RIYADH, 5 March 2007 — The World Health Organization (WHO) issued a certificate of appreciation yesterday commending the Kingdom for having been a polio-free nation since 1995.
Dr. Hussein Gezairy, the director general of Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office (EMRO) of WHO, presented the certificate to Health Minister Dr. Hamad Al-Manie at a ceremony at the Marriott Hotel on Saturday.
The Saudi Post issued a stamp to mark the occasion.
Children entertained the audience with songs and dances, while a Saudi poetess, Noura Al-Ghanim, gave a recitation hailing the efforts made by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah to make Saudi Arabia a healthy nation.
Health officials, including the National Polio Coordinator Dr. Amin Mishkhas, were presented certificates of merit for their respective contributions to polio elimination in the Kingdom. The health minister also inaugurated a website for polio which will provide information on how to prevent the disease.
While commending the remarkable achievement made by the Kingdom in becoming a polio-free nation, Dr. Gezairy said Saudi Arabia initiated an intensive campaign to keep polio out of the country in 1968 and subsequently made polio vaccinations compulsory for all infants in 1979. In 1989, the Kingdom signed an agreement with WHO to undertake a comprehensive vaccination against childhood diseases, including polio.
“We are proud of this great achievement and we are thankful to all those who were responsible for the success,” Dr. Al-Manie said, adding that the former health ministers who held office in the Kingdom contributed toward the success.
“We would not have achieved this if it had not been for the cooperation of the parents who followed the Health Ministry’s advice,” he said.
The minister pointed out that the Kingdom is one of the first Arab countries in the region to have undertaken an intensive campaign against this disease which can paralyze children for life.
Answering a question, the minister said that there was no chance for the disease to come through Haj or Umrah pilgrims since the ministry takes measures to keep the disease out of the Kingdom. “We have imposed compulsory vaccinations on children from countries where the disease is endemic.”
Speaking to Arab News, Dr. Mishkhas said it was good news to all health officials who had worked hard toward this goal. Explaining the nature of the disease, he said it mainly affects children under five years of age.
“It is a highly infectious disease caused by a virus. It invades the nervous system, and can cause total paralysis in a matter of hours. The virus enters the body through the mouth and multiplies in the intestine,” he said, adding that the initial symptoms are fever, fatigue, headache, vomiting, stiffness in the neck and pain in the limbs.
“The Kingdom’s efforts toward the prevention of polio should be highly commended. Yesterday’s celebration is the result of persistent efforts of the health officials who have done an excellent job despite the increasing population in the country,” said Dr. Awad Mukhtar, resident representative of WHO.
