Preventive measures: Measles vaccination drive delayed in FATA

Confusion about availability of vaccine causes the delay

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has been unable to complete its nationwide 13-day anti measles drive, recommended by international donor agencies almost two and half years ago, after the death toll of affected children reached over 700 in 2012-13.

Around 62.5 million children aged between nine months and 10 years were meant to be vaccinated against the disease across the country in a campaign that cost an estimated $65 million, out of which Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI) committed $35 million, while the remaining amount was paid by the Pakistan government.



After numerous delays in the last two and a half years, the federal Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) planned to complete the anti-measles vaccination drive across the country by the end of April this year, before the start of its peak season, but it has failed to launch the campaign in the Federally Administrated Tribal Areas (FATA).

“Since 2013, the anti-measles drive was planned several times in FATA but mainly due to mismanagement it is still in the pipeline,” said an official in the secretariat of FATA EPI.

While talking to The Express Tribune the official said that previously the campaign was delayed because of confusion about the availability of vaccine between the federal EPI and an international donor agency.

“Throughout the year the government has remained focused on polio eradication due to which all the vaccinators remain busy with the anti-polio drive and do not get time to work for other campaigns,” said the official. Subsequently, training of vaccinators, the shortage of human resources and micro planning to calculate the accurate number of children living in the area became further challenges, said the official.

“However, now the federal EPI has provided all required measles vaccinations, but still the campaigns have not yet started.  Now in June, the holy month of Ramazan is starting then Eid, which means the campaign will be further delayed,” said the official.

The Express Tribune tried to contact Dr Sahibzada Khalid, deputy director EPI–Fata but he was not available for comment.

However Dr Saqlain Gillani, National EPI manager said the federal EPI has provided all required support in terms of vaccines and other provisions to FATA EPI secretariat and hopefully they will manage to carry out the campaign soon.

He said a massive decline has been witnessed in the number of measles cases this year after the vaccination campaign was carried out all across the country except FATA.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 9^th, 2015.