Mothers in the Northern Emirates are considering opting their daughters out of a vaccine against a virus that can cause cervical cancer, because they have been misinformed about potential side effects.
The Ministry of Health and Prevention added vaccines against the Human papillomavirus (HPV) to the National Immunisation Programme for the first time in the Northern Emirates this academic year.
The vaccine immunises girls against a virus that causes most cases of cervical cancer, kills more than a quarter of a million women worldwide every year and is the second largest cancer killer of women in the Middle East and North Africa region.
It was first offered to girls at schools in Abu Dhabi a decade ago and, in 2013, the free immunisation scheme was expanded to include Emirati women aged between 18 and 26.
Though recommended, the injection is optional and is only administered to girls after receiving parental approval.
The Ministry rolled out an awareness campaign last month to encourage mothers to allow their daughters to be immunised but doctors say incorrect information that circulated among the women led them to believe the vaccine can cause infertility and cancer.
The mothers say they are no longer sure if they should give their consent.
“I don’t know what the vaccine does and why my daughter needs to take it,” said Fatima Ali, an Emirati mother of five girls aged between 3 and 16.
“No one explained the importance of the vaccine to me and whether it’s safe or not,” the 41-year-old from Fujairah said.
“One of the mothers told me that the girls will receive the first dose in January, during the second semester, and that it will not be mandatory but this made me feel more confused about the vaccine and its importance,” she said.
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Read more:
Free vaccination against cervical cancer for Abu Dhabi women
Screenings urged as cervical cancer rates forecast to double across Middle East
Greater understanding of HPV in UAE may help reduce cervical cancer cases
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Another woman said many mothers are worried that the vaccine could cause cancer, rather than prevent it.
“I saw many messages in two of our group chats and many mothers were concerned. Some were forwarding wrong information about the vaccine saying that it can cause cancer and infertility,” said Salema Jasim, a 35-year-old Emirati mother of 3.
“My daughters are still small but I think that there should be an awareness campaign that can reach every mother in the Northern Emirates to explain the importance of the vaccine and try to dispel any misunderstandings,” said Ms Jasim, from Ras Al Khaimah.
Health officials said many mothers have approached them with questions about how the vaccine is administered, its effectiveness and any potential side effects.
A doctor in Sharjah said the main concerns mothers have are if their daughters’ immunity or fertility would be effected.
“They thought that the vaccine would affect their fertility rates and immune system,” said Dr Yusra Abo Hamed, a public health and preventive medicine specialist in Sharjah.
“They were also not sure of the vaccine method of administration and some of the mothers thought it would be given in the cervix itself."
Dr Abo Hamed said the misunderstandings around the cervical cancer vaccine came after the mothers received misleading information on their group chats.
“I explained to the mothers who received the messages that the vaccine is given through the muscle, preferably in the shoulder, like any other vaccine, and it does not have any negative effects on their daughter’s health, their immune system or their productivity in future.”
She said the incident has shown how necessarily it is to deliver health messages carefully to the public.
“It has shown the importance of organising awareness campaigns that take into account the level of education of the target group and any social considerations.".
Dr Abo Hamed said the HPV vaccine is a very important step in the primary prevention of cervical cancer as it prevents the infection from happening in the first place, which in turn protects the girls from developing cervical cancer.
“On the other hand, the cervical screening, which aims to discover the cancerous changes in the cervix and the infection with HPV as early as possible, is considered a very important step of the secondary prevention of cervical cancer,” she said.
Dr Talat Masroor, Senior Consultant and Head of the Obstetrics and Gynaecology Department at RAK Hospital, said there was no reason for the mothers to be concerned since the vaccine has been administered in Abu Dhabi for years.
“This is the HPV vaccination against cervical cancer initiated by the UAE Government. It is only given to the local girls from age 13 and it is already part of the national programme in Abu Dhabi,” said Dr Masroor.
“The first and second doses are two months apart, whereas the third is given three months after that and it does not cause any effects as such.
“Since the virus normally attacks the cervix after sexual intercourse, ideally the vaccination should be given before a girl gets married,” she said.
