To clarify things, I decided to call them and I was informed that UAE is running a National Polio Campaign from November 16 - 27, 2014 and January 11 - 22, 2015. According to the leaflet that they were giving away in the health center, UAE had been polio free for several decades already but new cases among neighboring countries had been recorded, thus this National Immunization Campaign was initiated to make sure all children under five are fully protected.  So even if Rafael has an updated immunization, he still gets an extra shot of polio vaccine for further protection.

One thing I am really grateful about living in this country is that they provide full coverage of my child's immunization. Yes, you read it right! children's vaccines are given here for free.  I hope someday, the Philippine government will be able to provide this kind of benefit to its people too. After all, disease prevention has been proven to be far more cost-effective than treatment and rehabilitation.