KARACHI, March 20: Rota virus (diarrhoea) and Pneumococcus (pneumonia), which continue to be the major killer diseases for under five children, can be contained through optimum use of new vaccines available in the country under WHO and Unicef Strategy - GIVS.

This was stated by experts at a conference organised by the Infectious Disease Society of Pakistan at the convention centre of Liaquat National Hospital on Sunday.

Dr Anita Zaidi, Paediatric Infectious Disease Consultant of Aga Khan University, addressing a session on “Vaccines: Recent Developments” identified vaccines as the key tool and the most effective strategies for child survival.

She mentioned that exciting recent developments had been registered and new vaccines were available against diarrhoea and pneumonia. “Challenge is to make these vaccines available to all children and bringing immunization coverage above 90 per cent,” she said.

Dr Anita said that the Global Immunization and Vaccines Strategy jointly launched by the World Health Organization and Unicef for 2006-2015 should be efficiently implemented in Pakistan, where diseases that could be prevented through vaccines continued to haunt children.

The expert also stressed that Pakistan, in particular, must expand EPI beyond mother and infants covering older children too who were almost equally exposed and vulnerable to wide range of infections.

On the occasion, she underscored concerted efforts for making new vaccines available in developing countries and improving health system to deliver better health care at immunization centres.

She stressed that people must see that momentum gained through polio eradication campaign was not lost yet.

An additional global funding worth US$2 billion per year was said to be required to immunize (including new vaccines) 90 per cent children in poor countries which was just pittance as compared to global funding on arms.

Dr Anita Zaidi reminded that the government was also committed to improve immunization coverage plans with provision of introducing new vaccines. She said that the focus right now in Pakistan was on eliminating measles and regular campaigns were being carried out in high risk areas complimented by administering second dose of measles vaccines to all children at 15 months of age.

In his presentation on “Typhoid fever in childhood: implications for preventive strategies”, AKUH paediatrics department head Prof Zulfiqar Bhutta said that the highest rate of typhoid in children was reported in Pakistan.

“All studies in slum areas of Karachi document annual typhoid burden of 800 cases per 100,000 children,” he said mentioning that major risk factors are crowding and lack of hygiene.

Dr Bhutta said that mass immunization through schools in urban slum areas was the best strategy for prevention as 70 per cent of typhoid cases in Pakistan were occurring in slum areas.

To address the situation, he said that health ministry would initiate pilot programmes for immunization against typhoid in schools located in slum areas of Karachi and Faisalabad by the end of this year.—APP