RIYADH, 27 August 2007 — Health Minister Dr. Hamad Al-Manie kick-started a nationwide campaign against measles on Saturday from his ministry headquarters here. To mark the event, the minister personally vaccinated schoolchildren and told them that their friends should follow suit to keep the nation free from measles.
Respective governors from various regions launched similar programs throughout the Kingdom. “Nine million vaccines targeting 6.5 million people have been made available from today in all the government and private health care centers for children and adults between the ages of nine months and 18 years,” Dr. Manie told Arab News, following the vaccination ceremony.
He added that the vaccines would be administered free-of-charge to nationals as well as expatriates. “We have also instructed our health regions to carry out an awareness program to persuade parents to get their children vaccinated within the targeted period. Also, our health officials will give their best cooperation to carry out this campaign successfully,” he said.
The minister explained that the first phase of the campaign, which began yesterday and will end on Nov. 12, is for children between the ages of nine months and six years. The second stage is for preschool, primary, intermediate, and secondary students and will begin on Oct. 22 and end on Nov. 21.
The minister urged all families to bring their children to medical centers for vaccinations. As many as 22,200 Health Ministry employees working in about 2,000 primary health care centers across the Kingdom will take part in the campaign. He also said his ministry is coordinating with the Education Ministry to carry out the second stage of the campaign in kindergartens and schools.
Al-Manie said the ministry has chalked out a comprehensive national plan, which will be executed earlier than the 2010 target agreed by regional health ministers in accordance with an agreement conducted in conjunction with the World Health Organization (WHO).
Dr. Osama Bakry Alsersawy, specialist in measles at the Ministry of Health, said children under nine months are not required to take the vaccine since infants derive immunity against measles from birth. “Others who have high fever could postpone their vaccination for a later date,” he said, stressing those who suffer from immune deficiency diseases such as HIV or similar congenital diseases and who are allergic to vaccines should refrain from this vaccination. “There is no harm in repeating the vaccine if a person had taken it earlier,” he said.
Measles is an acute viral contagious disease accompanied with fever, conjunctivitis, cough, and red skin ulcers starting on the face and covering all parts of the body from the third to the seventh days of infection. Other common complications are middle ear inflammation, pneumonia, broncholaryngitis, diarrhea and encephalitis.
There is no specific antiviral therapy for measles, and the basic treatment consists of providing necessary supportive therapy such as hydration and antipyretics and treating complications such as pneumonia.
At a function preceding the launch of the vaccination campaign, the health minister signed four agreements with private sector establishments for the construction of 440 primary health care (PHC) centers at a cost of SR1.844 billion. These clinics will be built in Riyadh, Qassim, Dammam, Al-Jouf, Jeddah, Makkah and Tabuk.
The private sector firms that took part in the signing ceremony included Al-Mansouryah Establishment for the construction of 161 clinics, Al-Arrab Contracting Company for 127 clinics and Mapagunal for Construction for 152 PHC centers.
“With the new contracts signed today, there are 1,100 new Primary Health Care Centers to be constructed within the next two years,” Dr. Khalid Al-Marghlani told Arab News yesterday.
