Deficiencies in vaccinations

Immunisation coverage in Mansehra stands at 100%. This figure needs to be replicated elsewhere so every child is safe.

Leading paediatric health experts at the Aga Khan University Hospital in Karachi and other centres of excellence have long warned that our approach to childhood immunisation needs to be broader, rather than being too centred on polio. This seems to be true, notably, in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) province, where health authorities warn that a resurgence or even a full-fledged epidemic of sicknesses such as measles is possible due to poor coverage in districts such as Kohistan and Lakki Marwat, where both access and awareness problems exist. It is clear that these issues need to be tackled if there is to be any overall improvement in the situation, both in terms of providing polio coverage and other vital immunisations. The two go together; there should be no division in what kinds of vaccines are offered and to prevent epidemics it is also vital that coverage be universal. Every child must be vaccinated. This principle, after all, is basic.

Health authorities in K-P are also concerned about the incidence of neonatal tetanus in the province, with cases surfacing in 13 districts. A single shot given to pregnant mothers can prevent the sickness and is especially important with deliveries carried out so frequently in unhygienic conditions. Health officials report that neonatal tetanus had been eliminated in Afghan refugee camps where an organised drive was conducted. This alone offers us an important lesson: greater efforts are required to extend vaccinations across the country and end the disparity that exists between regions, districts and territories. In K-P, coverage in Mansehra stands, for instance, at 100 per cent. This proud figure needs to be replicated elsewhere so that every child is safe. Rather than a one-track focus on polio alone, the issue of providing all childhood vaccinations to children needs to be addressed. Unless we aim for this goal, we will struggle to bring down our alarmingly high child mortality rate and prevent families from enduring the suffering that illness can bring. A single prick of a needle is all that is required to banish such epidemics from our lives and keep our children safe.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 5^th, 2012.