Families in the UAE have been warned to avoid air travel if children are displaying the early symptoms of measles, a leading expert warned.
The warning came amid disrupted childhood vaccination programmes and a rampant spread of the disease across Europe that has placed medics on alert to safeguard children from a similar outbreak in the UAE.
About a 45-fold increase in measles cases was reported in Europe in 2023 by the World Health Organisation, with doctors blaming poor access to vaccination services during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Nurseries in Dubai have offered extra advice to parents ahead of a potential increase in UAE cases, although doctors said the country’s robust immunisation programme should keep an outbreak at bay.
Dr Rachel Herbert, an infectious disease consultant at Burjeel Medical City, warned against air travel for families with children who may be showing early symptoms of measles.
“People should be aware of the vaccination status of children,” said Dr Herbert.
“If your child is unvaccinated, then they are at risk as measles is spread through airborne droplets.”
Figures from the WHO showed a 18 per cent increase in measles cases in 2022 from the previous year and a 43 per cent increase in the number of deaths globally.
With Dubai and Abu Dhabi major travel hubs, doctors said parents should ensure their child’s vaccination status is up to date to keep them safe.
“The recent rise in measles cases is due to the disruption of childhood measles vaccination programmes due to the Covid-19 pandemic,” said Dr Ram Shukla, a specialist in infectious diseases at NMC Royal Hospital, Sharjah.
“This is primarily related to increasing numbers of susceptible populations in a community, who are unexposed, unvaccinated or under-vaccinated.
“Other factors are certain groups who do not take vaccines due to their belief system, parental refusal of vaccines, safety concerns or vaccine hesitancy."
He added that outbreaks can also occur when travellers from countries with low levels of vaccinations travel to other nations.
Measles is extremely contagious with about 90 per cent of unvaccinated people getting infected following exposure.
In 2022, 37 countries experienced large or disruptive measles outbreaks compared to 22 in the previous year.
Of the countries experiencing outbreaks, 28 were in the WHO African region, six in the Eastern Mediterranean, two in South-East Asia, and one in Europe.
WHO has 47 member states in Africa, however, not all countries conduct regular reports.
Vaccination campaigns have since been stepped up across the UK and Europe along with testing.
Common symptoms
Common symptoms include a high fever, cough, runny nose, red watery eyes and a rash that typically starts on the hairline or face and then down the body.
Patients may need to be admitted to hospital when there are complications such as a high fever.
“In the UK, one of the common themes is that during Covid, people didn't attend their routine vaccinations because clinics were either closed or difficult to access,” said Dr Herbert, who was recently working for the NHS in Middlesex before arriving in the UAE.
“As a result, there was a big drop in the number of vaccinations during the pandemic – we definitely had pockets in the community where there were low vaccination rates.
“You would see outbreaks of measles and complications from that, which was highly concerning as a health professional.”
The measles vaccine is widely regarded to be safe and effective and has been available for decades. It protects up to 96 per cent if two vaccines are taken.
The US Centres for Disease Control said more than 61 million doses of measles vaccines were postponed or missed in the US from 2020 to 2022 due to Covid-19.
Nurseries on guard
The Dubai Health Authority immunisation programme is continually updated to include the best and safest advice, with the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine starting from the age of one.
Amid the warnings, Canadian Kids Nursery in Dubai has stepped up precautions and issued advice to parents,
“The UAE and Dubai in particular are vulnerable to attracting infectious diseases from abroad through travellers, as it is the meeting point for communities from all countries of the world,” said Faten El Hajj, nursery manager.
“The importance of measles awareness in nurseries cannot be overstated, as it plays a crucial role in preventing outbreaks and safeguarding the health and well-being of children and nursery staff.
“We are enlightening parents on the significance of vaccinations.”
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Sinopharm vaccine explained
The Sinopharm vaccine was created using techniques that have been around for decades.
“This is an inactivated vaccine. Simply what it means is that the virus is taken, cultured and inactivated," said Dr Nawal Al Kaabi, chair of the UAE's National Covid-19 Clinical Management Committee.
"What is left is a skeleton of the virus so it looks like a virus, but it is not live."
This is then injected into the body.
"The body will recognise it and form antibodies but because it is inactive, we will need more than one dose. The body will not develop immunity with one dose," she said.
"You have to be exposed more than one time to what we call the antigen."
The vaccine should offer protection for at least months, but no one knows how long beyond that.
Dr Al Kaabi said early vaccine volunteers in China were given shots last spring and still have antibodies today.
“Since it is inactivated, it will not last forever," she said.
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The alternatives
• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.
• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.
• 2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.
• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases - but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.
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How has net migration to UK changed?
The figure was broadly flat immediately before the Covid-19 pandemic, standing at 216,000 in the year to June 2018 and 224,000 in the year to June 2019.
It then dropped to an estimated 111,000 in the year to June 2020 when restrictions introduced during the pandemic limited travel and movement.
The total rose to 254,000 in the year to June 2021, followed by steep jumps to 634,000 in the year to June 2022 and 906,000 in the year to June 2023.
The latest available figure of 728,000 for the 12 months to June 2024 suggests levels are starting to decrease.
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Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
Engine: 5.6-litre V8
Transmission: seven-speed automatic
Power: 400hp
Torque: 560Nm
Price: Dh234,000 - Dh329,000
On sale: now
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
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- 600-seat auditorium
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Jordan cabinet changes
In
- Raed Mozafar Abu Al Saoud, Minister of Water and Irrigation
- Dr Bassam Samir Al Talhouni, Minister of Justice
- Majd Mohamed Shoueikeh, State Minister of Development of Foundation Performance
- Azmi Mahmud Mohafaza, Minister of Education and Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research
- Falah Abdalla Al Ammoush, Minister of Public Works and Housing
- Basma Moussa Ishakat, Minister of Social Development
- Dr Ghazi Monawar Al Zein, Minister of Health
- Ibrahim Sobhi Alshahahede, Minister of Agriculture and Minister of Environment
- Dr Mohamed Suleiman Aburamman, Minister of Culture and Minister of Youth
Out
- Dr Adel Issa Al Tawissi, Minister of High Education and Scientific Research
- Hala Noaman “Basiso Lattouf”, Minister of Social Development
- Dr Mahmud Yassin Al Sheyab, Minister of Health
- Yahya Moussa Kasbi, Minister of Public Works and Housing
- Nayef Hamidi Al Fayez, Minister of Environment
- Majd Mohamed Shoueika, Minister of Public Sector Development
- Khalid Moussa Al Huneifat, Minister of Agriculture
- Dr Awad Abu Jarad Al Mushakiba, Minister of Justice
- Mounir Moussa Ouwais, Minister of Water and Agriculture
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MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FINAL RECKONING
Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Starring: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Simon Pegg
Rating: 4/5
LIVING IN...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
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Results
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BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES
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Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments
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The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
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• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
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