ISLAMABAD: The World Health Organisation (WHO) has announced that it is partnering with the Pakistan government to train over 140,000 health workers for the upcoming nationwide measles and rubella (MR) vaccination campaign, which aims to protect 35.4 million children aged six to 59 months.
The preventive drive, scheduled from Nov 17 to 29, 2025, will supplement routine immunisation efforts and address an immunity gap that could otherwise put more than 6.7m children under five at high risk of infection in 2026.
According to a statement issued by WHO on Thursday, in selected high-risk districts, polio drops will also be administered to children under five in collaboration with Pakistan’s Polio Eradication Initiative (PEI), whose teams will support the MR campaign as part of a joint effort with the Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI).
With funding support from vaccine alliance Gavi, WHO is facilitating comprehensive cascade training sessions for vaccinators, team assistants, and social mobilisers.
Published in Dawn, October 31st, 2025.
