ABU DHABI // Babies will be given free chickenpox jabs from Monday.
Parents of children born on or after September 1 last year can get their children vaccinated with the varicella vaccine, which protects against the contagious, viral disease. The vaccine is compulsory for nationals and expatriates, said Dr Farida al Hosani, the section head of communicable disease at the Health Authority-Abu Dhabi (HAAD).
It will become part of the HAAD's national immunisation programme, which was introduced in 1978 and includes shots against tuberculosis, polio, diphtheria, tetanus, measles, mumps, rubella and whooping cough. Some 7,219 cases of chickenpox were recorded in the emirate last year. However, the true figure may be higher because the disease is often not serious in children. Since the chickenpox vaccine became available in the US in 1995, the number of cases has plummeted from four million each year to around 400,000 in 2005.
The number of hospital cases and deaths from the illness declined by more than 90 per cent. Dr Mona Rifai, a specialist paediatrician working in Abu Dhabi, said that although chickenpox was rarely dangerous in children, it could have serious consequences and was extremely dangerous in adults. "Some of the severe complications that set in with chickenpox are diseases like pneumonia and respiratory infections, and chickenpox can be very severe in adults," she said.
The vaccine should be given to babies around the time of their first birthday. It has been available in the UAE since 2000, but only on the recommendation of doctors to their patients.
hkhalaf@thenational.ae
THE BIO: Martin Van Almsick
Hometown: Cologne, Germany
Family: Wife Hanan Ahmed and their three children, Marrah (23), Tibijan (19), Amon (13)
Favourite dessert: Umm Ali with dark camel milk chocolate flakes
Favourite hobby: Football
Breakfast routine: a tall glass of camel milk
THE APPRENTICE
Director: Ali Abbasi
Starring: Sebastian Stan, Maria Bakalova, Jeremy Strong
Rating: 3/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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
Country-size land deals
US interest in purchasing territory is not as outlandish as it sounds. Here's a look at some big land transactions between nations:
Louisiana Purchase
If Donald Trump is one who aims to broker "a deal of the century", then this was the "deal of the 19th Century". In 1803, the US nearly doubled in size when it bought 2,140,000 square kilometres from France for $15 million.
Florida Purchase Treaty
The US courted Spain for Florida for years. Spain eventually realised its burden in holding on to the territory and in 1819 effectively ceded it to America in a wider border treaty.
Alaska purchase
America's spending spree continued in 1867 when it acquired 1,518,800 km2 of Alaskan land from Russia for $7.2m. Critics panned the government for buying "useless land".
The Philippines
At the end of the Spanish-American War, a provision in the 1898 Treaty of Paris saw Spain surrender the Philippines for a payment of $20 million.
US Virgin Islands
It's not like a US president has never reached a deal with Denmark before. In 1917 the US purchased the Danish West Indies for $25m and renamed them the US Virgin Islands.
Gwadar
The most recent sovereign land purchase was in 1958 when Pakistan bought the southwestern port of Gwadar from Oman for 5.5bn Pakistan rupees.
FA Cup semi-finals
Saturday: Manchester United v Tottenham Hotspur, 8.15pm (UAE)
Sunday: Chelsea v Southampton, 6pm (UAE)
Matches on Bein Sports
The specs
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: seven-speed
Power: 620bhp
Torque: 760Nm
Price: Dh898,000
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