PESHAWAR
\nThe Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Saturday embarked on a robust vaccination campaign to contain the outbreak of measles in various regions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
\nFrom 1st January to March, 2014, EPI has successfully vaccinated 26,725 children in response of outbreak in different areas of tbe province.
\nMoreover, an additional 200,000 children received their measles vaccinations during the Intensified Outreach Activity conducted from February 12 to 24, 2024.
\nDespite these efforts, challenges persist, particularly regarding the lack of isolation wards in major teaching hospitals in Peshawar.
\nThis deficiency has accelerated the spread of measles among children, necessitating urgent action to address this critical gap.
\nThe EPI Khyber Pakhtunkhwa reports a total of 3,538 suspected cases of measles, out of which 1,236 cases have been confirmed. Tragically, there have been six confirmed deaths attributed to measles across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa thus far. The most affected age group comprises children under 5 and above 2 years old.
\nDr. Muhammad Arif Khan, Director of EPI Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, emphasized the importance of coordinated efforts with FDI and partner organizations to vaccinate every child in the province against 12 dangerous diseases, including measles.
\nHe commended the swift response of EPI teams to contain outbreaks, citing the successful management of the recent measles outbreak in Kohistan district.
\nTo bridge the immunity gap in children older than 23 months, a special initiative called \u201cBig Catch-up\u201d is underway, with support from partners. The first phase of this initiative is scheduled to be implemented province-wide in June 2024.
\nThe Intensified Outreach Activity\u2019s first round will commence on March 25 in 69 Union councils of South Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
\nAddressing concerns about the lack of isolation wards, Dr. Arif reiterated the urgent need for main hospitals in Peshawar to establish isolation facilities for suspected measles cases. He urged hospital administrations and healthcare workers to isolate suspected patients to prevent the spread of the disease across the province.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
PESHAWAR The Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Saturday embarked on a robust vaccination campaign to contain the outbreak of measles in various regions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. From 1st January to March, 2014, EPI has successfully vaccinated 26,725 children in response of outbreak in different areas of tbe province. Moreover, an additional 200,000 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":394304,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-394286","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-peshawar"},"yoast_head":"\n