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LAHORE: Representatives and experts of the United Nations Children's Emergency Fund (Unicef) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) have dispelled the impression being given by certain quarters that the substandard vaccination might be one of the factors behind recent surge in polio cases in Pakistan.
They suggested that the children must be vaccinated against polio without any fear and said that vaccine made available in Pakistan was duly recommended by WHO and was being used in all those countries which were facing the disease.
The experts said all vaccines procured by Unicef come from manufacturers prequalified by the WHO to produce vaccines that meet the highest quality control standards.
They stunned the participants by saying that around 700,000 children remained unvaccinated during each round of immunization programme in the country.
Addressing an orientation at a local hotel on Tuesday, WHO Punjab provincial manager Dr Debrorah Bettels rejected all the suspicions over the quality of the vaccine saying: 'Oral polio vaccine (OPV) is the WHO-recommended vaccine for polio eradication.
Unicef communication specialistRustam Haydarovr, Punjab EPI additional director Dr Azhar Masood Bhatti, and Unicef communication officer Azmat Abbas also spoke.
Most of the questions raised by the media personnel were relating to the quality of the anti-polio vaccine. They also quoted a fresh polio case reported from Shahdara, Lahore, as the patient had succumbed to the disease lately on Monday. As the baby had been administered full dose of the vaccine during repeated government-run campaigns, they asked the experts to talk on the issue first.
The experts cited various references to prove the efficacy of the oral vaccine and also shared data with the participants, saying that India had almost achieved its target by administering the same vaccine.
Dr Debrorah apprised the participants that two types of vaccines were used throughout the world. In countries where the wild polio virus was in circulation, oral polio vaccine (OPV) was used because it required minimum training and equipment while the second type of vaccine is an inactivated (killed) polio vaccine (IPV) that was injected, she added.
She said the IPV was used primarily in countries where the wild polio virus hadalready been eliminated. Some countries had eradicated polio virus by using WHO-recommended OPV, she added.
About surge in the polio cases in Pakistan, Dr Debrorah said there might be multiple factors like improper handling, transportation and storage of the vaccine, poor hygienic and sanitation conditions, environmental problems unskilled staff deputed for campaign etc.
Another major factor, she said, might be the missing children, who remained unvaccinated during repeated visits of the vaccination teams.
She also emphasised on comprehensive surveillance system, complete doses of vaccination to each and every children and hiring of trained and skilled staff for immunisations.
Mr Rustam said health of a large number of children who remained unvaccinated during each official campaign was at more risk for the polio virus.
He said some parents refused vaccination of their children below the age of 40 days. As many polio cases occurred in first 12 months, he said, the OPV must be given immediately after birth.
On the occasion, Dr Masood Bhatti also endorsed the viewpoint of Mr Rustam and said that a large number of missing children must be made part of the anti-polio vaccination campaign. To a question, he said the polio vaccination can cure 70 to 80 per cent of disease.
He claimed that some foreign experts had declared the surveillance system of the Punjab province as best system of the world.
Dr Masood recommended that birth certificates should not be issued without vaccination cards to ensure maximum participation of the children in the anti-pollo campaign.
The union council secretaries could play important role in this regard, he said.Mr Abbas said that media could play important role in creating awareness particularly among parents to get their children vaccinated without any fear.
'Pakistani media being the major pillar of state has both moral and professional responsibility to ensure that polio eradication is set on top of public agenda,' he said.
He said result-oriented consultative meetings, capacitybuilding and orientation workshops might help complete eradication of communicable diseases like polio.
