MANY of the country’s health challenges can be easily tackled by fixing gaps in the preventive healthcare infrastructure. The poor management of the existing infrastructure for preventive and primary healthcare has contributed to Pakistan’s high disease and mortality burden. In this regard, the link between Pakistan’s ranking as the country with the third largest number of unvaccinated or under-vaccinated children in the world and its having one of the highest under-five child mortality rates is hard to miss. According to researchers, each year, almost 3m children in the country miss out on the entire course of vaccines they are required to have, even though the Expanded Programme of Immunisation offers free essential vaccination for children up to 15 months. It is estimated that more than 400,000 children under the age of five die of vaccine-preventable diseases. However, considering that 15pc of the country’s population is under five years old, and the deaths in this age group account for 50pc of the total mortality rate in the country, the actual number of fatalities could be much higher. For example, every year pneumonia — a preventable disease for which a vaccine is offered by the EPI — claims the lives of more than 91,000 children under five years, according to Unicef. Between 17pc and 25pc of these deaths can be prevented by only improving routine vaccination coverage.

Experts around the world, and in Pakistan as well, are highlighting this very connection between routine vaccination and the high death and disease burden as part of the events being held to mark World Immunisation Week. In Pakistan’s context, there is a need to improve and expand routine immunisation coverage. At present, EPI coverage stands at 76pc for children under two who have received the full dose of 11 vaccines offered under the programme. Though this a 10pc improvement over the past three years, coverage in Sindh and Balochistan remains below par. The authorities must take measures to plug these gaps so that thousands of young lives can be saved.

Published in Dawn, April 27th, 2022