K-P immunisation drive achieves over 90% coverage in high-risk urban areas

More than 108,000 under-immunised children have been vaccinated across Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa through effective planning and coordinated implementation by the Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) and its district teams with over 90% coverage in high-risk urban areas and significantly reduced immunity gaps, an official said on Thursday.

K-P EPI Director Dr Mehtab Khan said the Immunisation Roadmap, launched under the chief secretary's leadership, had delivered strong and measurable results within its first six months.

He said the initiative marked a major improvement in public health service delivery by strengthening accountability, modernising service delivery systems and accelerating progress toward universal immunisation coverage, adding that it reflected the government’s strong commitment to protecting child health.

A major achievement under the roadmap was a targeted immunisation campaign carried out in Peshawar in November 2025. With close coordination between provincial and district EPI teams, the campaign successfully reached under-immunised children in high-risk urban localities and helped close critical immunity gaps.

Khan said routine immunisation services had also improved significantly, adding that the Health Department also upgraded vaccinator monitoring systems to track individual performance, enhancing accountability and operational efficiency.

As a result, he said community outreach coverage increased from 40% year to nearly 70% in December 2025, expanding access to life-saving vaccines across the province.

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Alongside service improvements, the government expanded physical infrastructure and human resources. Ten pre-fabricated EPI centres were established in underserved union councils, providing immunisation services to a population of over 0.3 million.

A province-wide Big Catch-Up activity was also conducted to vaccinate children up to five years of age, further reducing immunity gaps. Immunisation services were strengthened in hard-to-reach and geographically challenging areas. In addition, 150 female vaccinators were deployed across the province to improve outreach, community engagement, and service accessibility.

Integrated service delivery was reinforced in security-sensitive areas to ensure continuity of essential health services. These achievements represent a major step forward in strengthening the provincial immunisation system and protecting children from vaccine-preventable diseases.