(MENAFN- Gulf Times) The Ministry of Public Health ( MoPH) has announced the launch of the annual vaccination campaign against tetanus, diphtheria, and whooping cough (Tdap) from mid-February in co-operation with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education and the Primary Health Care Corporation.
This year the campaign aims to vaccinate high school students in independent, private, and public schools in Qatar.
The campaign comes in line with the Qatar National Vision 2030 to improve the health of the population, and as part of MoPH's efforts to enhance the immunity of male and female students at this age, and in implementation of the recommendations of the World Health Organisation to take the vaccine against tetanus, diphtheria and whooping cough every 10 years as a booster dose.
Dr Hamad Eid al-Rumaihi, manager, Health Protection and Communicable Diseases Control Department MoPH, said: 'The implementation of the vaccination campaign against Tdap annually aims to enhance the immunity of male and female students, against these three diseases. The World Health Organisation recommends that the vaccination against the three diseases should be taken every 10 years as a booster dose.' He clarified that this comes within the framework of the periodic vaccination for adolescents and within the national immunisation schedule in Qatar.
Dr al-Rumaihi added that tetanus, diphtheria, and whooping cough are not spread in Qatar due to high vaccination coverage. However, he emphasised that attention should be paid to the seriousness of the three diseases which may cause serious complications including death or total disability to the person infected.
Mohamed Abdullah al-Maraghi, director, Health and Safety Department at the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, said that the annual campaign to vaccinate students against tetanus, diphtheria and whooping cough comes within the framework of continuous co-operation with MoPH.
Dr Soha Albayat, head of Vaccination at ministry of public health stated: 'The vaccine is not new, and it is part of the childhood vaccination programme, part of adolescent routine vaccination and it is a pre-entry requirement for most colleges both locally and internationally.'
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