www.issapharma.org > saudi arabia

  • Arab World raises swine flu (H1N1) precaution

    The 05 Jan. 2010 at 10:10Last newsComments (0)Add a comment

      Around 60,000 people were vaccinated against the H1N1 swine flu virus in Saudi Arabia since the campaign first started, with no side effects reported so far, the Saudi Health Ministry said.

     In a statement, the ministry urged parents to immediately immunize their children against swine flu to curb the disease from spreading in schools.

    The ministry also called on citizens and the expatriates of all ages to get the vaccine through the state's medical centers.

    The vaccine is safe, has no side effects, and is accredited by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the ministry added.

    The swine flu death toll in Saudi Arabia stands at 124, most of whom are children, youth, and pregnant women.

    The cases confirmed through laboratory tests have reached 15,500 and the clinically diagnosed cases are around 74,752.

    On the other hand, French Health Ministry announced that Qatar bought 300,000 vaccines against H1N1 virus.

    France is selling the redundant vaccines of its own stock.

    Health Ministry added in a statement that Egypt is discussing to buy two million vaccines, as well as other quantities for Mexico and Ukraine.

    The Ministry is willing to sell half of France's original stock of 94 million individual vaccinations which is more than the population, at the cost of 869 million euros.

    The statement added that since it launched the vaccination campaign against the disease last October, five million people have been vaccinated in France, adding that Germany and the Netherlands will also sell the excess of vaccines for the H1N1 disease.

    France has taken several measures to resist the H1N1 virus which, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), caused the deaths of more than 7,000 people in the world, where it also caused the closure of about 240 schools in the country.

    The Egyptian Ministry of Health announced four more deaths from the swine flu Influenza, H1N1, which pushed the number of fatalities in the country to 145 cases since the outbreak of the disease in Egypt in June of last year.

    A four-year-old female toddler died in Al-Minya governorate, while a man, 36, died in the governorate of Qina. Another man, 32, died in Al-Daqhiliya, and a woman, 36, died in Qina governorate as well, according to a statement by the ministry.

    The ministry is scheduled to start giving out swine flu vaccines to students after a 30 percent increase in the number of affected students in schools.

    Five swine flu fatalities were reported, bringing the total to 141.

    The Health Ministry revealed that the five victims included two women and three men.

    The H1N1 swine flu-causing virus was first reported in Egypt in June 2009.

    In Algeria, Five H1N1 fatalities were reported in Algeria Friday with the number of deaths reaching 47 cases while infections were at 746 cases.

    The Algerian Health Ministry said in a statement that four deaths were reported in Blida province south of Algiers while one was registered in Khenchela province east of the capital.

    Meanwhile, the Health Ministry revealed that the anti-swine flu vaccine campaign had began Wednesday, adding that the campaign would mainly target those highly vulnerable to the disease.

    In Iran, No new swine flu cases have been reported lately, said Director of the Swine Flu Combat Committee Dr. Mahmoud Suroush.

    In a press release, he said that no new cases of swine flu had been reported lately in the country, thanks to the efforts of the Health Ministry and the people's keenness to follow precautionary measures.

    He also said that out of the 3,672 people who had been diagnosed and treated, there were only 140 deaths.

    The official also said that his country had imported the swine flu vaccine and that it would be administered to those most vulnerable to the virus, namely children, the elderly and those with chronic diseases.

    The world is expected to witness a third wave of the swine flu which will strike hard due to the drop in temperature during the winter, therefore the number of swine flu cases are due to increase worldwide.

    Meanwhile, WHO Director-General Margaret Chan said it was too early to say that the H1N1 pandemic was under control despite the low infection rates in some countries.

    The mutation of the virus was a matter hard to predict but WHO would have its eyes opened if such development accord, said Chan.

    by issa - tags : Saudi Arabia

  • saudia Arabia flu : People of all ages will be given H1N1 shots

    The 03 Jan. 2010 at 20:03Last newsComments (0)Add a comment

     

    RIYADH: With 15,500 cases of swine flu in the Kingdom, including 124 deaths, the Ministry of Health is to vaccinate people of all age groups against the flu at all Primary Healthcare Centers throughout the Kingdom beginning Jan. 9.

