Pakistan to kick-off 2 week immunization drive for 90million children
Nov 12, 2021: Dr. Faisal Sultan, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister for Health, has announced that the federal government has decided to vaccinate more than 90 million children between the ages of 9 months and 15 years against measles and rubella.
At a talk on Friday, he revealed that the campaign would run from November 15 to November 27. “We will also be vaccinating children under the age of five in this campaign.”
About 386,000 health workers will work during these two weeks and 76,000 vaccinators and 1.43 million social mobilizers will also be part of the campaign.
“Over the last few years, we have seen a dramatic increase in the spread of these diseases,” Dr Sultan warned. “Measles and rubella can be fatal if not treated early.”
“We need to vaccinate our children to protect them,” he said. “We ask parents and religious scholars to help us spread awareness and usefulness about the campaign.”
Last year, more than 664 cases and four deaths were reported from measles. So far this year, 2,400 cases and 38 deaths have been reported. Meanwhile, 117 cases of rubella have been reported this year.
Dr. Sultan said that Pakistan is close to eradicating polio virus. Not a single case of polio has been reported in the country this year. He assured that all resources were being utilized to achieve the goal of a polio-free Pakistan.
“We are closely monitoring the effectiveness and coverage of polio campaigns across the country,” the SAPM added.
Pakistan is running a rigorous nationwide polio campaign. Prime Minister Imran Khan has vowed to make the country polio free. The country also plans to launch a coordinated polio campaign with Afghanistan in December this year. Pakistan and Afghanistan are now the only countries where polio is classified as a local viral infection.
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