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Pakistan's EPI: 5 Decades of Saving Lives
23 Apr
Summary
- Over 160 million children and 130 million mothers vaccinated since 1978.
- Smallpox eradicated in 1976, leading to expanded immunization programs.
- Polio cases reduced by 99.8% since 1994.
Over the past five decades, Pakistan's Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI), operational since 1978, has administered life-saving vaccines to more than 160 million children and 130 million mothers. This initiative, a collaboration with the World Health Organisation (WHO) and partners, has been pivotal in public health.
The success of EPI is underscored by Pakistan's eradication of smallpox in 1976, paving the way for immunisation programs that have since prevented an estimated 2.6 million child deaths from vaccine-preventable diseases. The program also boasts a 99.8% reduction in paralytic polio cases since 1994.
Further achievements include WHO certification for the elimination of maternal and neonatal tetanus in several regions, significantly reducing the threat of neonatal tetanus across approximately 80% of the country's population. WHO estimates EPI averts 17% of all childhood mortality.
Routine immunisation and preventive campaigns have averted tens of millions of illnesses and disabilities, preventing catastrophic health expenditures for families and reducing the burden on the healthcare system. For every death averted by vaccination, an average of 66 years of full health is gained, highlighting the profound impact on quality of life.
