QUETTA: Balochistan Health Minister Abdul Majid Abro has said that Pakistan ranks third in the world after India and Nigeria where annually 56,000 children die due to diarrhoea.

He was speaking at the launch ceremony of rotavirus vaccine on Wednesday. The vaccine has been launched under the provincial Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) aimed at saving children from fatal diseases.

Mr Abro said that the provincial health department was keen to prevent crippling diseases, including diarrhoea, which was becoming a major cause for loss of innocent lives.

“Despite having fewer resources, the government is taking all possible steps to save our children by introducing rotavirus vaccine in EPI,” he said.

Mr Abro pointed out that the provincial EPI was battling 10 fatal diseases. The health minister said that he was thankful to national and international organisations, including Unicef, Gavi and World Health Organisation, for extending all help and cooperation to the EPI.

Published in Dawn, April 27th, 2018