World Immunization Week kicked off in Lower Chitral
CHITRAL: An awareness walk was taken by health department here on Thursday to kick off the World Immunization Week which culminated at Women and Children Hospital after passing through different roads.
The walk was led by assistant commissioner Chitral Dr. Atif Jalib, district health officer Dr. Fayaz Rumi, renowned pediatrician Dr. Gulzar Ahmed and EPI coordinator Dr. Farman Nizar and participated by the representatives of civil society organizations and health workers in large number.
Earlier, in the awareness-raising seminar about the importance of immunization, the speakers including Dr. Gulzar Ahmed, Dr. Fayaz Rumi, Dr. Farman Nizar , Dr. Asif and others said that the immunization had brought a great relief to the humanity saving them from a series of deadly diseases.
Dilating upon the theme of the week for the year “Humanly possible: immunization for all”, the speakers reiterated that ensuring the immunization of all the people of all age groups, a number of diseases can be eliminated from a country and region once and for all.
They said that it was through the positive response of the community to the immunization process in Chitral that it has been polio-free for the last three decades and such a spirit and zest should be carried on in the times to come.
They added that although a number of deadly diseases have been eliminated from the world at large but it has not been possible in Pakistan to achieve this target due to the challenges and obstacles of different nature.
The speakers asked the parents to show a high sense of responsibility in making the routine immunization a success by ensuring regularly immunizing their children against the twelve deadly diseases including polio for which health department has an highly structured system put in place.
“For the parents residing at a walking distance of 30 minutes from the nearest government-run health centre, the immunization facility is available throughout the working days of the week while for those beyond this distance, a team of EPI visits regularly on monthly basis.
For the newly born children in the tehsil and district headquarter hospitals, the immunization against polio and tuberculosis is available round-the-clock on any day of the year”, they said and asked the people to avail the facility.
They said that the aim of the week is to imbibe in the public the importance of immunization to save the humanity against the diseases.
