With continuous efforts and careful planning, Iran succeeded in receiving the measles and rubella elimination certificate from the World Health Organization. This great achievement places Iran among the top 50 countries in the world in this field and indicates the successful performance of the country's health system in the field of vaccination and control of infectious diseases.
According to the Public Relations of Radio Salamat, Dr. Ghobad Moradi, Head of the Center for Infectious Diseases of the Ministry of Health, announced this news on the "Salam Bar Zeindi" program: Receiving this certificate is a very important event and the result of years of effort and careful planning. This success shows that our health system has a high ability to control and eliminate infectious diseases.
Stating that to receive this certificate, countries must meet three basic conditions, he added: vaccination coverage above 95 percent, the existence of a strong surveillance system to identify and report suspected cases, and proving that the chain of transmission of this disease does not exist indigenously in the country. Iran has had this situation for years and has been able to receive this certificate by submitting the necessary documents to the World Health Organization.
Dr. Moradi, noting that Iran is only one of four countries in the Eastern Mediterranean region to receive this certificate, said: “Out of 23 countries in this region, only four have been able to achieve this success. This shows the importance of our efforts in the field of vaccination and control of infectious diseases.”
Referring to the outbreak of measles in eleven US states and the presence of this disease in countries such as Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq, the head of the Center for Infectious Diseases of the Ministry of Health emphasized the need to strengthen border surveillance and said: “Given the outbreak of this disease in neighboring countries, we must intensify border surveillance to prevent this disease from entering the country. In addition to routine vaccinations, additional vaccinations are also being carried out in some border cities to minimize the risk of disease transmission.”
He added: "The measles and rubella vaccination campaign in 2003 was one of the largest vaccination campaigns in the world, which paved the way for this achievement. At that time, about thirty million people were vaccinated in a six-month period, and the circulation of the measles and rubella virus in the country was drastically reduced."