Vaccine hesitancy or the refusal to vaccinate despite availability of vaccines has been listed by the World Health Organisation as one of the 10 threats to global health this year.
Vaccination currently prevents 2-3 million deaths a year and is one of the most cost-effective ways of avoiding disease. A further 1.5 million deaths could be avoided if global coverage of vaccinations improved, according to WHO.
Despite the figures and the dangers involved in refusing vaccinations, many are still refusing to vaccinate their children – causing outbreaks in diseases like measles in the US.
Doctors in the UAE have warned that a growing "anti-vaccination" movement is gaining traction in the Emirates, as new research suggested as many as one in ten parents are against inoculating their children.
A British mother-of-one in Abu Dhabi is choosing not to vaccinate her daughter against curable diseases, claiming she is unconvinced by science.
Jane, who did not want to reveal her full name for fear of backlash in response to her controversial views, called into question the positive results of vaccination programmes, saying she had done her own research.
“I know a lot about it. I have done a lot of research. I have spent a lot of time on it and still continue to do so most days.”
She said she does not consider herself an “anti-vaxxer” rather “vaccine educated” and, as a result of her online research, her two-year-old daughter is unvaccinated.
Children in the UAE must have the following mandatory vaccines: polio, diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, measles, mumps and rubella. Hospitals will immediately vaccinate newborns unless parents sign a document denying medical advice.
Children need an official document from the local health authority to prove they have had those vaccines when enrolling in education, though some medics said it is not clear how many schools reject applicants that don’t.
Despite the near eradication of certain diseases due to vaccinations, Jane says the topic is “extremely contentious” and becoming worse every day.
“The HPV vaccine is probably the most contentious of all of the vaccines. However, when you start learning about them you realise what a mess it all is,” she said.
“But the HPV vaccine is probably the most serious issue and is being pushed like wildfire here, like all vaccines are.”
She referred to an article on Mercola.com, a self-purported natural health website run by an American alternative medicine physician who also markets dietary supplements on the site, which lists a series of concerns about the Gardasil vaccine, one of several licensed against HPV.
The article highlights, among other claims, the HPV vaccine’s effectiveness was both “overstated” and “unproven” and claims the 70 per cent reduction of cervical cancers the manufacturers said would follow as a result was wrong.
“The clinical trials data have not demonstrated to date that the vaccines have actually prevented a single case of cervical cancer (let alone cervical cancer death),” reads the article, quoting from a review from 2012.
However, science shows precisely the opposite occurred in the years since the vaccination programme was introduced — with a notable decline in the number of cervical cancer cases.
According to a study in the journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, released in January, HPV vaccinations have prevented the most dangerous strains of the virus, which cause the most cases of cervical cancer. There has also been a "significant" decline in cases of CIN 2, precancerous cervical cells which can go on to develop into cancer.
The authors believe herd protection — a central tenet behind vaccination programmes, where those too young, weak or sick to receive the shot are protected by the immunity of others who have been vaccinated — is to thank for the reduction.
England's all-time record goalscorers:
Wayne Rooney 53
Bobby Charlton 49
Gary Lineker 48
Jimmy Greaves 44
Michael Owen 40
Tom Finney 30
Nat Lofthouse 30
Alan Shearer 30
Viv Woodward 29
Frank Lampard 29
MATCH INFO
Newcastle United 3
Gayle (23'), Perez (59', 63')
Chelsea 0
Kandahar%20
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Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates, Etihad and Swiss fly direct from the UAE to Zurich from Dh2,855 return, including taxes.
The chalet
Chalet N is currently open in winter only, between now and April 21. During the ski season, starting on December 11, a week’s rental costs from €210,000 (Dh898,431) per week for the whole property, which has 22 beds in total, across six suites, three double rooms and a children’s suite. The price includes all scheduled meals, a week’s ski pass, Wi-Fi, parking, transfers between Munich, Innsbruck or Zurich airports and one 50-minute massage per person. Private ski lessons cost from €360 (Dh1,541) per day. Halal food is available on request.
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
SERIE A FIXTURES
Friday Sassuolo v Torino (Kick-off 10.45pm UAE)
Saturday Atalanta v Sampdoria (5pm),
Genoa v Inter Milan (8pm),
Lazio v Bologna (10.45pm)
Sunday Cagliari v Crotone (3.30pm)
Benevento v Napoli (6pm)
Parma v Spezia (6pm)
Fiorentina v Udinese (9pm)
Juventus v Hellas Verona (11.45pm)
Monday AC Milan v AS Roma (11.45pm)
The%20specs
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Teenage%20Mutant%20Ninja%20Turtles%3A%20Shredder's%20Revenge
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDeveloper%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ETribute%20Games%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPublisher%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dotemu%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EConsoles%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENintendo%20Switch%2C%20PlayStation%204%26amp%3B5%2C%20PC%20and%20Xbox%20One%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Porsche Macan T: The Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 265hp from 5,000-6,500rpm
Torque: 400Nm from 1,800-4,500rpm
Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch auto
Speed: 0-100kph in 6.2sec
Top speed: 232kph
Fuel consumption: 10.7L/100km
On sale: May or June
Price: From Dh259,900
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.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The BIO:
He became the first Emirati to climb Mount Everest in 2011, from the south section in Nepal
He ascended Mount Everest the next year from the more treacherous north Tibetan side
By 2015, he had completed the Explorers Grand Slam
Last year, he conquered K2, the world’s second-highest mountain located on the Pakistan-Chinese border
He carries dried camel meat, dried dates and a wheat mixture for the final summit push
His new goal is to climb 14 peaks that are more than 8,000 metres above sea level
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo
Power: 268hp at 5,600rpm
Torque: 380Nm at 4,800rpm
Transmission: CVT auto
Fuel consumption: 9.5L/100km
On sale: now
Price: from Dh195,000
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
'Outclassed in Kuwait'
Taleb Alrefai,
HBKU Press
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
PRISCILLA
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The specs: Rolls-Royce Cullinan
Price, base: Dh1 million (estimate)
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbo V12
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 563hp @ 5,000rpm
Torque: 850Nm @ 1,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 15L / 100km
Saturday's results
Brighton 1-1 Leicester City
Everton 1-0 Cardiff City
Manchester United 0-0 Crystal Palace
Watford 0-3 Liverpool
West Ham United 0-4 Manchester City
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
