LARKANA:World Immunization Week (WIW) is a global healthcare event, typically celebrated every year in the last week of April between 24th and 30th, intending to promote vaccine usage and protect people of all ages from infectious diseases.
The World Health Organization (WHO), in association with various international and local groups, joined hands together in this worldwide event to protect local communities from vaccine-preventable diseases and provide education by conducting various campaigns and activities.
The WIW 2023 activities focus on emphasizing the importance of having vaccines and immunization in addition to aiding the governments in providing the necessary technical assistance and information required to launch effective immunization programmes.
Infectious diseases caused by viruses or bacteria that can be prevented through vaccination are known as vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs). These VPDs are still one of the major culprits for causing deaths in children under the age of 5 years. Immunization can help curb VPDs in children and other infectious diseases in adults, including polio, diphtheria, tetanus, COVID-19 etc.
This year 2023, the World Immunization Week theme is “The Big Catch-Up”, highlighting the right of every individual, particularly children, to receive immunization against preventable diseases.
The EPI Sindh focuses on creating awareness about the crucial role of vaccinations in safeguarding public health.
To help protect children against 12 life-threatening diseases, EPI Sindh has established over 1900 EPI centres throughout the Province offering free immunization services. The Health Department is committed to increasing accessibility to vaccines and protecting people of all ages from various diseases.
In this connection, World Immunization Week upto April 30, 2023, was kicked off in Larkana district today with an aim to make people aware about the need of life-saving vaccines to prevent them from a number of diseases throughout their life.
During the Immunization Week12 dangerous diseases including polio, tuberculosis, measles, typhoid fever, whooping cough and other diseases will be prevented.
To raise awareness about the value of vaccines and immunization an a Seminar was organized by the District Health Department Larkana in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), held at CMC Children Hospital Larkana, on Tuesday.
The Deputy Commissioner Larkana Rabia Siyal speaking on the occasion said that the Immunization of children from birth to two years old is very important because it saves the newborns from 12 deadly diseases.
She said that awareness about the importance of vaccines is to be highlighted during the week so that parents could be able to get their kids vaccinated at any of the nearby EPI Centres or at their doorsteps.
Rabia Siyal highlighted that these vaccination will save the children from 12 dangerous diseases which included Polio, Tuberculosis, Tetanus, Measles, Whooping Cough, Pneumococcal Disease, Chickenpox, Diphtheria, Influenza (Flu), Typhoid, Meningitis and others.
He said coronavirus could also be prevented through vaccination which has shaken the world since last three year, adding that the treatment of every ailment is hidden in vaccination and social distancing.
She said administering anti-polio drops or vaccination against dangerous diseases has no connection with any religion or belief but it is only connected with saving and protecting the human lives for which the message is spread that it’s only a medicine.
The DC urged the communities to get themselves and their children vaccinated against the diseases.
She said hundreds of children died due to neglecting vaccination. She said that vaccines were available free of cost across the country so every child under the age of five years in rural areas should get vaccinated so that children could enjoy healthy and long life. It is the best we can do for ourselves, our families and our communities, She said.
DC Larkana said that the Immunization Week will continue for one week and also women who are between 15 years to 49 years of age should get the vaccine.
She further said that here are the officers of the health department, doctors, lady health workers and other important people, the role of all the stakeholders is important and should go and inform the common people and oblige them not to expose their children to this disease.
She also said that the necessary vaccines to avoid the disease. While the role of the management is to monitor the staff for this, the common people and especially the women should also be vaccinated to avoid these infectious diseases, she said.
On this occasion Director Health Services Larkana Abdul Sattar Sheikh said that the purpose of this week which we are celebrating is to make people aware about the diseases and this message should be started from their homes and this message should be conveyed to the common people that they should avoid these dangerous diseases. In order to avoid it and make sure children are vaccinated and they should be told that vaccination of these vaccines will not cause any harm, rather it will be beneficial.
In this regard, he said that if one person’s life is saved by the efforts of the stakeholders, it is as if you saved humanity, for this you and we pledge to vaccinate the children, added.
On this occasion, Medical Superintendent of Chandka Medical College Hospital, Larkana, Dr. Gulzar Tunio said that our workers are working day and night at the Union Council level to save common people from these diseases and we are trying to reach everyone for this. The people are also requested to cooperate and get their children vaccinated to avoid diseases.
He further said that as we worked in the previous Covid campaign and in the same way in this campaign, we should get our children vaccinated to avoid these diseases.
Professor Dr. Shanti Lal said that throughout Pakistan and the province of Sindh, we are also celebrating this week in the Larkana district, so that we can save our children from these infectious diseases and in this regard with the district administration.
He said we also have the cooperation of all the doctors and WHO representatives and we will appeal to the common people to come forward and vaccinate their children to avoid these diseases, especially measles.
Later, Deputy Commissioner Larkana Rabia Siyal inaugurated this campaign by putting slings and vaccines to the children to prevent them from various diseases.
Meanwhile, an awareness walk was organized to aware about the program, which started at Sheikh Zayed Children’s Hospital Larkana and ended at Lahori Regulator Bridge. A large number of doctors, health department officials, civil society representatives and common people participated in this walk.