Pakistan was ranked among the top five countries worldwide for absolute reduction in child deaths, owing to vaccination efforts, Radio Pakistan reported on Wednesday.
In a statement issued by the World Health Organisation (WHO), Pakistan had averted 2.6 million child deaths from preventable diseases. The country had also eradicated smallpox, reduced paralytic polio cases by 99.8 per cent, and ensured neonatal tetanus-free areas for 80 per cent of its population. The statement said Pakistan, in collaboration with the WHO, has protected 160 million children and 130 million mothers with life-saving vaccines over five decades.
It further added that Pakistan obtained WHO certification for the elimination of maternal and neonatal tetanus in Punjab, Sindh, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), and Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B).