Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Minister for National Health Services, Regulations & Coordination Saira Afzal Tarar on Monday urged parents to observe World Immunisation Week this year by ensuring that every child in their household and community is vaccinated against vaccine preventable diseases.

In a message, the minister vowed that the government was committed in saving lives of vulnerable children by ensuring smooth supply of vaccines against these 10 vaccine preventable diseases across the country. The minister said that with continuous effort, the programme had made significant progress towards this national goal for delivering safe and effective vaccines.

The World Immunisation Week is observed across the world from April 24-30. The Federal Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) in collaboration with Polio Eradication Initiative is coordinating various awareness raising and public engagement activities across the country. The global theme for this year is Protected Together, Vaccines Work, encouraging all the stakeholders – donors, health workers and the public for integrating efforts together to improve immunisation coverage.

This requires a great deal of advocacy and investment by the government to make immunisation a priority and encourage public to build immunity in children.

The trained health workers are also providing vaccines to children in communities that were being missed in the past through outreach services.

EPI National Programme Manager Dr Saqlain Ahmed Gilani appreciated the leadership of the ministry along with support from all stakeholders including, donors and international partners to celebrate immunisation week.

He expressed that the current supply system was stronger than ever for delivery of quality services. He reiterated that together as one team, “we can strengthen immunity amongst children and build a healthy nation”.

Despite several challenges, vaccines are saving more lives. In Pakistan, coverage for three doses of DTP-3 increased from 3 percent in 1980 to 62 percent in 2000 to an estimated 72 percent by the end of 2016. This figure reflects the percentage of surviving infants who received the first and third dose of Diphtheria and Tetanus Toxoid with Pertussis containing vaccine. The vaccinators and health workers contribute heavily towards these gains as they work tirelessly and sometimes in difficult conditions that affect their safety to ensure that life-saving vaccines reach approximately 7 million children across Pakistan.

Emergency Operations Centre National Coordinator for Polio Eradication Dr Rana Safdar said that to sustain the gains made in the polio programme, “we have to improve routine immunisation across the country”.

He hoped that this day will also be a moment to pay homage to “our heroic frontline workers who have helped us contain the polio virus in some parts of the country”.

Despite these gains, the job is not yet finished and he is hopeful that the frontline workers will not only stop transmission of the polio virus soon but will also help improve routine immunisation coverage in the country. Immunisation is one of the most successful and cost-effective health interventions to save the lives of children.

Published in Daily Times, April 24^th 2018.