KUWAIT, April 12 (KUNA) -- The Kuwaiti Ministry of Health said on Monday it would launch a fresh nationwide children vaccination campaign against measles, rubella and mumps on Thursday.
The 10-day campaign involving from-one-to-seven-year-old children comes at the discretion of the World Health Organization (WHO) against the backdrop of harbingers of potential infection cases, Assistant Undersecretary of the Ministry of Public Health Yussif Al-Nesf told KUNA.
As many as 320,000 children are to be vaccinated during the Thursday campaign, he said.
Kuwait suffered an increasing number of cases of measles, rubella and mumps in 2007; with infection rate having hit 4.6 persons for 100,000 people compared to just one case for 100,000 in the previous years, he reminded.
A sum of KD 400,000 has been allocated for the campaign, which will involve some 90 doctors, 230 nurses, 200 health inspectors and 90 administrative workers.
Vaccination will take place at 55 health centers nationwide.
The WHO attaches much attention to efforts to control measles, rubella and mumps given that vaccination is the key tool for curbing such diseases.
It urges world countries to launch national vaccination campaigns on a several-year basis.
Kuwait last carried out a national vaccination campaign against measles in 1998. - Kuna