His Excellency the Minister of Health, Dr. Tawfiq bin Fawzan Al-Rabiah, has lauded the success achieved in the Seasonal Flu Vaccination Campaign for the winter season 1437H, which was launched by the Ministry of Health (MOH) and covered all regions and provinces of the Kingdom.
This came during his patronage yesterday of a ceremony honoring a number of outstanding health directorates and other sectors participated in the activities of this campaign. Al-Rabiah extended his thanks to all parties which have a tangible impact on the success of the campaign, by the grace of Allah, and urged everyone to double efforts to enhance the awareness programs and health promotion; in an endeavor to maintain the health and safety of all community members.
A number of health affairs directorates in Riyadh Region and the Eastern Region have been honored for achieving the highest number of vaccination of other groups, while Jazan, Al-Qunfudah and Al-Baha regions for achieving the highest rate of coverage of the total number of people getting vaccination out of the total population, and Najran and Assir regions for the efforts they exerted (despite the circumstances prevailing in the southern border region). Within the same vein, Makkah and Medina regions have achieved the highest coverage rate for the health workers as a whole and for the health workers from other regions during the Hajj season, in addition to their rapid response, while Jeddah province has been distinguished by the coverage of the targeted groups. Besides, the honoring included he Saudi Pediatric Infectious Disease Society (SPIDS), the Saudi Society of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Disease (SSMMID), and a number of the MOH's departments, such as the Health Awareness and Health Promotion, the Public Relations and Media, the National Center for Awareness and Health Promotion, the Medical Supply and National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI).
Furthermore, the honoring included some governmental and private hospitals, such as King Khalid University Hospital at King Saud University, King Abdulaziz Medical City at the National Guard, King Faisal Specialist Hospital, King Saud Medical City, Dallah Hospital, Al-Mana General Hospital and the International Medical Center.
It is worth mentioning that during the Seasonal Flu Vaccination Campaign for the years (1436-1437H), the accumulated number of people getting vaccinated amounted to a total of 1,876,182 persons out of the number of targeted groups and other groups (totaling 2,246,240), the number of children (aged 6 months to 5 years) getting vaccinated amounted to 295,421 out of the targeted number (totaling 727,576), the number of pregnant women getting vaccinated amounted to 86,645 out of the targeted number (totaling 111,035), and the number of the elderly getting vaccinated amounted to 144,927 out of the targeted number (totaling 170,089).
Over and above, the number of patients with chronic diseases getting vaccinated amounted to 634,640 out of the targeted number (totaling 647,774) and the number of the health workers getting vaccinated amounted to 183,089 out of the targeted number (totaling 219,708), and thus brings the coverage rate of those people getting vaccinated from the targeted groups and other groups, during the national flu vaccination campaign for the years 1436-1437H, to 41% of children, 78% of pregnant women, 83% of health workers, 85% of the elderly and 98% of people with chronic diseases.”