It has been learned that many parents in the UAE are worried and confused about how to administer the MMR and meningitis vaccinations to their children, with some parents even unaware they’re two separate vaccinations.
Gems Wellington International School Pediatrician Dr. David Egbert, said he had an influx of calls from concerned parents asking to hold off on the MMR vaccination in order to prioritise the meningococcal meningitis one.
“There is no need to hold off on one or the other,” said the doctor. “It is important for parents to know that both vaccinations can be administered either on the same day. However, if this isn’t possible they must then be administered four to six weeks apart.”
He also added that meningococcal meningitis is only one out of three types of Meningitis. Read our Parents' quick quide to Meningitis.
While a circular from the Dubai Health Authority sent to schools and parents this morning reads “there are no confirmed cases of meningococcal meningitis in Dubai”, many parents have said they simply don’t want to take a chance and will have their children vaccinated anyway.
MMR which stands for measles, mumps and rubella (German measles) is a vaccination that has already been scheduled for children in schools across Dubai. No ‘M’ in the MMR stands for ‘meningitis’ as is believed by a worrying number of parents.
Dubai mum Yousra Totah who has three children studying at the Gems Jumeirah Primary School said her kids had already received the MMR vaccination, but on her last visit to the pediatrician she was told to have the Meningitis vaccination administered too.
“I believe the DHA should take immediate action when things like this happen and reach out to parents who will naturally panic; I didn’t know who to call or where to go,” she said. “Also we can’t be expected to know the difference between all these vaccinations; details should be made clear to us.”
Another Dubai mum of two, Marwa Elsayed said her daughter aged 8 studying in Choueifat School will be receiving both vaccinations on Sunday, while her son studying at Gems Metropole in Motor City, will first receive his MMR vaccination and then a month later, his Meningococcal Meningitis vaccination.
“It’s better to be safe that sorry,” insists Elsayed who seemed quite distraught. “I would rather get both vaccinations and be able to sleep at night.”
Filipina mother of three Tweeny, whose kids go to St Mary’s School Dubai, admits to being confused about which vaccination to prioritise.
“I’d like my kids to get all the shots required. At the moment, we simply go by the schedule that had beed prescribed by the school and are on their vaccination cards,” she said, but also added that with Meningitis on the cards, she may go for that instead.
Tweeny also calls for the authorities to establish better communication channels with parents saying “timely communication is highly important,” and with their access to social media, it shouldn’t be difficult to implement.
Parents can contact the DHA on the following enquiry numbers
• DHA 800342( DHA)
• Mr. Islam Abdulrahman 056 225 3800
• Preventive services on call doctor 056 225 6769
