12-day Big Catch-Up Vaccination Campaign Launched

1 min read

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Expanded Programme on Immunisation has launched a province-wide vaccination campaign – Big Catch-Up – aimed at immunising children under the age of five against 12 vaccine-preventable childhood diseases.

The campaign was inaugurated by chief minister’s adviser for health Ihtisham Ali during a ceremony held at Maulvi Ameer Shah Memorial Hospital on Tuesday.

The 12-day campaign will target 78,000 zero-dose children and 1.2 million children who have received one or two doses of vaccines.

“The ‘Big Catch-Up’ campaign is a critical effort to protect our children from vaccine-preventable diseases,” said Mr Ali. “We urge all parents to get their children vaccinated and play their part in keeping our communities healthy and safe.”

Director EPI Dr Asghar Ali emphasised that the effort would focus on reaching children who missed their vaccinations due to Covid-19 pandemic or other reasons.

“Our teams will visit fixed centres, schools, and communities to ensure that all eligible children are vaccinated,” said Dr Ali.

He appealed to all parents to cooperate with teams and get their children vaccinated.”

The ‘Big Catch-Up’ campaign is supported by World Health Organisation, Unicef and other partners.

On this occasion, coordinator Emergency Operations Centre Abdul Basit, medical superintendent Maulvi Ameer Shah Memorial Hospital Dr Sher Khan Afridi, Pakistan Paediatrics Association president Dr Syed Bawar Shah, Unicef’s Radek, WHO team lead Dr Babar Alam and others also spoke on the occasion.

Published in Dawn, February 19th, 2025

Previous Story

Boy Found Hanged In House

Next Story

College Student Allegedly Killed By Classmate

Latest from Blog

Crisis Deepens At Education Boards, Risking Students’ Future

Assignment of dual charge of BSEK and BIEK to one officer triggers administrative chaos KARACHI: The Sindh government’s decision to assign dual charge of two major educational boards in the metropolitan city to one officer has resulted in administrative chaos, leaving the academic future of hundreds of students hanging in…

KP Launches Dedicated Child Protection Helpline

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government on 29-June-2025 inaugurated the dedicated child protection helpline (1121) and the Centre for Continuing Professional Development (C4CPD). The KP Child Protection and Welfare Commission (KPCPWC) hosted a two-day inter-provincial consultative conference in Peshawar. The organisers said the objective of the conference, held with the support…

Zero Dose Children

These ‘zero-dose’ children – those who have not received any vaccinations In the last five decades, vaccinations have granted life to an estimated 154 million children around the world. A study, published in prestigious British medical journal The Lancet, while touting this marvellous feat of modern medicine, is flashing red…

Sheltered Children Face Uncertain Futures

LAHORE. In the absence of youth transition centres, there is no mechanism to ensure the safety of youth leaving shelter homes At the Child Protection and Welfare Bureau in Lahore, the sound of laughter rings through the corridors where young children spend their days studying, playing, and dreaming about the…

Body Of Missing Quetta Child Found In Mastung

Five suspects have been identified, four of whom are reportedly Afghan nationals. Quetta. The tragic disappearance of Musawir Khan, a young boy abducted from Quetta in late 2024, has ended in heartbreak, as authorities have confirmed the recovery of his body in a remote area of Mastung. Senior police officials…
Go toTop