Routine Immunisation: DPT vaccine to be part of EPI

LAHORE: The government of Punjab will introduce DPT vaccine in the Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) from January 2018. This was announced in a review meeting chaired by Punjab Health Services Director General Dr Akhtar Rasheed Malik on Tuesday.

He said that the health department would launch the booster dose of DPT vaccine from next month to deal with the issue of diphtheria. A total amount of Rs445 million would be spent on the vaccines, which will be administered to children aged between four and five.



Punjab will be the first province to introduce DPT vaccine that would boost immunity against diphtheria, pertussis and tetanus. This year, nine labs confirmed cases of diphtheria in the province, he said, adding that sufficient stock of anti-diphtheria serum was available in the province at present. EPI Director and other officers of EPI programme attended the meeting.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 6^th, 2017.