Vaccinating your child is one of the most important things you can do as a parent. Vaccination is an effective way to combat diseases. In fact, millions of children die from diseases such as tetanus, pertussis, measles, polio, and diphtheria, which can be avoided with the help of a vaccine.

If you are an expat in the UAE and considering your options to get a vaccination for your child or yourself, here is a quick guide.

Table of Contents

• Vaccines: How does it work?
• Which diseases can vaccines help prevent?
• Where and when can I get a vaccine in Dubai?
• Vaccination Schedule in Dubai
• FAQs about vaccines

What is a vaccine? How does it work?

Vaccine is a substance used to stimulate the production of antibodies and provide immunity against one or several diseases, prepared from the causative agent of a disease, its products, or a synthetic substitute, treated to act as an antigen without inducing the disease.

Once injected into a fatty tissue muscle, the immune system reacts and produces antibodies against them. The memory cells that remain prevent reinfection when they encounter that disease in the future, making your child immune to potentially fatal diseases.

Which diseases can vaccines help prevent?

BCG
Bacillus Calmette–Guérin vaccine is a vaccine primarily used against tuberculosis. In countries where tuberculosis or leprosy is common, one dose is recommended in healthy babies as close to the time of birth as possible.

Hepatitis B (HBV)
Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver. One type, hepatitis B, is caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV). Hepatitis B spreads through contact with an infected person’s blood, semen, or other bodily fluid. An infected woman can give hepatitis B to her baby at birth. If you get HBV, you may feel as if you have the flu.

Diphtheria, Pertussis, Tetanus (DTP/DTaP)
DPT is a class of combination vaccines against three infectious diseases in humans: diphtheria, pertussis, and tetanus. The vaccine components include diphtheria and tetanus toxoids and kills whole cells of the bacterium that causes pertussis.

Haemophilus Influenza Type B (Hib)
Haemophilus influenzae is a Gram-negative, coccobacillary, facultatively anaerobic pathogenic bacterium belonging to the Pasteurellaceae family. H. influenzae was first described in 1892 by Richard Pfeiffer during an influenza pandemic.

Rotavirus
Rotavirus is a genus of double-stranded RNA viruses in the family Reoviridae. Rotaviruses are the most common cause of diarrhoeal disease among infants and young children. Nearly every child in the world is infected with a rotavirus at least once by the age of five.

Polio (IPV/OPV)
Polio vaccines are vaccines used to prevent poliomyelitis. Two types are used: an inactivated poliovirus given by injection and a weakened poliovirus given orally. The World Health Organization recommends all children be fully vaccinated against polio.

Measles, Mumps Rubella (MMR)
The MMR vaccine is a vaccine against measles, mumps, and rubella. The first dose is generally given to children around 9 to 15 months of age, with a second dose at 15 months to 6 years of age, with at least 4 weeks between the doses.

Pneumococcal (PCV)
Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine is a pneumococcal vaccine and a conjugate vaccine used to protect infants, young children, and adults against disease caused by the bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae.

Meningitis ACWY Conjugate
Meningococcal conjugate vaccine (MenACWY) is licensed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for protection against serogroups A, C, W, and Y.

Hepatitis A
Hepatitis A is a highly contagious liver infection caused by the hepatitis A virus. The virus is one of several types of hepatitis viruses that cause inflammation and affect your liver’s ability to function.

Varicella
Human alphaherpesvirus 3, usually referred to as the varicella-zoster virus, is one of eight herpes viruses known to infect humans. It causes chickenpox, a disease most commonly affecting children, teens, and young adults, and shingles in adults; shingles is rare in children.

Typhoid
Typhoid (typhoid fever) is a serious disease. It is caused by bacteria called Salmonella Typhi. Typhoid causes a high fever, fatigue, weakness, stomach pains, headache, loss of appetite, and sometimes a rash.

Where and when can I get a vaccine in Dubai?

Schedules to vaccinate your child against diseases vary depending on your location. In some countries, the risk of getting certain kinds of disease or infection is higher. For instance, in the UAE, more people are at risk of contracting tuberculosis (TB) than in other parts of the world. Thus, in the UAE, all babies in the UAE are required to be immunized against TB after the first few days of birth.

Parents should keep a complete log of vaccination records, which includes the date and the location it was administered in. This will come in handy if one day you and your family will relocate.

In January 2012, the Dubai Health Authority announced the first comprehensive immunization services guidelines for Dubai.

Vaccination Schedule in Dubai

As per the National Immunization Program, here’s the recommended schedule of vaccination in Dubai and in the UAE:

Please note that this is scheduled by the Dubai Health Authority but you or your own clinic or doctor’s schedule may vary slightly. Your clinic or doctor may also recommend more vaccines other than those mentioned above.

FAQs about Vaccines

Is it too late to get a vaccine? I never had childhood vaccinations.
It is never too late.  Regardless of age, doctors advise that you get a full vaccination.

Can a vaccine give you the disease?
There is a so-called ‘live’ vaccine and a ‘dead’ vaccine. Live vaccines will certainly not give you any disease, but some people may contract a mild form of that disease.

Can the immune system cope with all the vaccines recommended for my child?
Amazingly, a baby is exposed to thousands of viruses and bacteria from birth. Their immune system deals with it in an amazing way.

Can vaccines cause death or autism?
There are no current studies which prove vaccines can have long-term detrimental effects. Some side effects of vaccines are mild fever, redness, and swelling at the injection site of the body.

If my child is sick and the schedule is not followed, what happens?
This is not something you should worry about. However, consult your doctor for the prescribed time to take vaccines.

Is Meningitis B vaccine offered in the UAE?
The Meningitis B vaccine is offered in countries such as the UK as part of the national immunization program in the country. In the UAE, this vaccine is not licensed for use. In Dubai, the Men ACWY vaccine, and other vaccines also protect children from the most common causes of meningitis through the Hib and PCV vaccines.