Curbing diarrhoea: Punjab to introduce rotavirus vaccine

LAHORE: To control diarrhoea-related deaths, rotavirus vaccine will be introduced in the province by the month-end, said Punjab Primary and Secondary Health Minister Khawaja Imran Nazir while addressing a monthly meeting of chief executive officers at the Directorate General Health Services on Sunday.

In the first phase, vaccines would be introduced in six districts of Lahore, Multan, Qasur, Khushab, Muzaffargarh and Mandi Bahauddin. Punjab will be the first province in the country to introduce rotavirus vaccine, Imran claimed.

Health Secretary Ali Jan Khan said the government was focusing on preventive healthcare and the renovation of some tehsil headquarters hospitals and district headquarters hospitals was also underway.

The minister said health councils must be efficient and work according to their stipulated terms of reference. Special efforts must be made to tighten drug control regime with firm action against culprits involved in activities of spurious drugs, he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 9^th, 2017.