Pakistan to launch measles-rubella immunisation drive from Nov 17 to 29

Expanded campaign to target children up to five years of age, experts urge parents to vaccinate children timely

The Expanded Programme on Immunisation Sindh, in collaboration with the UNICEF, held a media briefing in Karachi to announce the upcoming national campaign for the prevention of measles and rubella. The campaign is scheduled from November 17 to 29. Health experts have appealed parents to ensure immunisation of their children aged six months to five years, stressing that timely vaccination is essential to protect them from life-threatening diseases.

Additional Project Director EPI Sindh, Dr Sohail Raza Sheikh, said, under the Sindh Immunisation and Epidemics Control Act, 2023, it is mandatory that children up to the age of five receive their vaccinations. The act, under Section 9, also terms the refusal or obstruction of the immunisation process a punishable offence.

Dr Sheikh added that this year’s campaign, to operate through both mobile and fixed vaccination centres, has been expanded. “Normally, measles vaccines are administered to children under two years, but we have extended the age limit to five years, as data shows that most cases are being reported among children between the age group from six months to five years,” he explained.

According to 2025 EPI data, a total of 9,431 suspected measles cases were reported across the country. Of these, 4,283 cases were confirmed, with 3,459, or 81 per cent of them reported among children under the age of five.

Data also reveals that 212,455 children under five were vaccinated with the measles-rubella (MR) doses and that Pakistan recorded a 44 per cent decline in MR cases in 2025. However, 57 measles-related deaths were recorded during the year, depicting the need for consistent and expanded immunisation efforts.

Dr Khalid Shafi, Chair of the National Immunisation Technical Advisory Group Pakistan, told The Express Tribune, although measles and rubella vaccines are available for children in age group from nine months to fifteen months, around 30 per cent of parents still fail to vaccinate their children. As a result, thousands of children contract measles every year, and some lose their lives.