Lebanese Caretaker Minister Launches Awareness Campaign to Vaccinate Children against Measles and Childhood Diseases

Caretaker Minister of Public Health, Firas Al-Abyad, launched an awareness campaign to vaccinate children against measles and serious childhood diseases, under the title: “Our children’s lives are better without measles and without childhood diseases,” in a meeting at the ministry that coincided with the World Immunization Week.

During the meeting, it was emphasized that vaccination should not be neglected in order to preserve the health of children.

The meeting was attended by the UNICEF Representative in Lebanon, Edward Bejbedir, the representative of the World Health Organization in Lebanon, and a number of representatives of international and local partner organizations, the Vaccine Advisory Committee and relevant officials in the Ministry of Public Health.

The white minister pointed to “the need to fortify society.”

He pointed out that “the epidemiological surveillance program in the Ministry recently noticed the presence of foci of measles, including one in Greater Beirut, as well as cases of skin rashes, as it was found after reviewing the affected cases that there was a decline and leakage in the number of vaccinated children for several reasons, most notably the effects of the Corona epidemic.” and the repercussions of the current financial crisis.

And he stressed that “the hotspots that were exposed are for Lebanese citizens, which calls for sounding the alarm to limit the decline in the vaccination rate.”

Al-Abyadh stressed that the ministry, by securing the vaccine free of charge, “is making a great effort to raise the rate of immunization in Lebanese society, whether for citizens or residents.”

And he encouraged parents to “not neglect the vaccination of their children, their primary responsibility in this regard is to carry out their duties towards their children.”

He said, “There is no excuse at all when a child is lost or develops serious disease complications, for no reason other than not giving him the necessary vaccine in a timely manner, especially since the vaccine is free and available on all Lebanese territory.”

Al-Abyadh reminded that “primary health care centers spread across various Lebanese regions provide vaccinations, and parents can take their children to the center located in the area close to the place of residence,” adding that these centers “constitute the cornerstone of the strategic plan set by the Ministry, where an expansion of the care program will be launched.” At the beginning of next July, by using the World Bank loan to cover about one hundred and seventy thousand citizens with advanced health coverage through the program.

Al-Abyadh was keen to thank the Ministry’s working team on the issue of immunization, especially the epidemiological surveillance and vaccine programmes, as well as the various local and international partners, for all the efforts that are being made despite the extremely difficult circumstances in Lebanon.