The Expanded Program for Immunization (EPI) was first launched in Pakistan in 1978. Since its launch, extensive advertisement and public awareness campaigns have created significant knowledge of protection of newborns among their parents and at least in the Urban Pakistan, the childhood immunization is very near its desired target of 90% routine immunization coverage of all EPI antigens.
The EPI aims at protecting children by immunizing them against Childhood Tuberculosis (TB), Poliomyelitis, Diphtheria, Pertussis, Measles, Tetanus and also their mothers against Tetanus.
At The Medical Practice we offer children and their mothers all of the above vaccinations. It is customary for people to have their newborn vaccinated against TB at the time of birth and continue with the same pediatrician for the rest of the EPI vaccinations. We recommend this practice.
However, many parents either do not get their children vaccinated or lose track of their vaccination schedule and have it done improperly. Sometimes the record is lost or the vaccination schedule gets disturbed when moving between places due to transfers or new jobs for the parents.
It is also very common for people to believe that vaccination done in one country according to that country’s guidelines is enough and many a times, important vaccines are missed putting the child at risk.
At The Medical Practice, we offer to help in such confusing situations. We would be happy to take whatever record you have available or whatever history you remember and reconstruct the vaccination history. Based on this history we would be able to recommend what vaccination schedule to follow for your children to ensure their proper protection.