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
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
How to improve Arabic reading in early years
One 45-minute class per week in Standard Arabic is not sufficient
The goal should be for grade 1 and 2 students to become fluent readers
Subjects like technology, social studies, science can be taught in later grades
Grade 1 curricula should include oral instruction in Standard Arabic
First graders must regularly practice individual letters and combinations
Time should be slotted in class to read longer passages in early grades
Improve the appearance of textbooks
Revision of curriculum should be undertaken as per research findings
Conjugations of most common verb forms should be taught
Systematic learning of Standard Arabic grammar
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
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NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
The specs
Engine: four-litre V6 and 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: six-speed and 10-speed
Power: 271 and 409 horsepower
Torque: 385 and 650Nm
Price: from Dh229,900 to Dh355,000
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
Black Panther
Dir: Ryan Coogler
Starring: Chadwick Boseman, Michael B Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o
Five stars
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Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The view from The National
Empire of Enchantment: The Story of Indian Magic
John Zubrzycki, Hurst Publishers
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, second leg result:
Ajax 2-3 Tottenham
Tottenham advance on away goals rule after tie ends 3-3 on aggregate
Final: June 1, Madrid
If you go
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Seattle from Dh5,555 return, including taxes. Portland is a 260 km drive from Seattle and Emirates offers codeshare flights to Portland with its partner Alaska Airlines.
The car
Hertz (www.hertz.ae) offers compact car rental from about $300 per week, including taxes. Emirates Skywards members can earn points on their car hire through Hertz.
Parks and accommodation
For information on Crater Lake National Park, visit www.nps.gov/crla/index.htm . Because of the altitude, large parts of the park are closed in winter due to snow. While the park’s summer season is May 22-October 31, typically, the full loop of the Rim Drive is only possible from late July until the end of October. Entry costs $25 per car for a day. For accommodation, see www.travelcraterlake.com. For information on Umpqua Hot Springs, see www.fs.usda.gov and https://soakoregon.com/umpqua-hot-springs/. For Bend, see https://www.visitbend.com/.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League, semi-final result:
Liverpool 4-0 Barcelona
Liverpool win 4-3 on aggregate
Champions Legaue final: June 1, Madrid
PRISCILLA
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Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
What is Bitcoin?
Bitcoin is the most popular virtual currency in the world. It was created in 2009 as a new way of paying for things that would not be subject to central banks that are capable of devaluing currency. A Bitcoin itself is essentially a line of computer code. It's signed digitally when it goes from one owner to another. There are sustainability concerns around the cryptocurrency, which stem from the process of "mining" that is central to its existence.
The "miners" use computers to make complex calculations that verify transactions in Bitcoin. This uses a tremendous amount of energy via computers and server farms all over the world, which has given rise to concerns about the amount of fossil fuel-dependent electricity used to power the computers.
Sheikh Zayed's poem
When it is unveiled at Abu Dhabi Art, the Standing Tall exhibition will appear as an interplay of poetry and art. The 100 scarves are 100 fragments surrounding five, figurative, female sculptures, and both sculptures and scarves are hand-embroidered by a group of refugee women artisans, who used the Palestinian cross-stitch embroidery art of tatreez. Fragments of Sheikh Zayed’s poem Your Love is Ruling My Heart, written in Arabic as a love poem to his nation, are embroidered onto both the sculptures and the scarves. Here is the English translation.
Your love is ruling over my heart
Your love is ruling over my heart, even a mountain can’t bear all of it
Woe for my heart of such a love, if it befell it and made it its home
You came on me like a gleaming sun, you are the cure for my soul of its sickness
Be lenient on me, oh tender one, and have mercy on who because of you is in ruins
You are like the Ajeed Al-reem [leader of the gazelle herd] for my country, the source of all of its knowledge
You waddle even when you stand still, with feet white like the blooming of the dates of the palm
Oh, who wishes to deprive me of sleep, the night has ended and I still have not seen you
You are the cure for my sickness and my support, you dried my throat up let me go and damp it
Help me, oh children of mine, for in his love my life will pass me by.
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
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