Flu vaccine optional for children, says Dubai health official

Dubai A senior doctor with the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) has said that the H1N1 vaccine is optional for schoolchildren.

But Dr Hamid Y. Hussain, Supervisor of the School Health Community Programme, recommended that children be given the vaccine.

Dr Hussain said a training programme in nearly 160 private schools had been completed recently and now all H1N1 teams in schools were ready to handle an outbreak.

Each team includes a science teacher, a physical education teacher, an administrator, a nurse and a doctor.

Guidelines

They have been asked to follow national guidelines to reduce the risk of infection.

He said schools also bore a certain amount of responsibility in educating their pupils about the precautions they should take to avoid the risk of infection.

"Therefore, we at the community health section have strongly emphasised the role that schools play to protect the health of their students," he said.

The doctor, who is also with the Primary Health Care Sector at the Health Authority, said schools have been advised not to keep children who have been infected with the flu in isolation for long.

Parents

"The parents should be contacted quickly so that they can take the child to the doctor," he said.

He added that those pupils who have health cards would be treated free-of-charge at DHA clinics and hospitals.

People at higher risk from the virus, such as pregnant women and those with chronic diseases, would be given the vaccine first.