Saira urges parents to ensure every child is immunised

Islamabad: The push to prioritise immunization is essential in providing equitable access to essential vaccines for all children and to save more lives. The government is committed to saving the lives of vulnerable children by ensuring smooth supply of vaccines against the 10 vaccine-preventable diseases across Pakistan.

Federal Minister for Health Saira Afzal Tarar expressed these views through a press release issued here Monday in connection with World Immunization Week (WIW), which is observed across the world from April 24-30 every year. She urged parents to observe by ensuring that every child in their household and community is vaccinated against vaccine preventable diseases.

The global theme for this year, ‘Protected Together, #Vaccines Work,’ encourages all stakeholders—donors, health workers and the public—for integrating efforts together to improve immunization coverage. This requires a great deal of advocacy and investment by the government to make immunization a priority and encourage public to build immunity in children through immunization.

Dr. Saqlain Gilani, National Programme Manager of the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) expressed that the current supply system for delivery of quality services is stronger than before, and that together as a team, immunity amongst children can be strengthened to build a healthy nation.

Dr. Rana Safdar, National Coordinator of the Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) for Polio Eradication said that “to sustain the gains made in the polio programme, we have to improve routine immunization.” He hoped that this WIW would also be a moment to pay homage to the heroic frontline workers who have helped contain poliovirus in the country.

Immunization is one of the most successful and cost-effective health interventions to save the lives of children. Globally, immunization has helped avert 2-3 million deaths among children from vaccine-preventable diseases. Immunization offers a vital platform to bring other lifesaving interventions to children. Low immunization coverage on the other hand has an adverse effect on the other health interventions for mothers and children.