ISLAMABAD: Health representatives from across the country agreed on Thursday to include two doses of rotavirus vaccine in the routine immunisation programme of the country.

As consensus has been reached to get the vaccine, Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (Gavi) will be requested in May to arrange the vaccine. Tentative funding by Gavi for the programme will be of $51 million while Pakistan will provide $5 million for the vaccine procurement.

Rotavirus is the most common cause of diarrhoea and vomiting among infants in the country.

Health experts believe that lives of 29,000 children can be saved every year in the country by including the vaccine in the immunisation programme.

On Thursday, representatives of the four provinces, Islamabad, Gilgit-Baltistan and AJK met at the Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) office in Islamabad to discuss the issue.

Speaking on the occasion, EPI National Programme Manager Dr Syed Saqlain Ahmed Gilani said that 700,000 children under five die of diarrhoea in the world each year while in Pakistan rotavirus was responsible for sever gastrointestinal infections in one out of three children.

He said that National Immunisation Technical Advisory Group (NITAG) had recommended introduction of rotavirus vaccine in 2011 and this year. The Ministry of National Health Services (NHS) had also expressed interest for introducing the vaccine last year.

The meeting decided to introduce two doses of vaccine in the routine immunisation.

Talking to Dawn, Mr Gilani said that every year three windows of Gavi were opened to apply for the vaccine procurement.

“The new window will open on May 1 this year and in a month we will submit our application. Plan includes the number of children, requirement of vaccine, wastage rate of vaccine and facilities to store the vaccine etc,” he said.

During the meeting, it was decided to introduce two doses of vaccine in the routine immunisation,” he said.

Published in Dawn, April 1st, 2016