    “Considering the onset of the third wave of the flu which will be more severe than the past ones, we are embarking on a program to cover all people irrespective of their age groups,” said Khalid Al-Mirghalani, spokesman for the Ministry of Health.

    He added that 60,000 schoolchildren had been vaccinated since the ministry’s vaccination program for schoolchildren was launched on Dec. 19.

    However, sources at the Ministry of Health, said, “This little number constitutes only about 0.025 percent of the total population which is about 27 million.”

    The sources added that the ministry was facing difficulties in convincing Saudi citizens to take the vaccine “because they are apprehensive of its side effect.”

    Al-Mirghalani said the campaign started by focusing on kindergarten and primary school students and their teachers, as well as children with special needs.

    “We began the program among international school students this week,” he said.

    Al-Mirghalani indicated that the vaccine’s side effects are no different from those that occur on account of other vaccines given during childhood. He added that parents who have not given consent to their children to take the vaccination are getting panicky for no reason. “The vaccine is just like another seasonal flu dose,” he said.

    “We are not forcing parents to give their children the vaccine, but strongly advise them to do so as a preventive measure.”

    The possible post-vaccination effects include a dull pain, redness or swelling at the place where the injection is administered, headaches or muscle pain, or high temperature and nausea. The vaccination should not be given to those who are allergic to poultry products. The Ministry of Health last week conducted a special workshop for health officials who are dealing with parents, teachers and students as part of the program’s implementation.

    Arab News learned that many parents, including both Saudis and expatriates, were not enthusiastic in providing H1N1 vaccinations to their children after hearing reports about its harmful side effects.

    Saleh Bawazir, deputy chairman of the Saudi Food and Drugs Authority (SFDA), said the authority received 30 complaints of side effects from people who had the vaccination but none of them was serious. He said so far there were no strong reasons to doubt the safety of the vaccine.

    The SFDA and the World Health Organization have recommended that the vaccination is safe among people of all age groups.

    So far, over 65 million people in 45 countries have been vaccinated against the H1N1 virus without showing any serious side effects. The US has distributed 80 million doses among its citizens.

    by issa - tags : Saudi Arabia

  • Saudia Arabia flu :Parents boycott swine flu vaccine

    The 22 Dec. 2009 at 20:33Last newsComments (0)Add a comment

     

    JEDDAH // A nationwide programme to immunise five million schoolchildren against swine flu has been widely rejected by parents amid concerns over the effectiveness of the vaccine and its side effects.

    The vaccination campaign began on Saturday to try and halt the spread of the H1N1 virus which has killed 105 people from 14,500 confirmed cases in the kingdom since its outbreak, according to the latest official records.

     

    But in Jeddah, Saudi’s second largest city, just 300 of the 300,000 pupils registered in primary schools came forward to take the vaccine, Dr Sami Badawood, Jeddah’s health affairs director, told the Al Watan daily. The newspaper also reported that in the holy city of Medina, many children were absent from schools in the last two days as parents tried to avoid the immunisation programme.

    The situation in the southern Asir province was no different. Only 10 per cent of parents there allowed their children to take the vaccine, according to a second daily, Arab News.

     

    The widespread rejection of the immunisation came as the Saudi health ministry expects the number of swine flu cases to increase and the Saudi ministry of agriculture is also raising concerns over the possible spread of goat flu, also known as Q fever, to the kingdom. The virus has raised fears with health officials worldwide after it killed up to six people in Holland this year.

    Dr Badawood told Al Watan that he was disappointed with the low number of children who came forward to take the vaccine. He blamed the turnout on false information on the side-effects that have spread on the internet. Health officials have now moved to try and calm people’s fears and increase awareness of the vaccine but many remain sceptical.The school sent me a list of symptoms that might occur after the vaccination that includes paralysis, headache, and nausea. I can’t allow my children to become paralysed over a vaccination,” said Fatimah Asiri, a mother of four in Jeddah.

    “To make it even worse, the school said that they are not responsible for any harm that might occur to my children if they took the vaccination,” she added. “I’ll take my children to a hospital if I want to immunise them against swine flu and I’ll not take the risk at their school.”

