Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI), Directorate of Health Services Merged Areas in collaboration with World Health Organisation (WHO) has started a 12-day extensive outreach vaccination drive in merged districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to control the 10 preventable children diseases.

The main objectives of outreach activity are to increase routine immunization coverage and control the 10 preventable diseases including Childhood Tuberculosis (TB), polio, diarrhoea, pneumonia, pertussis (whooping cough), tetanus, hepatitis-b, meningitis, diphtheria, measles in the merged districts. The 12-day outreach activity has started in December 23 which will continue till January 4, 2020.

All defaulters, missed children, zero dose children and refusals will be covered through routine outreach immunization.

EPI Programme Manager Dr Osama Shabeer said the outbreaks can only be controlled through comprehensive strategy based on extensive outreach which will cover all the defaulters and zero dose children. He informed that to control such outbreaks and vaccinate the unattended children (zero dose and defaulters), extensive outreach vaccination is needed in all districts of the newly merged areas.

Director Health Services Merged Areas Dr Shah Faisal Khanzada said that all available resources would be utilised for the benefits of merged areas people to provide them better health facilities in their own areas.

He requested parents to cooperate with EPI teams and vaccinate their children against the 10 preventable diseases.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2019