Punjab Minister for Health Salima Hashmi has said that a vigorous campaign will be launched against measles in the province and 33 million children from nine months to ten years of age will be inoculated during the month of June. She said that a sum of 3.5 billion rupees will be spent for this purpose. She said that more than 350 lives were lost in Sindh due to measles and in view of this fact Punjab government has taken timely preventive measures.
She was addressing a press conference regarding measles in Punjab at Children Hospital Lahore on Sunday. Secretary Health Arif Nadeem, Special Secretary Health Babar Hayat Tarar, Additional Secretary Health (Technical) Dr Anwar Janjua, Children Hospital Dean Prof Tahir Masood, Prof Dr Tariq Bhutta, representative of UNICEF Dr Tahir Manzoor, Provincial Coordinator Lady Health Workers Programme Dr Akhtar Rashid Malik and other officers were present on the occasion.
Salima said global immunization week will be observed in Punjab from 24 to 30 April during which a vigorous vaccination campaign against measles will be launched while public awareness programmes will also be initiated. The minister said it was the first time that the media and masses had taken notice of this issue. She appreciated role of media.
She said that around 5.7 million injections of vaccine against measles were available in the stock of Health Department and there was no shortage of vaccine and it was being provided free of cost. She said guidelines of World Health Organization and UNICEF were being followed in the efforts for prevention of measles in Punjab. She said that these guidelines were formulated in January 2013 at a conference on measles. She said that 8,699 cases of measles have been reported in Punjab so far while 40 deaths have also occurred which is a matter of serious concern.