awareness of the importance of vaccinations
The Saudi Society for Family and Community Medicine, in cooperation with GSK, the leading company in the vaccine industry, held the virtual conference as part of its ongoing activities to raise awareness of the importance of vaccinations against targeted diseases, especially vaccination against meningitis or meningitis. The conference, which was held virtually (webinar), witnessed a distinguished presence of a large group of doctors and consultants specializing in family and community medicine, pediatrics and infectious diseases from the association and from major medical and research centers in various parts of the Kingdom, and in the presence of a large gathering of health care practitioners from various other health sectors in the Kingdom. .
In his speech during the conference, Dr. Sami bin Saleh Eid, General Supervisor of the branch of the Saudi Society for Family and Community Medicine in Jeddah, stressed that the society gives a great priority to increasing health awareness among all segments of society in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, especially with regard to vaccination and its important benefit on The individual and society, and Eid noted the importance of raising awareness of the dangers of meningitis, an inflammation of the membranes (meninges) surrounding the brain and spinal cord, whose danger lies in the similarity of its early symptoms with common viral diseases and the rapid exacerbation of the disease, and often has devastating and life-threatening effects that may reach death. within 24-48 hours.
commandments
He added that the World Health Organization recommends that countries with high epidemiological rates of more than 10 cases per 100,000 people per year or an average rate of 2-10 cases per 100,000 people per year, in addition to recurrent epidemics of invasive meningococcal disease, implement appropriate vaccination programs against meningococci. There are currently several vaccines available to protect against the most common types of meningococcal disease. For countries with less than two cases per 100,000 population per year, meningococcal vaccination is recommended for high-risk groups such as laboratory workers and travelers at risk of exposure against the dominant serogroups, and vaccination should be offered to all immunocompromised individuals.
Dr. Sami Eid also stressed the importance of taking advantage of such occasions as the World Immunization Week to highlight that vaccinations were and still are the immune wall against many diseases that humanity has suffered from for years and how the development of scientific research has played a major role in confronting the diseases targeted by vaccination, including Including the new strains of bacteria and viruses that cause them. Vaccinations prevent 2.5 million deaths worldwide annually, and disease outbreaks increase when an individual neglects routine vaccinations. Vaccinations have helped eradicate smallpox and polio almost completely. Measles deaths worldwide decreased by 73% between 2000 and 2018, and rubella cases decreased by 97% between 2000 and 2018.
Prevention of epidemic diseases
Dr. Ashraf Amir, Consultant Family Medicine, Vice President of the Saudi Society for Family and Community Medicine in the Kingdom, also pointed out during the opening of the conference the importance of vaccinations and their role in preventing and limiting the spread of many serious diseases, including meningitis, which studies confirmed that meningitis has increased in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Recently, especially in children, its transmission is also increasing during the Hajj and Umrah seasons, and the disease spreads through the transmission of bacteria that cause meningitis (meningococcal bacteria of all kinds, or pneumococcus bacteria, or Haemophilus influenzae b) or viruses (enterovirus, mumps virus, or The herpes simplex virus) that causes the disease to the body. The risk of meningitis increases if the person is immunocompromised, works in a large group of people, or travels to endemic areas. Most cases of viral infection affect children under the age of 5, while bacterial infections are most common in the age of 20 and younger. The total number of cases of meningitis (meningitis) between 2000 and 2012 reached 498 cases in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. According to the Saudi Ministry of Health, the prevention of the disease is by taking the vaccine for the types of bacterial meningitis, and improving the body’s immunity by practicing healthy behaviors such as ensuring healthy food and exercising, covering the mouth and nose when sneezing, and giving preventive treatment to those coming from endemic areas or those in contact with infected people. .
