Saudi launches kingdom-wide flu vaccination drive

November 5, 2014

Riyadh, Nov 5: The Ministry of Health will launch a Kingdom-wide vaccination campaign against the seasonal flu today.

Health Ministry Spokesman Dr. Khalid Al-Mirghalani said the vaccination is suitable for people of all age groups including health officials, pregnant women, patients suffering from chronic diseases such as diabetes, renal problems, heart and thoracic diseases.

The flu shots will be available in all government hospitals and some 2,000 primary health care centers free-of-charge throughout the country. Health officials will visit schools to vaccinate children in the institutions. He added that the ministry would also carry out a health awareness campaign aimed at educating the masses on the importance of such vaccines during the onset of winter.

Speaking to Arab News, the director general of the Jeddah Directorate of Health Affairs in Jeddah, Dr. Sami Ba-Dawood, said the program is targeted to combat seasonal influenza that erupts during the cold season. However, he added that the seasonal flu can have other interactions with viruses such as MERS. “A timely flu shot could help prevent from influenza as well as it could prevent serious consequences of the fever,” he added.

Influenza is a serious disease that can lead to hospitalization and sometimes even death. Every flu season is different, and an influenza infection can affect people differently. Even healthy people can get very sick from the flu and spread it to others. Over a period of 31 seasons between 1976 and 2007, estimates of flu-associated deaths in the United States range from a low of about 3,000 to a high of about 49,000 people.

During a regular flu season, about 90 percent of flu-related deaths occur in people 65 years and older. “Flu season” in the United States can begin as early as October and last as late as May.

Meanwhile, the ministry announced two more fresh cases of MERS corona virus in Riyadh on Tuesday, bringing the total to 793 during the past two years.

Since June 2012, 338 MERS-related deaths were reported in the Kingdom. According to reports, the total number of people who recovered fully from the disease stood at 440, while 15 are currently receiving treatment in hospitals in various parts of the Kingdom.

The most recent MERS patients were a Saudi woman and an expatriate man, who were aged 31 and 33, respectively, in the capital. The majority of the recent MERS cases occurred in Taif, Madinah, Riyadh, Jeddah, Al-Jouf, Najran, Hofuf, Hafr Al-Batain and Jubail.

In consideration of the rise in sporadic cases of the virus in some parts of the Kingdom, the ministry has reiterated its appeal to the public to take preventive measures against the virus. It has advised people to avoid contact with camels and refrain from visiting MERS infected persons. Basic hygiene such as handwashing should be strictly followed before meals.

The ministry launched a Kingdom-wide awareness campaign on MERS corona virus in cooperation with the World Health Organization directly after Labor Minister Adel Fakeih took over duties as acting health minister.

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Israel launches bloody ground offensive into Gaza’s Jabalia refugee camp

News Network

May 12,2024

Israeli military tanks have started to go deeper into the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza as part of a ground offensive months after claiming Hamas had been “dismantled” in the area.

Israeli forces are “carpet-bombing” the eastern areas of Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, killing and wounding several Palestinians, Al-Jazeara reported citing local sources on Sunday.

Israeli military tanks have advanced further into the Jabalia refugee camp, crossing Salah al-Din Street amidst ongoing battles with Hamas fighters, reports added.

Media quoted eyewitnesses as saying that the tanks are surrounding evacuation centers and residential buildings in the densely populated area, leading to mass evacuations and displacement towards the western part of Gaza City.

Also, Israeli drones targeted ambulances near the clinic run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in Jabalia, according to Mahmoud Basal, the spokesperson for the civil defense directorate in Gaza.

Basal stated that emergency crews in Rafah, al-Zaytounm, al-Sabra, and Jabalia have been inundated with distress calls, confirming that these areas were subjected to overnight bombardment.

Shortage of oxygen for patients

Imad Abu Zayda, an emergency doctor in Jabalia, warned of the critical conditions prevailing there due to the recent Israeli aggression in the area.

“No light due to the lack of fuel and there’s no medical supplement available as Israel has expanded their operation in the area. We have no oxygen to give to patients,” he said.

He added that the majority of those injured are children and women, and the medical team is grappling with limited resources to provide essential care.

All hospitals in the northern Gaza Strip are now out of service, following a warning from the UN about the risk of running out of fuel in hospitals across the region.

Israel’s closure of the Rafah crossing has also prevented aid trucks from entering the area since May 5.

The Jabalia refugee camp, established in 1948 to accommodate Palestinians who were displaced after the Nakba, or catastrophe, which refers to the ethnic cleansing of Palestine in 1948, has become the most densely populated refugee camp in the Gaza Strip.

With over 750,000 Palestinians forcefully displaced, this camp stands as a testament to the birth of Israel in 1948.

Since the start of the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip on October 7, Israeli forces carried out several attacks on Jabilia camp, leaving it in ruins by intense bombardment.

In early February, Israeli forces withdrew from the camp claiming it had destroyed Hamas as a fighting force in the northern areas.

On Saturday, the Israeli military ordered residents of the Jabalia Refugee Camp to evacuate “immediately”, as it prepares to launch military operations against Hamas.

However, the displaced residents have no place to seek refuge, as the UN reports a severe famine in the region.

Since the start of the offensive, the Tel Aviv regime has killed more than 34,971 Palestinians and injured more than 78,641 others, mostly women and children.

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