November 11, 2014 - Members of Sindh Assembly pledged to raise their voice for protecting children from all vaccine preventable diseases in a high profile briefing session on Immunization and Polio Eradication. The briefing session was organized today under the patronage of Speaker and Deputy Speaker Provincial Assembly of Sindh with the support of Federal and Provincial EPI departments and CM Monitoring Cell for EPI/PEI.
In the briefing Session, Member’s of the Provincial Assembly of Sindh issued a declaration that all members shall support the policy advocacy for compulsory Immunization card for school admission of all children under 5. The 3 point Declaration highlighted the commitment of all members to improve Immunization program in the Province through effective community mobilization and ownership of public representatives.
In the briefing session, a comprehensive situation analysis was presented on the state of Immunization and Polio Eradication in the Province highlighting the critical situation of Karachi as a center of poliovirus and weak Routine Immunization as a root cause of recurrence of poliovirus in the province. In the briefing session, MPAs were urged to play their role in effective oversight of the Immunization program in the province to protect children from paralysis and deaths due to vaccine preventable diseases.
Members were also briefed on the sad state of highest under 5 mortality rate due to Pneumonia in the country and were urged to observe the upcoming World Pneumonia Day on November 12 as a commitment to reduce the infant mortality due to Pneumonia.