No shortage of measles vaccines in the UAE
Children given one dose at one year and a booster after two years
Dubai: There is no shortage of vaccines for measles in the UAE and most parents comply with the vaccination schedules for their children, said a top UAE paediatrician.
Dr Tanmay Amladi, paediatrician from Prime Health care clinic at Motor City told Gulf News: “The Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccine is administered together.
"A child gets his first dose immediately after his first birthday and a booster dose is given usually anytime between 18 months to five years of age.”
The vaccination schedule is followed by all hospitals and health centres as per the directives of the Dubai Health Authority in Dubai, the Department of Health, Abu Dhabi and Ministry of Health and Prevention and between these three all the emirates are covered.
When a child is born, he or she is issued a vaccination card at the hospital with the doctors and nurses educating the parents of the child about the vaccination schedule for the child.
The same card is transferred to the school where the child is enrolled and the vaccination schedule is followed by the school health clinic and the record is periodically updated.
Dr Amladi said that all vaccinations were covered by the insurances and in case of parents who were unable to get the mandatory health insurance cover for their newborn, cash payment was facilitated. “The vaccinations cost approximately Dh50 and are not so expensive to deter a parent from paying for them.”
Talking about recurrence of measles in some countries that were declared measles-free earlier, Dr Amladi said: “Most parents are educated and aware about the vaccination schedules including that of MMR. If a parent is not fulfilling the schedule it is because of deliberate omission.
"These vaccines work perfectly in building up the immunity of the child and controlling any outbreak. Some years ago, there was an outbreak of measles in Disneyland, Florida, in the United States. There are two pro and anti-vaccination lobbies.
"The anti-vaccination lobby believes that the vaccinations are unnecessary jabs being administered to the child for commercial gains of some pharmaceutical industries and these companies are compromising the natural immunity of the child.
"Whereas the pro-vaccination lobby knows and believes in the importance of vaccination to create to strengthening the individual and herd immunity of the community against deadly diseases like polio, diphtheria, measles, mumps and the like.