DAMMAM: The annual campaign of the Ministry of Health (MOH) to vaccinate schoolchildren against measles, mumps, meningitis and polio has started in the Eastern Province. MOH teams are currently visiting schools in the region, including expatriate international schools, to provide free vaccinations. Schoolchildren aged four to six are the target of the vaccination campaign, according to MOH officials who are touring the region. “Children in this age bracket are receiving the MMM (measles-mumps-meningitis) and polio vaccine for the first time, which is why it is essential that we visit all the schools in the region to identify these students,” said the head of the MOH team that visited the Al-Andalus International School in Al-Khobar, Sunday. Children who are vaccinated will be issued an MOH card indicating the kind of vaccines they have received, the date of the vaccination, their age when the vaccination was administered, and other information about them. MOH cards are kept with the school for the future reference of other MOH teams. “The vaccination of schoolchildren, irrespective of their nationalities, is one of the mandates of the Ministry of Health in providing healthcare to all the residents of this country,” the MOH team leader said.
