren to obtain consent to vaccinate their children from swine flu.
The forms are being distributed as part of a swine flu immunization campaign targeting the Kingdom’s 30,000 schools that is to begin on Saturday.
An official from the Ministry of Education said that the vaccination would initially be administered to primary and kindergarten children, those with special needs and teachers.
“International schools would be considered during the second phase of the vaccination campaign,” he said, adding that there is no deadline to return forms.
Moiz Al-Qahtani, supervisor general of foreign schools in Riyadh, told Arab News that his department has taken adequate measures to combat the disease in international schools until children are vaccinated. “We will concentrate on vaccination when our turn comes,” he added.
Ziad Al-Memish, deputy minister for preventive medicine, said the vaccination is not compulsory, adding that the ministry strongly urges parents to agree to the vaccine because a third wave of the global swine flu pandemic is expected this winter.
Stressing that the vaccine is perfectly safe, he said students at all levels would be covered during the campaign in all governorates. “It would take some time to cover the entire segment of the student population since we are doing it in various phases,” he said.
Ministry of Health spokesman Khaled Al-Mirghalani said that the vaccine is just like any other seasonal flu dose. “We are not forcing parents to give their children these doses. But we strongly advise them to do so as a preventive measure,” he said.
“So far, over 65 million people in 45 countries have taken the vaccine during the past few weeks and showed no adverse side effects. The United States has distributed 80 million doses among its citizens,” he said.
The first stage of the Kingdom’s swine flu vaccination program was implemented before the beginning of the Haj season and allocated to people involved in activities relating to the Haj, such as health workers, local pilgrims, and vulnerable people in Makkah and Madinah, as well as pregnant women and children under the age of six.
Elderly people and those with respiratory or cardiovascular problems were also given priority. He indicated that the side effects of the vaccine are no different from those that occur from other vaccines given during childhood.
The possible postvaccination effects include a dull pain, redness or swelling on the skin where the injection is administered, headaches, muscle pains, high temperatures and nausea. “The vaccination should not be administered on persons who are allergic to poultry products,” he said.
Dr. Amin Mishkas, director of infectious diseases at the Ministry of Health, said that the ministry had successfully conducted a workshop for health officials participating in the campaign.
“The contingent was told how to deal with parents, teachers and students in the implementation of the program.”
