RIYADH, 11 June 2007 — In the midst of a large gathering of Saudi mothers yesterday, Princess Alia bint Abdullah inaugurated a vaccination campaign against pneumococcal infection.
Inaugurating the vaccination program at the Disabled Children’s Association (DCA) in Jeddah, Princess Alia stressed that Saudi parents should be aware of the importance of immunizing infants and young children against potentially debilitating and sometimes fatal vaccine-preventable diseases.
Under the program, healthy siblings from the age of six weeks to two years will be eligible to receive free vaccinations against the pneumococcal disease at the DCA headquarters in Jeddah today. The potentially life-threatening disease can result in disabilities such as hearing loss, mental retardation and paralysis.
“I believe there is no better legacy we can leave our children than immunity from diseases that can be prevented by available vaccines,” Princess Alia said. “Vaccination is one of the most effective ways of improving the overall health of Saudi infants and young children, and as parents, we must recognize that we have a responsibility to help protect our children against potentially devastating and disabling diseases,” she added.
“With the dramatic advancement in the provision of health care in the Kingdom, we believe that through awareness-building, education and community mobilization, we will reach a stage where our children are better protected against potentially fatal diseases,” the princess concluded.
In support of Princess Alia’s efforts to raise awareness about vaccine-preventable diseases, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals has donated its vaccine PREVENAR (Pneumococcal Saccharide Conjugated Vaccine, Adsorbed) for children participating in the free vaccination program to help protect them against invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD).
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that pneumococcal disease, which also can cause less serious, non-invasive conditions such as middle ear infection, results in up to one million deaths each year in young children around the world.
Pneumococcal disease remains the No. 1 vaccine-preventable cause of death in children younger than five years of age worldwide.
According to Ministry of Health sources, the incidence of Pneumococcal Meningitis is estimated to be 6.6/100,000 patient populations in children below the age of five, which translates to at least 185 cases of pneumococcal meningitis every year in that age group.
Considered to be among the greatest public health success stories in history, vaccines have resulted in the global eradication of smallpox, the disappearance of measles and polio from parts of the world, and substantial reductions in death and illness attributed to diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis. However, more than two million children below five still die each year from vaccine-preventable diseases worldwide.
