The UAE and vaccinations

The 2015 Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) outbreak in South Korea launched several questions regarding the issue of vaccinations. As of the time of writing this article, there remains no publicly available vaccination for protection against MERS, but governments and health organizations around the world are no doubt rushing to develop a MERS vaccine. Here, we’ve summarized our insurance partner UAE Medical Insurance’s informative article on the UAE and vaccinations.

What you need to know about vaccines

Vaccines work by injecting a weakened or dead form of a disease into the body so that the body develops immunity against that particular disease, and will learn to kill it when the body comes across it again. While certain groups of people remain skeptical towards the safety of vaccines, there’s little doubt that vaccinations have helped play a major role in managing outbreaks on a global scale.

Since the successful invention of the smallpox vaccine in 1790, the world has seen the introduction of a number of publicly available vaccines for mumps, polio, hepatitis (A, B, and C), shingles, meningitis, rabies, yellow fever, HPV, and many more. Due to these vaccines, we’ve seen a massive decrease in outbreaks and diseases pertaining to these particular diseases.

Vaccinations in Dubai

If you’re living in, or planning on moving to Dubai, it’s important that you know what vaccines are necessary for the region. Each emirate has their own recommended “immunization schedule” for what vaccinations children should have and at what age. Adults are also recommended certain vaccines that they should have in order to be admitted to the country. Here’s what the following expat groups should know about vaccines in Dubai:

Expats with children born in Dubai

If you’re currently living in Dubai with young children, or are planning on moving to here with your family, please note that each emirate has their own recommended vaccination schedule. We, therefore, recommend that you check with the government and your physician to ensure your child is up-to-date with all their vaccines. Click here for Dubai’s immunization guidelines.

Expats considering moving to Dubai

To get a visa, you may need to prove that you have had certain immunizations as one of the visa’s requirements. Beyond routine vaccines, the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) also recommends those travelling to Dubai to get the Hepatitis A and Typhoid vaccines. For some travellers, the CDC also recommends the Hepatitis B and Rabies vaccine.

Insurance and vaccinations

Getting vaccinated in Dubai can be very expensive, so it’s important to know whether your insurance will cover these costs. If you’re in Dubai, all DHA-mandated policies are required to at least cover essential vaccinations for newborns and children. For adults, you’ll need to check your policy wording to see if it’s covered.

If you would like help finding a plan that covers vaccinations, get in touch with the experts at Pacific Prime Dubai today.

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Jessica

Content Strategist at Pacific Prime Dubai

Jessica Lindeman is a Content Strategist at Pacific Prime. She comes to work every day living and breathing the motto of "simplifying insurance", and injects her unbridled enthusiasm for health and insurance related topics into every article and piece of content she creates for Pacific Prime.

When she's not typing away on her keyboard, she's reading poetry, fueling her insatiable wanderlust, getting her coffee fix, and perpetually browsing animal Instagram accounts.

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