PESHAWAR: The health department has announced a province-wide measles and rubella vaccination campaign scheduled for late November this year.
The initiative is part of a national effort aimed at curbing the spread of these contagious diseases and protecting children across the province.
In this regard, the first steering committee meeting chaired by the special secretary health, Mansoor Arshad, was held on Wednesday. The meeting was attended by the additional director general health services, Dr Naeem Awan, the director expanded programme on immunization (EPI), Dr Asghar Ali, representatives of Unicef, WHO and other partner organisations, a statement said.
The meeting focused on preparations for the upcoming Measles-Rubella (MR) campaign, including coordination strategies, stakeholder engagement, and public awareness efforts.
6m children to be inoculated from Nov 17 to 29
The participants also reviewed the current coverage of MR1 and MR2 vaccinations and discussed ways to enhance outreach.
Briefing the committee, the director EPI revealed that over 10,000 suspected measles cases had been reported so far this year, of which only 3,890 — approximately 39 percent — were confirmed. He added that 48 percent of the suspected cases involved children who had not received any measles vaccination.
He further stated that in 2024, more than 15,000 suspected cases were reported, with 7,354 confirmed.
According to officials, the upcoming campaign aims to vaccinate six million children across the province.
The 12-day drive will run from November 17 to 29 and will be conducted during official working hours. The goal is to achieve 95 percent coverage among targeted children to prevent future outbreaks and reduce transmission risks.
Children aged six to 59 months will receive a single dose of the measles vaccine, while those under five years will also be administered two doses of the Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV). Eligible children will be provided with other essential vaccines through fixed centres and regular vaccinators.
The committee also decided to re-engage the education department to facilitate access to children in schools and madrassas. Outreach and mobile teams will be deployed at vaccination centres, educational institutions, and busy public locations to ensure maximum coverage.
To implement the campaign, the health department will mobilise 1,753 fixed teams, 4,918 outreach teams, and 300 mobile teams across 37 districts, 146 tehsils, and 1,403 union councils.
The department has urged parents to cooperate with vaccination teams and ensure their children are immunized against measles during the campaign.
Published in Dawn, September 4th, 2025