By ZACHERY PER
THE Eastern Highlands provincial division of health has successfully achieved its annual immunisation targets under the special immunisation activity (SIA) last year.
Provincial administrator Munare Uyassi, in a press release yesterday, said his provincial health division had successfully achieved the 2007 annual target for immunisation coverage for the province to immunise 66,950 children.
He said the target population covered was children above one-year-old with booster doses administered to children who missed out.
Mr Uyassi said the targets were achieved through the routine programmes and the SIA carried out in October last year with funding from Unicef (PNG).
“The annual coverage for 2007 for all antigens in children less than one-year was tetanus 100%, measles 95%, oral vaccine 78%, Hepatitis B 100% and BCG vaccine 100%,” he said.
Mr Uyassi said notably, the achievement confirmed no deaths from immunisable diseases reported in the province ,which indicated an effective immunisation programme in 2006 and 2007.
He said the coverage achieved in 2006 was made possible through the help of Unicef, adding that the provincial government extended appreciations to Unicef and other stakeholders involved in the overall process of the programme.
“The province is to implement another SIA this year starting in March with the support of provincial administration and the National Department of Health,” Mr Uyassi said.