Health Minister Launched Children National Vaccination Campaign from Sweida

SWEIDA,(ST)_ Minister of Health Dr. Saad al-Nayef stressed ministry’s care  to provide  best and necessary vaccines for children according to set  national vaccination program ,which includes 10 vaccines against 11 diseases . 

In a statement during the launch of the national campaign to vaccinate children in the second  health center, in Sweida on Sunday  said  that the campaign, which target  children under the age of five provides protection for children from  dangerous early childhood diseases , causing disability and even death ,pointing out that the vaccine is for  free and is available in fixed health centers and mobile clinics, and  through mobile teams. 

The Minister continued that targeted children will be immunized by oral  polio vaccine , while  dropouts children  who did not take measles vaccine in 2012 will be vaccine against  measles, rubella, mumps, pointing out that the campaign is carried out through  all health centers ,26  mobile medical clinics mobile and dozens of  medical teams covering  various provinces.

“The vaccine is safe and has no side effects ,” the minister said , adding that   during the previous vaccination campaign more  than 1.5  million were immunized. 

The Minister continued that  over the last ten years, the  national vaccination program in Syria occupied  a key position among vaccination programs in Eastern Mediterranean Region countries of the World Health Organization (WHO) , but vaccine coverage decreased as a result of current conditions from over  95 percent to about 90 percent, as many  health centers  were destroyed and the difficult  access to certain areas. 

Head of Sweida ‘s Health Department Dr Nahida Nasr said  that the polio and measles vaccine campaign  target 43 . 260 children in the province, including 33 thousand school children, noting that it includes children from age day and up to five years for polio oral , children aged 9 months to 10 years of measles vaccine , while children at  temporary accommodation centers aging  between six months and 15 years for measles vaccine and children under five years of polio. 

The Health Ministry launched yesterday (Sunday) in all its health centers a national vaccination campaign targeting children under school age , coinciding  with the World Immunization Week.

According to  Dr. Nidal Abu Rashid Director of the National Immunization Program at the ministry the vaccine is safe and does not have any significant side effects, noting that the vaccine is for free and available in main  health centers.

The aim of the campaign which will continue until April 29th , added  Dr. Abu Rashid  is to increase health awareness in the community about the importance of the vaccine in protecting children from serious diseases and maintain a national vaccination program as a priority of  decision makers.

 Worthy mentioning, that the national vaccination program in Syria, launched in 1978 provided protection for millions of children and achieved many successes, including the eradication of polio, as no local polio case was reported since 1995 and the elimination of neonatal tetanus in 1997 while great strides were achieved  in the elimination of measles.

Highlighting the World Immunization Week, WHO confirms that  immunization prevents  two to three million deaths each year , debilitating diseases,  and disabilities and deaths from diseases that can be prevented with vaccines such as diphtheria, hepatitis (A and B),  measles, mumps, pneumococcal disease, polio and diarrhea caused by rotavirus, tetanus and yellow fever.

T. Fateh