Professor Gohar Rehman, President Pakistan Paediatric Association (PPA) Pakistan and HOD Paediatrics, Hayatabad Medical Complex said, "Vaccines prevent 6 million deaths worldwide every year."
"An estimated 19.5 million infants worldwide are still missing out on basic vaccines. If the optimum rates of immunization or "herd immunity" are not maintained, the diseases prevented by vaccination will return," he added.
"It is very unfortunate that children dying because of vaccine preventable diseases in Pakistan despite the fact that Government of Pakistan is providing free vaccines under Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI)," he added.
EPI is currently providing vaccines for children aged 0-11 months against Ten diseases: Childhood Tuberculosis, Polio, Diphtheria, Pertussis, Diarrhea, Hepatitis B, Haemophilus Influenza Type b (HIB), Pneumonia, Measles and Tetanus," he added.
He stressed that all the stakeholders including media will have to play the role to increase awareness and ensure that children are being vaccinated.
"Recent speculative reports on rumours regarding polio vaccine in Peshawar is very unfortunate. Vaccines are completely safe and proper cold chains are maintained to ensure the safety and efficacy of vaccines," he highlighted.
Meanwhile, Dr Ejaz A Khan, Chief of Paediatrics at Shifa International Hospital said that immunization is one of the greatest medical advances as it prevents illness, disability and death from vaccine-preventable diseases world over including Pakistan.
Highlighting examples he said, "In Pakistan, Rotavirus leads to 1 out of 3 infant hospitalizations. As a large proportion of children get infected with Rotavirus by their 5th birthday the Government's decision to include RV vaccine in EPI is commendable," he added.
Similarly, he added, "Measles is a highly contagious disease resulting in high fever, rash and can lead to pneumonia, encephalitis or death.
Hepatitis B is a viral infection that causes liver diseases.
Pneumococcal meningitis is the most common form of meningitis and the most serious form of bacterial meningitis.
Young children - as young as a few months old and up to the age of 2, are at the highest risk of pneumococcal meningitis.
Vaccines are thus valuable as it is a great armamentarium for fighting against these deadly diseases in children."
He reasoned that vaccination can also decrease occurrence of Antibiotic Resistance. "Vaccines can prevent numerous diseases which needed to be treated with antibiotics thus reducing the usage of some antibiotics".