Kathmandu, May 20:  In spite of the fact that His Majesty’s Government has been making available various kinds of vaccinations free of cost for a long time to reduce child mortality, the untimely death of children continues unabated due to the ineffective implementation of the programme.

According to the information booklet-2056 B.S. published by the Association of District Development Committees Nepal (ADDC/N), out of every 1000 live births in a year 79 children die within a year of their birth and 118 children below five years died annually.

This information is based on His Majesty’s Government Ministry of Health Family Health Survey.

It is learnt from available information that about 44 per cent children throughout the country up to 12 months old have not been vaccinated against small pox while the Nepal multivariate survey shows that around 70 per cent children between 9-11 months old are deprived of the same vaccination.

Similarly, 27 per cent children in the country up to 12 months old have not got the BCG vaccination and on development region basis 40 per cent children between 12-23 months old in the far west development region and 30 per cent children of the same age group in the central development region are deprived of the BCG immunisation.

Although four national and special polio immunisation days have been conducted in the country on campaign footing, still ten per cent children were left out from the anti-polio vaccination campaign, according to the family health survey.

Similarly, 47 percent children are deprived of the DPT vaccination which has to be administered within 12 years of birth and only 25 per cent pregnant women took the TT vaccination which is administered to pregnancy.

Lack of awareness among mothers about the importance of vaccinating the child, ignorance about the place and time of vaccination, long walking distance to the health post, long waiting hours, lack of time, infrequent monitoring and supervision by health workers and lack of money have been cited by the Nepal multivariate survey as some of the reasons why children are still deprived of vaccination in Nepal.