QNA
DOHA
The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) will commence the annual vaccination campaign against tetanus, diphtheria and whooping cough (Tdap) in private and community schools today, and in government schools on January 28.
The campaign, which is being carried out in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education and the Primary Health Care Corporation, aims to vaccinate 10th-grade male and female students in public, private and community schools in Qatar.
Dr Hamad Eid Al Rumaihi, director of the Health Protection and Non-Communicable Diseases Department at the Ministry of Public Health, said that vaccination against tetanus, diphtheria and whooping cough (Tdap) is done annually to strengthen the immunity of male and female students, as the World Health Organization recommends that the vaccine against the three diseases should be taken every 10 years as a booster dose.
He added that Qatar does not suffer from the spread of tetanus, diphtheria and whooping cough thanks to the high level of vaccination coverage, but attention must be paid to the seriousness of the three diseases, which may cause severe complications for anyone infected with any of them.
Dr Rumaihi explained that the Tdap vaccination is not considered a new vaccination, especially since this dose comes within the framework of periodic vaccinations for adolescents within the series of basic vaccinations schedule in force in Qatar and the requirements for enrolment in local or international universities.
The Ministry of Public Health has called on parents and guardians of male and female students to urge their children to get the vaccination because it has a significant impact on enhancing their health and protecting them from diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough.