PESHAWAR: The Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) and the Directorate of Health Services in collaboration with the World Health Organisation have started a 12-day Enhanced Outreach Activity (EOA) in the merged districts to control the 10 vaccine-preventable childhood ailments.

The main objective of EOA, which started on Tuesday, is to build immunity of the community against the vaccine-preventable diseases like childhood tuberculosis (TB), polio, diarrhoea, pneumonia, pertussis (whooping cough), tetanus, hepatitis-B, meningitis, diphtheria and measles in the merged districts. The campaign will continue till June 27.

The activity was inaugurated by Dr Hafeezullah, the programme manager EPI, in the South Waziristan district, where he also visited various centres and monitored the sessions.

Talking to journalists, Dr Hafeez said they were closely monitoring the activities and checking the arrangements to ensure intended results.

All due, defaulters and zero-dose children will be covered through this EOA, and such activities are indispensable to prevent any outbreak of the vaccine-preventable diseases, he added.

Director Health Services Dr Niaz Afridi said all available resources would be utilised for the merged areas’ people to provide them better health facilities in their own areas.

“All parents are requested to extend their cooperation to the visiting teams by bringing out their children for vaccination,” Dr Niaz said.

Published in Dawn, June 24th, 2020