Mirpur District Health Office Hosts Catchup Campaign in connection with scheduled 13-day Drive:
Altaf Hamid Rao;
MIRPUR,(Parliament Times): All is set by the AJK government The Sindh to launch an immunization drive from Nov 15th against measles and rubella with the help of thousands of the trained staff members , targeting millions of children of the age from 09 months to 15 years across the State at their residences, public and private schools, and madressahs as well as informal academic institutions.
This was stated by State health experts and senior district administrations officials at the Catchup Campaign in connection with the scheduled 13-day National Anti-measles, rubella vaccination drive commencing from Nov. 15th, hosted by the District Health Officer Mirpur Dr. Fida Hussain Raja on measles and rubella at Hotel Mirpur Grand Regency here on Saturday.
Newly elected member of Azad Jammu Kashmir Legislative Assembly Yasir Sultan Chaudhry was the Chief guest of the ceremony chaired by Mirpur Deputy Commissioner Dr. Omar Azam, who is also Chairman of the District polio eradication committee.
Besides the chief guest MLA Yasir Sultan Chaudhry and the Chair – DC Dr. Omar Azam, newly-inducted Director General Mangla Dam Housing Authority (MDHA) Ch. Mansha, District Health Officer Dr. Fida Hussain Saja, Additional District Health Officer Dr. Nadeem Ahmed Fazaldad, Raja Muhammad Rasheed, President All Pakistan Clerks Association – APCA AJK, Mumtaz Hussain Peerzada, focal person Sardar Waqas Hussain Ashfar, trade union leader of the state health Department employees and others also spoke on this occasion .
Speakers emphasized the need of mass vaccination for the safety and security of the masses of all stipulated concerned ages against all sorts of epidemics and pandemics including covid-19, polio, measles, Rubella and the dengue viruses.
The District Health officer Mirpur Dr. Fida Hussain disclosed on this occasion that the vaccine against the measles and rubella has, so far, landed in Pakistan and the parents should show full responsibility to get their children from the age of 09 months to 15 years immunized from the stipulated state health facilities close to their door steps across the country including Azad Jammu Kashmir.
Mirpur Deputy Commissioner Dr. Omer Azam emphasized on this occasion to launch an extensive drive, through conventional and social print and electronic media, to raise awareness among the masses, especially parents, about the usage benefits of the vaccination of their offspring against the all sorts of pandemics and epidemics including during the 13-day long nation-wide anti-measles and anti-rubella campaign across the country including Azad Jammu Kashmir – with prime focus to produce the quality future architects of the nation .
The AJK / nationwide campaign, the part of a global initiative for elimination of measles and rubella, will end on Nov 27 in the country.
“Children from nine months to 15 years will be vaccinated during the campaign to be carried out by trained staff, including lady health workers, nurses as well as vaccinators,” said Dr. Fida Hussain, District Health Officer Mirpur while referring to the scheduled AJK-wide Programme for Immunisation (EPI).
Teams would visit door-to-door as well as reaching to children enrolled in public, private schools, madressahs and informal schools, he added.
‘No serious side effects:–
Responding to a query by this this Correspondent on this occasion, about any side effects of the vaccine, Dr. Fida said that the vaccines were the same used in numerous other countries with no serious side effects.
Elaborating the significance of the drive, the DHO said both measles and rubella were viral diseases that could easily be prevented with vaccination.
He continued that through the vaccination, we could only save lives, but also prevent several congenital defects in children. Last year, there were 9.7m measles cases in the world with some 140,000 deaths, he underlined.
Over 125 deaths this year in Pakistan:
“This year, there were 8,357 reported cases of measles infection in Pakistan with at least 125 deaths. We believe this number must be higher as a significant number of mortalities occurred at home,” the DHO revealed quoting latest reports.
Additional District Health Officer Dr. Nadeem Ahmed Fazal Dad told this Correspondent on this occasion that though there had been drives in the past against these diseases, but absolute elimination of any of the disease was also required consolidated and consistent efforts for complete elimination.
To another question about the liaison between malnourishment and vaccine’s efficacy, he told that there was no doubt that clinical outcomes of vaccines were better in healthy children, but measles was a disease that led to malnourishment, he revealed.
“This is why vaccination against measles is extremely important,” he added. Dr. Fazaldad underlined that rubella’s symptoms were similar to that of measles which was why the former was called German measles.
The vaccines will be available free of cost at public health functionaries and outreach public places during the entire scheduled campaign period across AJK including in this lake district of Kashmir expatriates, the health officials said.
