Saudi Arabia: Parents Worried Over Shortage of MMR Vaccine in Hospitals

RIYADH, 25 December 2006 -- Parents, doctors and pharmacists have expressed concern over the acute shortage of MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine, which is administered to children around the age of one with a booster dose before starting school.

The vaccine has not been available for the last several weeks, say parents and local hospital workers.

"The MMR vaccine, one of the very important vaccines, is a mixture of live attenuated viruses, administered via injection for immunization," said Dr. Amjad Rana, chief of Medilink health services company, here yesterday.

Asked about the hospitals' refusal to vaccinate children because of the scarcity of the vaccine, Seema Farhad, a mother of three, said: "I was told to call and check about the availability of the MMR vaccine at the hospital only after two weeks from now."

"The case in other hospitals and clinics is the same," said a staff member of Thomairy National Clinic, when asked about the availability of the MMR vaccine.

But Dr. Khaled Al-Mirghalani, spokesman for the Ministry of Health, said: "All essential medicines and vaccines are available. The ministry recently finished the polio immunization and we take every care to ensure adequate supplies of vital medicines and vaccines."

Local hospitals, however, blamed the ministry for the lack of supply. A staffer of the local Zahrat Al-Rabwa Pharmacy also deplored the situation. He called on ministry officials to ensure the immediate availability of the vaccines.

Moreover, the parents are more concerned about the health and safety of their children.

"In fact, vaccines protect children by helping prepare their bodies to fight often serious, and potentially deadly diseases," said Seema.

She said that the vaccines are used to prevent diseases in the people who receive them and protect those who come into contact with unvaccinated individuals. She said that vaccines are responsible for the control of many infectious diseases that were once common in this part of the world, including polio, measles, diphtheria, whooping cough, rubella (German measles), mumps, tetanus, and hemophilus influenza.

"In fact, the MMR vaccine was introduced to induce immunity less painfully than three separate injections at the same time," she added.

As with all vaccinations, long-term effects and efficacy of MMR vaccines are also subject to continuing study.

By M. Ghazanfar Ali Khan