Health Minister announces the success of the national measles vaccination campaign

INA- Baghdad 

Health minister Saleh Al-Hasnawi announced ,on Monday ,the success of the national measles vaccination campaign by more than 91% across Iraq .

Al-Hasnawi said at a press conference held today and attended by the correspondent of the Iraqi News Agency (INA) that "the national campaign against measles was successful, with the direct support of Prime Minister Mohammed S. al-Sudani " , indicating that "the campaign targeted more than 7 million students and children in schools and kindergartens throughout Iraq, including the Kurdistan region and targeted more than 23 thousand schools and kindergartens”.

He added that "the ministry has harnessed all its efforts to provide the necessary requirements for the success of this campaign of vaccines and their supplies, and since April 14 to the end of the campaign, which lasted for ten days, carried out more than 92 thousand vaccination sessions throughout Iraq, carried out by 27,759 employees of the ministry, in addition to supporting them with 2,796 field supervisors of various levels, and the number of vaccinated students during the campaign reached 6,749,335".

He praised the constructive cooperation shown by the Ministry of Education, headed by the Minister of Education and school administrations to make the campaign a success, thanking the "parents for their high sense of responsibility and their contribution to the national campaign for vaccination against mixed measles".

He explained that " all vaccines of the national immunization program are safe vaccines of international origin and approved by the World Health Organization, and the Ministry of Health follows standard procedures and a strict protocol for testing and releasing vaccines for use" , pointing out that "national campaigns are not a substitute for the routine vaccine schedule, which is the essential part in building the child's immune system, and we recommend all parents to visit health centers to complete their children's vaccines as it is a child's right”.