Pakistan Launches Nationwide Measles, Rubella Drive to Vaccinate Children

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Monday launched a nationwide measles and rubella (MR) vaccination campaign to immunize 34.6 million children, in partnership with Gavi, UNICEF and the World Health Organization.

The campaign, running from 17 to 29 November across all provinces and territories, targets children aged 6 to 59 months. Vaccinations will be administered free of cost at fixed centres, outreach sites, schools and seminaries. Children under five will also receive the oral polio vaccine, supported by the Polio Eradication Initiative and the Expanded Programme on Immunization.

Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal said the drive marked a pivotal moment for Pakistan’s public health efforts, urging parents and community leaders to ensure full participation. Director General of the Federal Directorate for Immunization Dr Soofia Yunus said preventing measles-related deaths remained a national priority.

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WHO Representative Dr Luo Dapeng said the agency was supporting over 140,000 health workers nationwide to ensure no eligible child is left behind. UNICEF Representative Pernille Ironside noted the campaign’s role in safeguarding millions of children from life-threatening diseases.

Pakistan has reported more than 17,000 measles cases this year across 475 union councils—three times higher than the WHO threshold for a large, disruptive outbreak. Over half the cases involved children who had received no routine doses, highlighting the urgency of the campaign.

Gavi’s Senior Country Manager for Pakistan, Carrie Gheen, said the initiative was an important step toward closing immunity gaps as part of the global effort to eliminate measles and control rubella by 2030.

Authorities urged parents, teachers and community leaders to ensure all eligible children receive the vaccine during the nationwide campaign.