UAE Ministry of Health organises awareness day to highlight importance of flu vaccination

ABU DHABI- The Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) has organised a series of activities to promote community awareness on the importance of taking flu vaccination as part of its National Seasonal Flu Awareness Campaign 2021.

Launched last September under the theme "Protect yourself... protect your community", the seasonal flu campaign aims to heighten community awareness, promote prevention methods, and encourage community members to take the seasonal flu vaccination.

The awareness day activities were attended by Dr. Hussein Abdul Rahman Al Rand, Assistant Under-Secretary for the Public Health Sector, and a number of senior officials and employees from the ministry as well as some families and children.

From lighting up Dubai frame with orange for two houses to holding a creativity activity for young children to enhance their awareness and foster their brainstorming skills through drawing, colours and kinetic games, the ministry’s activities targeted all segment of society. Other activities included displaying awareness and educational information.

on smart screens to highlight the importance of prevention methods and covey a clear message that the vaccination is the best medical intervention to prevent disease.

"Flu vaccines are safe and effective. They can curb the disease and its complications especially for individuals at risk of developing complications from influenza such as children under 5 years of age, the elderly, pregnant women, people with chronic diseases such as asthma, heart diseases, kidneys, liver, diabetes and pressure, and health workers," Dr. Hussein Al Rand said, urging all community members to take the vaccine and follow proper preventive habits to reduce the spread of seasonal influenza.

"The Ministry of Health pays utmost attention to diversifying awareness programmes about influenza, methods of prevention, and the importance of vaccination to cover most segments of society using innovative ways and means that suit every category", Al Rand further said, adding that the awareness day activities targeted all segments of society including children.

"The National Seasonal Flu Awareness Campaign is one of the most important annual events on the Ministry’s agenda. It was developed based on its strategy that focuses on raising the public awareness of disease prevention and encouraging people to take safe vaccinations to improve community health, develop the health system’s response to respiratory diseases and strengthen surveillance mechanisms. This would certainly improve the results of the strategic indicator of the vaccination coverage rate according to international standards," Al Rand said.