Khaberni - The UAE Ministry of Health announced that no polio cases have been recorded for more than three decades.
Dr. Hussein Al Rand, the Assistant Undersecretary for Public Health at the Ministry of Health and Prevention, confirmed that the UAE has not recorded any polio cases for more than 3 decades. He attributed this achievement to the successful efforts of the ministry and its partners in implementing an effective epidemic surveillance system and achieving high vaccination coverage rates.
This was stated during a scientific seminar organized by the ministry on the occasion of World Polio Day, which falls on October 24th every year, with participation from the World Health Organization and various health entities in the UAE, aimed at raising awareness and exchanging expertise on best practices in epidemic monitoring.
The UAE's efforts received extensive praise from seminar participants, who highly valued the leadership role of Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, in supporting global health initiatives and combating communicable diseases, and praised his generous support for the "Reach the Last Mile" initiative to limit the spread of polio, affirming that this support enhances the health of generations and expands the global humanitarian impact of the UAE.
Al Rand explained that this success is based on the support and guidance of wise leadership to enhance the prevention and public health system, and the integration of national efforts to meet the targets of "We the UAE 2031" vision.
He pointed out that the UAE's approach is based on a proactive and preventive strategy, which includes enhancing comprehensive immunization as per the national program, developing an accurate surveillance system for rapid response, employing modern technologies in epidemic analysis, and working closely with the World Health Organization to support global initiatives.
The seminar discussed the current global situation of polio, the national program to combat it, clinical detection of acute flaccid paralysis cases, and discussed ways to enhance the health monitoring system.
Organizing the seminar falls within the framework of the ministry's efforts to enhance health security, increase the readiness of the healthcare system, and ensure sustainability of vaccination programs, reaffirming the continual national efforts to maintain the UAE's disease-free status.
