Despite stepping up campaign efforts, Dr. Malik Mukhtar Ahmed Barath, the Prime Minister’s Coordinator for Health Services, expressed worry on Wednesday about the low number of polio vaccinations administered to children nationwide this year.
He raised concerns by pointing out that 60% of the kids in this year’s polio cases were not routinely vaccinated.
Following his statement that “the severity of the disease in children was also observed due to lack of vaccination,” Bharath instructed the federal and provincial authorities to act immediately in this regard.
He urged the Federal Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) and Pakistan Polio Eradication Programme to develop a coordinated plan for districts afflicted by polio. “Ensure the provision of vaccines for all diseases including polio to every child,” he said.
