Kathmandu, Sept. 8: The World Health Organization (WHO) has appealed to the countries in South East Asia to continue with the regular vaccination along with the ongoing anti-COVID-19 drive.

The WHO Regional Office for South-East Asia Region (SEARO) called for the continuation of the regular vaccine drive in the ongoing virtual WHO regional organization committee’s 74th meeting organized by Nepal.

On the occasion, SEARO’s Regional Director Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh said, “The risks of those infections that could be prevented through vaccination have been increasing since the regular vaccination and monitoring process have been obstructed due to COVID-19 vaccination drive.”

Dr Singh further said although various efforts were made to continue with the regular vaccination drive, there is a lot to be done in this sector. “It is imperative to reach out to those communities who were yet to come under the ambit of both vaccines-COVID-19 and vaccine against other infections.”

She emphasized the need for accelerated action to achieve the regional and global targets on non-communicable diseases (NCD), stating that NCDs accounted for two-thirds of deaths in the South-East Region.

South-East Asia, one of the six WHO Regions, is home to over a quarter of the world population, the WHO said on its website. There are 11 member nations in this region, persisting and emerging epidemiological and demographic challenges.

The meeting is also deliberating on the framework of the vaccination drive in South-East Asia for the period between 2022-2030.