His Excellency Minister of Education, Prince Faisal bin Abdullah, and his Excellency Health Minister, Dr. Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al-Rabeeah, have launched on Sunday afternoon, the comprehensive National Campaign for Immunization against Measles, Rubella and Mumps. The Prince called upon all the employees of his ministry, working at different levels of education, both public and private, to cooperate and take over their responsibilities in the implementation of this campaign.
It didn't escape his notice to point out that the colleagues at the School Health Department play a significant role. To launch such a campaign should not come as a surprise, he added, wishing good luck for all the contributors, and that God will help conquer these diseases very soon.
The Minister of Education made clear that his ministry has made unremitting efforts to safeguard the health and safety of students. It is working on the implementation of numerous health programs, in cooperation with the relevant authorities. Meanwhile, he called upon all parents to contribute to and interact with this campaign, in an endeavor to make it a success and achieve its objectives. He finally expressed his appreciation for the efforts exerted by the Ministry of Health in this respect.
He added that he is proud of all the success the Kingdom achieved with regard to the immunization programs, which aim to build healthy and well-built generations, capable of contributing to the service of this generous country.
The Health Minister, for his part, explained that by launching the comprehensive National Campaign for Immunization against Measles, Rubella and Mumps, the ministry aims to raise awareness of the importance of vaccinations for health protection and disease prevention for both adults and children.
He also expressed his admiration and valuation of the health services in our dear country, that receive unlimited support and unending care from our wise government under the leadership of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, His Highness the Crown Prince, and His Highness the Second Deputy Premier – may Allah bless them all.
This support and this care had a remarkable impact in improving the level of health services and achieving the aspirations of the governors: extending health care coverage to include all parts of our beloved Kingdom, and granting our citizens high-quality health services wherever he traveled, through an integrated system of health facilities.
In line with this generous patronage, and proceeding from the active role the Ministry of Health plays in maintaining the health and safety of the children of the Kingdom, Al-Rabeeah added, the Ministry paid great attention to the program of immunization and made vaccination an essential part of health care programs. It should be noted that Saudi Arabia is one of the first countries that introduced vaccines, and has made – Thank God! – tremendous success in this area (rates of immunization coverage mounted to over 97%). Furthermore, we have been capable of controlling of polio, insomuch as it has been declared that the Kingdom is entirely free of it.
He also pointed out that the campaign is a continuation of the efforts exerted by the Ministry of Health with the aim of declaring the Kingdom to be free of measles, rubella and mumps before long, God willing, In accordance with the global commitment to eliminate measles in the Eastern Mediterranean Region of WHO, which the Kingdom is part of, by the year 2015. This leans to studies prepared in this area by experts and specialists of the National Committee for Immunization, affiliated to the ministry, as well as the experts of WHO and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), USA.
This is because, during the continuous follow up of the concerned authorities in the Ministry of Health, a number of diseased conditions have been discovered in some regions and provinces in all age groups, particularly school and university age. This campaign will be implemented in coordination with the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Higher Education.
The Health Minister, Dr. Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al-Rabeeah, called upon all citizens throughout the Kingdom to comply with this campaign and cooperate with the Ministries of Education and Health, pointing out that this campaign will have a positive impact for the disposal of three major diseases in the world. The Kingdom will be one of the leading countries in this respect, and will, protect its citizens from these diseases. In few years, God willing, we will be celebrating this campaign as a substantial part of our history.
Al-Rabeeah added that the ministry aims to completely get rid of these diseases on the course of the upcoming three years, pointing out that the rate is currently very low, as no more than 300 cases are discovered a year, which is truly low.