With the year about to end, it seems the federal government is still reluctant to launch a planned measles drive in the city to protect children against the preventable disease after deferring it five times this year.
The high season for measles has already started in the country and has claimed two lives in Balochistan, but officials are not paying heed to immunise children against the disease.
Though the health directorate of the Capital Development Authority (CDA) claims to be willing to carryout the drive in urban areas, it is not getting permission to do so as the federal government wants to implement the campaign along with the Punjab government.
At the federal level, all arrangements have been made such as the procurement of vaccines and training of health workers, and the only wait now is for a green signal from the government to kick-off the campaign, said an official at the Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) on the condition of anonymity.
Sharing details, the official said the drive which was scheduled to begin on October 22 this year was deferred so it could be held alongside Punjab’s planned campaign in the third week of November. “But it did not happen as the ICT did not make necessary arrangements in time,” said the official.
Later, it was decided to carry out the anti-measles drive in mid December but as of now there is no clue as to when the campaign will kick off as the government is more focused on carrying out nationwide anti-polio drives, said the official.
Initially, the campaign was supposed to be held in 2013 but due to a paucity of funds it got moved to 2014. Since January this year, the government finalised the date for the campaign five times but kept delaying it as the deadline would draw near.
Costly campaign
After an outbreak of measles in 2013, an application was submitted by the EPI and its international partners along with a plan of action to the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI) requesting support for the nationwide anti-measles campaign that would cost an estimated $65 million. Out of the total amount, GAVI provided $35 million while the remaining was covered by the government.
Talking to The Express Tribune, EPI National Manager Dr Rana Safdar said all efforts are being made to carryout the anti-measles drive this year.
“However the federal is trying to hold the campaign along with Punjab government so that it will benefit a wider target audience,” he said.
When contacted, CDA Directorate of Health Services chief Dr Hassan Urooj said earlier this year CDA had made all arrangements to carry out the drive but it was delayed and it is now waiting to get permission from the federal EPI to hold it as soon as possible.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 9th, 2014.
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