DOHA: The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) has launched its annual vaccination campaign, targeting Year 10 students to protect them against tetanus, diphtheria, and whooping cough (Tdap).
This initiative is being implemented in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education and the Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC).
The school-based vaccination campaign is a recognised strategy by the World Health Organization (WHO) to protect individuals from these diseases. The WHO recommends a booster dose of the vaccine every 10 years to maintain immunity.
The MoPH and its partners have initiated campaign activities in government, private, and community schools. Notifications have been distributed to parents to obtain their consent for their children to receive the vaccine.
As part of the initiative, the MoPH organised an awareness workshop on January 15, with participation from a large number of medical and nursing staff from the Ministry, PHCC, as well as nurses from government, private, and community schools across Qatar.
The workshop aimed to enhance awareness among medical and nursing staff working in schools on the importance of the Tdap vaccine in combating tetanus, diphtheria, and whooping cough. During the session, participants were updated on the latest scientific and practical developments regarding the vaccine and briefed on the administrative arrangements to ensure the campaign’s success and the achievement of its objectives.
Director of the Health Protection and Communicable Diseases Control Department at MoPH, Dr Hamad Eid Al Romaihi stated, "The Ministry implements the annual school vaccination campaign against tetanus, diphtheria, and whooping cough to prevent these diseases, strengthen students’ immunity, and provide a safe and healthy educational environment free from diseases and epidemics."
Dr Al Romaihi further explained that the booster dose is an integral part of the routine vaccination under Qatar’s national immunisation schedule for children and adolescents. He emphasised that receiving this vaccine is essential for strengthening immunity against these diseases, highlighting that the vaccine used in the campaign is both highly effective and completely safe.
The MoPH has urged parents to encourage their children to take advantage of this opportunity to receive the vaccine.
Vaccination plays a vital role in safeguarding their health and preventing these serious infectious diseases, which can lead to death or disability. Furthermore, proof of vaccination against these diseases is often a requirement for admission to many local and international universities.