    Saudi Arabia is providing five million swine flu vaccines to children of school age, one million to people with high risk of being infected, and four million to pilgrims this year to combat the spread of the virus.

    The kingdom, which has already seen a sharp decline in religious tourists over the first nine months of this year, faced a difficult Haj season as it announced the deaths of five pilgrims from swine flu this year.

     

    The Haj, one of the five pillars of Islam, and Umrah, the ongoing ritual, are extremely important to Saudi’s oil-dependent economy, which relies on religious tourism to diversify its income.

    “With the start of the autumn and winter seasons, we expect to see an increase in the swine flu cases based on our experience with the disease over the last six month in many other countries,” Ziad Maimash, the deputy minister of health for contagious diseases, said in an interview published yesterday in Al Watan. Mr Maimash said that he couldn’t give an exact number or percentage for the increase in the cases but he said the ministry had made public announcements over the past three weeks stating that it had witnessed an increase in the number of people infected.

     

    Mr Maimash said the immunisation campaign will help reduce the number of infections and stop the spread of the virus. However, he explained that the vaccine will not be available to every one at the moment as the number of available vaccines is limited and there are delays in delivery and production.

    Speaking on the efficacy of the vaccine, Mr Maimash said it had been approved by the Saudi Food and Drug Authority and that the ministry of health had imported the vaccine from three producers among the only five producers approved by the World Health Organisation.

     

    The minister of health, Abdullah al Rabeeah, even took the vaccine along with his children at the start of the school year in front of local media in an attempt to encourage parents to join the immunisation drive, but his efforts appear to have been in vain.

    Yahya Subhan, a school principal in Asir province, blamed the government for the low numbers. “Why is there a clause in the consent form saying the ministry of health or ministry of education are not responsible in the event of a serious complication or death occurring after taking the vaccine,” Arab News quoted him as saying.

     

    Meanwhile, the minister of agriculture Fahad Balghunaim yesterday said Saudi Arabia had not suffered any cases of goat flu, but that did not make the kingdom insulated from the spread of the disease.

    Mr Balghunaim told the Okaz newspaper that the ministry is taking precautions against the disease and it will ban the imports of animals from all countries where the disease has occurred.

    Goat flu is caused by a bacterium which passes to humans from goats and sheep. In humans, it causes flu-like symptoms and in rare cases can be fatal. It caused the death of six Dutch farm workers this year.

     

    According to a BBC report last week, Dutch authorities are to slaughter 34,000 pregnant goats, and a further 1,200 male goats, to stop an outbreak of the fever spreading to humans.

    by issa - tags : Saudi Arabia

  • Riyadh : vaccination of students to start Dec. 19

    The 13 Dec. 2009 at 19:21Last newsComments (0)Add a comment

    RIYADH: The Ministry of Health announced on Saturday that it would launch a nationwide swine-flu vaccination campaign among students on Dec. 19.

    “The initial target of the campaign will be primary and kindergarten children and those with special needs, as well as teachers,” the announcement said.

    The vaccination is not compulsory and requires parental consent. However, the ministry stressed that the vaccine is perfectly safe and it strongly urged patents to agree to the vaccine because a third wave of the global swine flu pandemic is expected this winter.

    However, in some cases, recipients of the vaccine will exhibit minor symptoms, such as redness around the injection area, minor muscle pain or headaches.

    Any symptoms will abate within 24 to 48 hours after the injection. The vaccine should not be administered to those who have allergic reactions to eggs.

    The campaign is being conducted in coordination with the Ministry of Education and will target students at all levels.

    The ministry said that this campaign is the second stage of the approved national plan to vaccinate the nation against swine flu.

    The first stage was implemented before the beginning of the Haj season and allocated to people involved in pilgrimage activities, like health workers, local pilgrims, and most vulnerable groups of people in Makkah and Madinah, as well as pregnant women and children under the age of six.

    The elderly, and persons with respiratory or cardiovascular problems would also be given priority. So far, over 65 million people around the world have taken the vaccine and show no severe complications resulting from the treatment.

    by issa - tags : Saudi Arabia

Suscribe to this blog


compteurs visite