‘Special vaccination campaign to be launched in quake-hit areas’
By Bushra Rafique

ISLAMABAD—The Government, in collaboration with international health partners, will launch a week-long special vaccination campaign in quake affected areas to protect people from measles, polio, tetanus, typhoid, cholera and other diseases.
About 70 percent people have already been vaccinated against these diseases soon after the October 8 earthquake but this new campaign will cover all those who have recently joined the camps after coming down from hills in wake of snowfall, Federal Health Secretary, Syed Anwar Mehmood said at a press conference here Tuesday.
Representatives of World Health Organization (WHO) and Unicef were also present. He said vaccination teams have already administered vaccine against measles to 850,000 people, adding, “But, we are starting a special campaign from Monday to cover those people who are coming down from hilly areas and joining the camps.”
Ruling out chances of outbreak of any disease in the affected areas, he said the situation is totally under control and only few cases of measles and pneumonia were reported. Anwar Mehmood said severe cold weather has gripped the entire affected areas, hence, the cases of pneumonia and respiratory diseases are increasing.
He, however, said sufficient stock of medicines are available for the treatment of these diseases. Responding to a question, he informed that two million doses of meningitis have been brought to the camps while one million doses of haeomphillus influenza are being imported with cooperation of WHO and Unicef. The Federal Secretary said 100 pre-fabricated Basic Health Units (BHU) will be established to provide basic medical facility to people in affected areas of Azad Kashmir and NWFP before Eid-ul-Azha.
These basic health units could cater needs of people for next 15 years, he said and added all the equipment, medicines and staffing will be provided by the WHO and Unicef. He said both the organizations will add 100 beds each to the hospitals set up at National Institute of Health (NIH) and National Institute of Handicapped Children for medical treatment of the earthquake victims.
The hospital with additional 100 beds at National Institute of Health (NIH), set up in record three weeks, will start functioning from December 11, he added. He said 20 rural health centres will be set up in the affected areas with the cooperation of UNFPA.
Responding to yet another question, he said the spraying and fogging covering each area twice was started from October 11.