Punjab must intensify vigilance and monitoring to boost quality of polio campaigns in Lahore and Rawalpindi in the National Immunization Days from September 26 to 28. The recommendation was given in the provincial EPI Steering Committee meeting held under the chair of Advisor to Chief Minister Khawaja Salman Rafique in the Emergency Operation Center, Directorate General Health Services Punjab here on Friday.
Secretary Primary and Secondary Healthcare Ali Jan Khan, Vice Chancellor King Edward Medical University Prof. Faisal Masood, Chairman National Immunization Technical Advisory Group Prof. Tariq Iqbal Bhutta, DG Health Punjab Dr. Mukhtar Hussain Syed, Director EPI/EOC Coordinator Dr. Munir Ahmed and technical officials of UNICEF, WHO and Gates Foundation also attended the meeting.
The EPI Steering Committee is the apex technical body guiding the provincial Expanded Program on Immunization on key decisions. It comprises renowned professors, pediatricians, health managers and EPI experts.
It was decided that the Primary and Secondary Healthcare department will hold Diphtheria mop up in Kasur district in the wake of rising number of cases in the district. Director EPI Dr. Munir Ahmed presented a detailed analysis of Diphtheria outbreak in FATA last month and its fall out in Punjab, pattern of cases in the country the and status of vaccination in the union councils reporting more cases. He said provincial EPI Program will conduct a mop up in the area and vaccinate all children in vulnerable age groups. It was also decided that Drug Regulatory Authority will be requested to coordinate manufacturers for provision of necessary vaccines in open market as well across the province.
The meeting reviewed Measles Surveillance situation in the province. It was also shared that WHO and UNICEF Mission will visit Punjab for validation of Mother and Neonatal Tetanus elimination in October.
Dr. Munir Ahmed also presented a comparative analysis of number of vaccines and their schedules in Punjab and other countries of the region. Secretary Primary and Secondary asked the EPI program to start preparatory work on introduction of new vaccines, Rubella and Cervical Cancer with details of incidence, mortality and resources needed for the same.
The meeting also reviewed outbreak of Chikungunya in India and its possible impact in Punjab. Khawaja Salman Rafique assured coordination with federal key ministries in Islamabad to immediately chalk out plan for prevention of chikungunya.