I lost my five-month-old son on December 22, 2011, because of pneumonia.
ISLAMABAD: In Islamabad on December 22, I was attending a training workshop at a local hotel in which a doctor (Programme Officer of the National Rural Support Programme) told participants that the vaccination which is given to newborn babies in Pakistan doesn’t contain anything against pneumonia.
That reminded me of a personal tragedy — I lost my five-month-old son on December 22, 2011, because of pneumonia. What she said brought back that pain and I got tears in my eyes. Through this platform, I would urge the ministry of health to ensure that the vaccination given to newborns is effective against pneumonia as well.
Syed Athar Ali Shah
Published in The Express Tribune, December 31st, 2012.
