Today's Edition
SAMI ABDEL RAOUF (DUBAI)
The UAE is constantly enhancing its polio surveillance system while maintaining 95% vaccination coverage against the debilitating disease. In an interview to Aletihad, a senior official of the Emirates Health Services (EHS), said the UAE officially eradicated the disease back in 2007, but health authorities continue to be on alert and health centres have been updated on the latest global protocols to combat the disease and on childhood vaccination.
Dr. Shamsa Lootah, Director of Public Health at the EHS, said vaccination is the best form of prevention against the disease. “Health facilities in the country administer routine childhood vaccinations, including the inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) and the oral polio vaccine (OPV). The OPV is taken orally as two small drops, and the IPV is administered via injection.
“This provides lifelong protection against the virus, and it is recommended to give children four doses as part of their routine vaccinations,” Dr Lootah added.
“The UAE is a leading country in combating polio through its initiatives and programmes,” Dr Lootah said. She said there is strong support for health institutions on preventive measures against the disease under the directives of President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
The EHS has played an important role in combating the disease in cooperation with its strategic partners since 1992. Thanks to its comprehensive disease surveillance system and preventive protocols, no case has been recorded in the country since 1992. This led to the official announcement in 2007 about the eradication of polio.
Dr Lootah lauded the leadership for supporting EHS campaigns which has led to intensive field work, increased surveillance and preventive measures over the years against the disease. All facilities of EHS provide vaccines to combat polio as part of the national immunisation programme.
Polio is a highly infectious infection caused by the poliovirus, and mostly affects children under the age of 5, but it can also infect any unvaccinated person, possibly leading to severe symptoms and complications. The virus spreads from person to person and can damage the human spinal cord, causing paralysis.
