Private sector institutions should be taken on board for the accomplishment of the immunisation goals set by the EPI.
LAHORE: Low immunisation coverage is the reason why many vaccine-preventable diseases persist in Pakistan. The Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) was initiated in Pakistan in 1978 with the collaboration of the WHO and Unicef. Its main objective was marked reduction in the morbidity and mortality of children due to six vaccine-preventable diseases, which are diphtheria, tetanus, measles, pertussis, polio and tuberculosis. In addition, vaccination against hepatitis B was included in the EPI in July 2002. Though international agencies such as the WHO and Unicef promote global immunisation drives and policies, the success of an immunisation programme in any country depends more upon national policies that take ground realities into consideration.
The WHO has made tremendous efforts for the eradication of polio and cases have been reduced from 350,000 in 1988 to 1,604 in 2009 due to regular immunisation worldwide. Pakistan is considered among those few countries where polio is still present as an endemic disease.
Surveys have shown that the number of vaccinators is not sufficient. There are also reports of short supply of vaccines in Balochistan.
Knowledge, attitudes and practices of parents and patients contribute to the success or failure of an immunisation programme. A low literacy rate in the rural and remote areas is the major cause of this lack of knowledge and awareness. Parents sometimes refuse to get their child vaccinated due to possible side effects of the vaccine such as a rash or fever.
Immunisation of all children across Pakistan is too huge a task to be achieved by the government alone. So private sector institutions should be taken on board for the accomplishment of the immunisation goals set by the EPI.
Sadia Irfan
Published in The Express Tribune, November 26th, 2013.
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