Daily Times

LAHORE: Pakistan Pediatric Association (PPA) President Dr Tahir Masood has urged the health experts to increase the scope and reach of Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI), as 27 percent deaths of children aged less than 5 years in Pakistan are due to vaccine preventable diseases.

During a media briefing on Wednesday in the backdrop of World Immunisation Week to highlight the importance of vaccination and immunisation, Dr Masood said that immunisation is a proven tool for controlling and eliminating life-threatening infectious diseases and it is one of the most cost-effective health investments.

“Vaccines protect children by preparing their bodies to fight many potentially deadly diseases. They are responsible to control many infectious diseases that were once common around the world, including smallpox, polio, measles, diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough), rubella (German measles), mumps, tetanus, and haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib),” he added.

The PPA president said vaccines are considered second only to clean drinking water in controlling infectious diseases. “Immunisation is one of the most successful and cost-effective health interventions and prevents between 2-3 million deaths every year,’ Dr Masood added.

PPA Vice President Dr Naeem Zafar said that every year, Pneumonia kills an estimated 1.2 million children under the age of five years, more than AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined, adding that rotavirus gastroenteritis is estimated to cause more than half a million children deaths.

“Two billion people are infected with Hepatitis B virus and about 780,000 people die, all of these can be prevented through vaccination and immunisation,” he added.

He said without vaccines, epidemics of many preventable diseases could return, resulting in increased – and unnecessary – illness, disability, and death.

PPA Punjab President Dr Asif Kaleem Sheikh said measles vaccination resulted in a 75% drop in measles deaths between 2000 and 2013 worldwide, while illnesses and complications caused by influenza can be reduced by up to 60%, and deaths by 80%, in elderly patients.

“Polio cases have been reduced by 99% from over 300,000 per year in 1988 to less than 650 cases in 2011. Smallpox was eradicated globally in a time span of 10 years,” Dr Asif added.