The national vaccination campaign targeting children under 5 years old, who have missed their vaccinations, will commence on April 21 and continue for 9 days until April 30 across all Syrian territories, including areas of northeast and northwest Syria.
The campaign aims to protect children from diseases covered by the national vaccination program, increase coverage rates with all vaccine doses, and provide age-appropriate doses of Vitamin A.
According to Dr. Razan Tarabishi, the Director of Primary Health Care at the Ministry of Health, there are 3.2 million children under 5 years old who have not participated in the national vaccination program due to various circumstances.
In a seminar organized by the Syrian Ministry of Health and the Syrian Ministry of Information, in collaboration with UNICEF, which was attended by Enab Baladi, Dr. Tarabishi reviewed the status of vaccination delivery to Syrian children.
The campaign is expected to cover 256,000 children across different Syrian governorates.
Dr. Tarabishi stated that there will be 1,094 fixed centers providing vaccination services during the campaign, alongside 1,008 mobile teams active in small cities and villages. Additionally, 82 new health centers have been established to offer similar services, with more than 10,863 health workers involved in the campaign.
She urged Syrians to visit vaccination centers to assess the health status of their children and ensure all vaccinations are completed. In the case of lost vaccination cards, families can obtain a new card.
Vaccines offered will protect against diseases such as poliomyelitis, measles, German measles, tetanus, tuberculosis, diphtheria, mumps, whooping cough, hepatitis B, and infections caused by Haemophilus influenzae that lead to pneumonia, sepsis, and otitis media.
Dr. Tarabishi warned against certain doctors who exploit vaccines, emphasizing that all provided vaccinations are completely free for all Syrians.
She noted that smuggled vaccines, which are not health-certified, are sold by some doctors for $100 per dose, urging families to avoid such vaccines due to the numerous risks associated with them. These vaccines are of unknown origin, have uncertain expiration dates, and are improperly stored, failing to meet the necessary conditions for preserving vaccines and serum.
In contrast, the vaccines provided by the Ministry of Health are subjected to strict preservation and care conditions to prevent any mistakes and ensure defective vaccines are regularly discarded due to heat damage.
Regarding storage conditions, Dr. Tarabishi explained that the vaccines are kept under very robust cold chain conditions, including refrigerators operating on available solar energy systems at the centers. Electronic thermometers and sensors monitor temperature levels, with continuous monitoring of the vaccine storage temperature around the clock.
According to the Syrian Ministry of Health, only vaccines recorded in vaccine stock registers are suitable for use. Therefore, any vaccine damaged by temperature fluctuations must be removed from the vaccination record and destroyed according to established guidelines.
Contributing organizations
Dr. Tarabishi mentioned to Enab Baladi that UNICEF is responsible for securing the vaccines in partnership with GAVI, while the World Health Organization provides technical support and funding.
GAVI, established in 2000, is an international organization – a global vaccine alliance that brings together the public and private sectors with a common goal of saving lives and protecting people’s health by increasing equitable and sustainable vaccine use.
Vaccines are provided free of charge to children under five years old and to women of childbearing age through health centers and mobile teams, according to the commitments of the Ministry of Health, as stated by the Syrian Ministry of Health.
National campaign for vaccination of Syrian children under 5 years old Enab Baladi.
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