Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) Department of Health Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was celebrating World Immunization Week from April 24 to April 30, with the main objective of promoting the importance of vaccination and creates awareness among the people.
This year’s theme, “The Big Catch-Up” was an opportunity to raise awareness of the urgent and critical need to find and vaccinate children who missed vaccines that help to protect them from illness, disability, and death.
In addition, this week is to emphasize more and more activities on immunization at all levels so that people can be vaccinated simultaneously and at all levels and to improve health and welfare services for everyone, said KP Director EPI Dr Muhammad Arif Khan here on Thursday.
He said the last week of April is celebrated as World Immunization Week every year in which a vaccination campaign is conducted in the entire province, to create awareness among people about the importance and efficacy of vaccination to prevent 12 dangerous diseases.
Director EPI urged parents to vaccinate their children up to two years of age against deadly diseases and protect them against 12 dangerous diseases including tuberculosis, polio, diphtheria, cough, tetanus, meningitis. Hepatitis B, Diarrhea, Pneumonia, Typhoid, Measles and Rubella.
On this occasion, Dr. Mohammad Arif also thanked the supportive organizations that stand side by side with the health department and cooperate fully in making every campaign successful. Health Specialist Unicef Dr. Inamullah said in his statement that 60% of children in tribal areas and 49 per cent of children in the rest of the districts miss out on completing the complete course of vaccination, which is one of the main reasons that parents are not aware of the importance of vaccination, lack of parental time.—APP
