LAHORE: The Punjab health authorities are considering including chickenpox vaccine in regular Extended Programme on Immunisation (EPI).

The technical working group of the health department decided on Thursday that a meeting of the steering committee on EPI should be immediately called for seeking advice in this regard. The group met to review the situation of chickenpox in different districts.

Provincial representative of the World Health Organisation, Dr Jamshed, informed the meeting that individual cases of chickenpox were being reported from different districts of Punjab but there was no epidemic.

Presided over by Punjab Director General of Health Services Dr Faisal Zahoor, the meeting was informed that at present six patients of chickenpox were admitted to hospitals – two were under treatment at the Children’s Hospital, Lahore, and four at the Allied Hospital, Faisalabad. Sixteen deaths due to chickenpox have been reported so far in Faisalabad.

Dr Zahoor directed the officials to procure 10,000 doses of vaccine on an urgent basis for vaccination of healthcare providers and family members and other people in contact with the patients.

Children’s Hospital Medical Director Prof Dr Ahsan Waheed Rathore said chickenpox was commonly known as early age disease. A majority of children contracting the disease were cured within some days which created lifelong immunity among them. However, this time the disease had changed its pattern and presently adults were also being affected by the virus, he added.

The meeting was informed that vaccination of family members and other people in contact with the patients, especially the healthcare providers, was being carried out. The education department authorities had been advised to send the affected children on leave for one week to protect others.

Chief executive officers and district health authorities of Lahore, Faisalabad, Jhang, Bhakkar, Nankana Sahib, Toba Tek Singh and Sargodha recommended vaccination of all the health providers in the affected districts. They said mass awareness campaigns had been conducted in the affected districts.

Published in Dawn, April 28th, 2017