National Immunization Policy disseminated

Islamabad : Updated after a period of six years to strategically respond to recent developments, targets, and goals, the National Immunization Policy 2022 was disseminated here Tuesday at a ceremony marking World Immunization Week (WIW) 2022. The event also recognized the commitment of Immunization Champions who vaccinated 93 million children in Pakistan’s largest-ever Measles-Rubella campaign.

Organized by the Ministry of National Health Services and the Federal Directorate of Immunization (FDI), the event revolved around this year’s WIW theme ‘Long Life for All.’ WIW is celebrated in the last week of April to promote the use of vaccines to protect people of all ages against infectious diseases.

The National Immunization Policy 2022 is aligned with the National Health Vision 2025 and international Immunization Agenda 2030 (IA2030). Speaking on the occasion, the Director General Health Dr. Rana Muhammad Safdar urged (FDI, the provincial EPI teams, donors, technical partners and civil society organizations to take the document as a strategic guideline for effective implementation.

“In the current globalized world, as we have witnessed in the case of COVID-19, an outbreak anywhere is a threat everywhere. Therefore, it is a dire need to capitalize on WIW 2022 and spread awareness about vaccines as one of the best tools to improve health and wellbeing,” said Dr. Safdar.

The Secretary Health saluted the country’s unsung heroes—the Immunization Champions—without whom it would not have been possible to conduct the largest-ever immunization campaign for Measles-Rubella.

“This year’s theme urges greater engagement around immunization globally to promote the importance of vaccination and improve the health of everyone, everywhere and throughout the life,” Dr. Akram Shah, Director General of FDI, stated in his opening remarks.

Senior Country Manager of Gavi Alexa Reynolds said, “Through this campaign, Pakistan has protected an entire generation from Rubella and Measles, and strengthened OPV coverage across the country.”

WHO Representative Dr Palitha Mahipala said, “It is indeed a time to cherish our success, but it is also a moment of reflection. We have a long way to go to reach the unreached by strengthening routine immunization coverage, and reaching the highly-risked pockets to protect people, particularly children, from all diseases.”

“It is the highest commitment of a nation for its future generations to try and ensure that every child survives and thrives, no matter who they are or where they are. Under the leadership the Ministry of Health, we will continue to contribute towards the global eradication of polio and elimination of measles, tetanus and other vaccine-preventable diseases,” UNICEF Representative Aida Girma maintained.

The ceremony ended with FDI presenting shields to frontline workers as a token of their hard work and commitment.

Routine immunization is a set of inoculations, given to children from birth to the age of 15 months. Completing the schedule protects them from 12 vaccine-preventable diseases such as tuberculosis, polio, diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough), tetanus, haemophilus influenza type B, hepatitis B, diarrhoea, pneumonia, typhoid, measles and the recently added rubella.

The entire course is provided free of cost by the government’s Immunization Programme with support from global and technical partners such as Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, WHO, and UNICEF.