Minister health inaugurates anti measles campaign in Lahore

Lahore: Health Minister Punjab, Salima Hashmi has said that there is a need for launching mass immunization campaign throughout the country to completely control measles disease. She said there is also requirement to allocate more funds for the health sector for treatment of children and to safeguard them against various diseases. She hoped that the next elected government would pay vigorous attention towards these needs and requirements.

The Minister expressed these views while launching a 7-day campaign against measles in district Lahore at Children Hospital here today. She said that routine immunization should be made more effective by removing lacunas of the Health Department. She said this is responsibility of parents to benefit from free-of-cost preventive vaccination and to have their children vaccinated against these diseases. She said parents can give best gift “immunization” to their children by ensuring completion of preventive vaccination course.

Talking on the occasion, DG Health Punjab Dr. Tanvir Ahmed informed that anti-measles campaign would continue from 29 April to 5 May without any break during which preventive vaccination of 30 lakh children from the age of six months upto 10 years, would be carried out. He said vaccination teams have been formulated, which include 660 mobile, 165 school and 265 fixed teams, which would carry out preventive vaccination at primary schools, hospitals, health centres and by visiting localities.

Dr. Tanvir Ahmed further said that anti-measles vaccination campaign would be expanded to other districts, while this campaign would be launched throughout the province in June, for which an amount of 1.4 billion rupees would be provided by the Punjab government, while 1.6 billion rupees would be provided by GAVI. He said the Punjab government has deposited 465 million rupees to UNICEF for purchase of more anti-measles vaccinate.

The Dean Children Hospital Dr. Tahir Masood pointed out that 40% deaths, throughout the world, occur because of measles disease, which can also be effectively controlled through mass vaccination. The ceremony was also attended by Medical Director Children Hospital Prof. Dr. Ahsan Waheed Rathor as well as Prof. Masood Sadiq and other faculty members of Institute of Child Health and Children Hospital.