DUBAI, The Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) has joined the world in celebrating the World Meningitis Day by hosting a scientific symposium in Dubai entitled “Together to Defeat Meningitis”.
The event, which involved the participation of several health workers, aimed to exchange knowledge and the latest global recommendations for the prevention, detection, diagnosis, and treatment of meningitis, as well as to learn about disease prevention and fighting efforts and promote awareness about meningitis. The gathering also reviewed the WHO-approved vision of the Defeating Meningitis by 2030 global road map.
Taking part in the symposium were an elite group of experts and consultants in the fields of prevention, detection, diagnosis, and treatment.
Dr. Hussain Abdul Rahman Al Rand, Assistant Under-Secretary for the Public Health Sector, MoHAP, stressed that the ministry is committed to constantly developing and upgrading the skills and capabilities of its healthcare workers, by holding scientific sessions that keep them well-informed about the latest developments and global practices. This will definitely reflect positively on community members’ health.
Al Rand reaffirmed that the UAE has made outstanding achievements in combatting meningitis thanks to the country’s effective strategy that put the community’s protection against contagious and communicable diseases first. The UAE’s accomplishments in this respect would not have been possible had it not been for the country’s effective preventive health system, and its epidemiological surveillance and management programme for detecting and treating cases.
For her part, Dr. Nada Hassan Al Marzouqi, Director of Public Health and Prevention Department, MoHAP, outlined the WHO roadmap to unite and intensify national efforts as well as to achieve the global strategic goals of eradicating meningitis by 2030.
Al Marzouqi said that according to international organisations’ estimates, this strategy could save the lives of more than 200,000 people per year around the world, and significantly decrease the disability caused by the disease.
Meningitis is a rare infection of the thin membranes covering the brain and spinal cord. Bacterial meningitis is a very serious disease, as it is life-threatening or can lead to brain damage unless the patient gets prompt treatment.
Source: Emirates News Agency