Sindh expands vaccination outreach as "World Immunization Week" activities begin

KARACHI, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 25th Apr, 2026) The Government of Sindh is observing World Immunization Week 2026 from April 24 to 30 across the province, with a strong focus on awareness and improving vaccination coverage.

During a provincial coordination meeting, Project Director EPI Dr Raj Kumar shared that Sindh has made steady progress in vaccination coverage.

Full immunization coverage has improved to around 80%, with strong performance in key vaccines such as Penta-1 (95–97%) and BCG above 90% in recent years. He also highlighted that Sindh has achieved 91% geographic coverage, showing improved access to vaccination services across districts.

He added that disease trends are improving, with measles cases, outbreaks, and deaths showing a clear decline, reflecting the impact of continued vaccination efforts. Major campaigns, including measles-rubella and polio, have reached millions of children, while the HPV vaccination initiative has protected over 2.6 million girls across Sindh.

Dr Sohail Raza Shaikh highlighted key service delivery improvements. He shared that vaccination at birth is now available in 177 major hospitals, where from November 2025 to March 2026, 151,231 deliveries were reported, with 82% BCG, 91% OPV-0, and 84% Hepatitis-B coverage, ensuring early protection for newborns.

He further noted that evening and weekend vaccination services at 121 EPI centres are helping reach working families and missed children. During this period, these services delivered over 11,000 BCG, 14,483 Penta-1, and 13,540 Penta-3 doses, along with more than 11,500 Measles-1 doses. In addition, 20,936 zero-dose children were identified, with 52% vaccinated, while 70,506 defaulters were traced and 38% covered.

Across Sindh, all District Health Officers (DHOs) and Deputy Commissioners have actively started World Immunization Week activities, including awareness seminars, community walks, talks, and engagement sessions with parents and caregivers, along with education campaigns in communities and health facilities. Media and social media engagement has also been initiated to promote vaccination messages across the province.

The provincial coordination meeting was attended by key technical partners and leadership, including Dr Ahsan Burgri, Dr Tariq Masood Memon, Dr Arslan Memon, Dr Zaid Bin Arif, Dr Waqar Soomro, and Suneel Raja, along with other representatives from partner organizations.