–Vaccine shortage may put health of women and children at stake
LARKANA: Sindh is facing an acute shortage of pentavalent vaccine due to the lockdown imposed after the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak.
According to the details, the Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) authorities did nothing except issuing a letter to all District Health Officers (DHOs) across the province informing them of the shortage. The letter was issued on April 6.
In the letter, Sindh EPI Project Director Dr Muhammad Akram Sultan informed DHOs of the shortage due to the current scenario of COVID-19 outbreak and disruption of flight operations and asked them to make adjustments.
“It is requested to convey the message to all dealing hands at all levels, i-e EPI Focal Person, UCMOs, DSVs, TSVs, Vaccinators, District Managers PPHI and other relevant staff of private vaccination centres, to use the available stock of vaccines carefully to reach the maximum number of children by minimising the open and close vial wastage of EPI vaccines. I hope you understand the seriousness of the situation and manage it accordingly,” he stated in the letter.
Copies of this letter have also been sent to Health Secretary Karachi, Director General, Health Services, Sindh, Hyderabad, National EPI Program Manager in Islamabad and other relevant authorities for information.
When this scribe talked to the Larkana EPI Focal Person Dr Farooq Shaikh, he said that the vaccine was short in the entire province due to unavailability of transport and advised an alternate option to cope.
“A doze of the same vaccine will be repeated when it is made available. There is no harm in being vaccinated after two to three months and there will be no effect on the child’s health,” he claimed.
Retired Larkana DHO Dr Khalilullah Shaikh said that due to ongoing pandemic of coronavirus when all segments of the society are affected, health delivery is no exception.
He said EPI is one of the most vital preventive interventions to save children and women from nine vaccine-preventable diseases, including polio, diphtheria, tetanus, pneumonia, measles, meningitis, whooping cough, tuberculosis and hepatitis.
“The disrupted supply chain system has affected EPI to an extent that some vaccines have either become short or are almost finished. It is feared that if their timely replenishment is not done, the health and well-being of children and women would be at risk of otherwise preventable diseases,” he added.
Sources in the Larkana’s district health office when contacted also confirmed the shortage of the vaccine.
It may be noted here that the Pentavalent vaccine is a combination of five vaccines given to children as a single dose; one each against diphtheria, whooping cough, childhood tetanus, hepatitis and meningitis.
Other vaccines against measles, polio, pneumonia, and tetanus of women are available and sufficient for the remaining days of April and the first week of May.
It is also pertinent to mention here that due to lockdown restrictions, the turnout of children and women at EPI centres in the district has been reduced to almost zero.
