The Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office (EMRO) of World Health Organisation (WHO) in a statement here has suggested urgent measures to improve routine immunisation in Pakistan. "The first and most important strategy in polio eradication is routine immunisation," it said on Friday.
WHO sources observed that routine immunisation has not yet reached the standard hoped for in any country. Elaborating the stance, it was stated that of the 32 polio cases reported in Pakistan in 2007, as many as 21 cases had not received a single dose of oral polio vaccine through routine immunisation and another three had received only one of the three routine doses required.
This was said to indicate that 75 percent of the cases that occurred were not covered by the basic and most important strategy of routine immunisation. The very flaw in routine immunisation was said to have made supplemental immunisation activities necessary to reach those not reached in time by routine immunisation. "These campaigns are indeed reaching many children who are missed by routine immunisation," WHO EMRO sources said.
In their statement WHO sources maintained that Pakistan's National Programme, has, long recognised the importance of mobile populations in maintaining viral circulation. On basis of this premise the country's National Expanded Programme for Immunisation (EPI) was acknowledged to have conducted an extensive study to map these populations and to identify the important characteristics relevant to viral spread.
Strategies were also said to be put in place to address the important but difficult-to-reach population groups and consequently, at current point of time, children concerned were receiving the vaccine at the crossing points and at their temporary residences.
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