Vaccines substantially reduce child mortality

Health officials say comprehensive coverage led to significant progress in child survival

RAWALPINDI:

There has been significant progress in child survival in the Rawalpindi district owing to the comprehensive vaccination and coverage against 12 diseases.

Officials privy to the development said that effective vaccination against 12 different diseases led to low deaths among children below 18 months.

They said currently, of the 1,020 reported cases, 427 were positive for measles and they were out of danger and recovering.

Only one case of diphtheria was recorded in the whole district, sources said, adding that a ‘remarkable improvement’ in child survival has been seen after robust vaccination.

The District Health Authority (DHA) has ensured the vaccination of children below 18 months against 12 diseases including tuberculosis, diphtheria, tetanus, measles, polio, typhoid, meningitis, cholera and rubella. They also maintained that the high performance of the teams has been validated by the fact that there has been a remarkable reduction in the number of children suffering from these diseases across the district.

District Vaccination Supervisor Chaudhry Muhammad Hussain said that due to timely vaccination, the immunity level of children has improved and the number of cases and deaths has decreased.

They said that parents have also been urged through awareness campaigns to vaccinate their children so that they can have an effective immune system and they stay healthy.

DHA Focal Person Dr Waqar also confirmed that the vaccination has improved the immunity level of children.

He urged parents to protect their children from deadly diseases by getting them vaccinated.

DHA Chief Executive Officer Dr Ishaq said that children who had missed vaccines have mostly suffered from measles.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 5^th, 2022.