November 20 is celebrated as ‘Universal Children Day’ around the globe in collaboration with International Health Agencies specially United Nations International Children Fund (UNICEF). This day ensures preventive health provision to the infants in the form of a vaccination campaign called ‘Expanded Program of Immunization’ (EPI) so that they can be protected against diseases like Tuberculosis, Poliomyelitis (Polio) Diphtheria, Whooping Cough, Tetanus, Measles and Hepatitis-B.
So the public in general should follow the schedule of EPI and also get them recorded on the vaccination cards so that targeted diseases, especially Polio, can be eradicated from Pakistan soon. Another salient feature of the day is World Food Program (WFP) of UNICEF; food items like vegetable oil, wheat and Dry Skimmed Milk (DSM) are distributed at the health centers to mothers and children in order to attract them to visit the Primary Health Care centers. Universal Children Day also carries a message of ‘Access to Education’ for new generation. It ensures a check on child-labor and beggary. We should all join in and insure that we are carrying out these programs to save the future generations from disabling diseases
DR QAMBER ABBAS,
Rawalpindi, November 19.