Pakistan to launch measles, rubella vaccination drive from Nov 17

KARACHI: A nationwide vaccination drive against measles and rubella will be launched from Nov. 17 till Nov. 29, the National Emergency Operations Center (NEOC) has announced.

Measles and rubella are highly contagious diseases that continue to pose health challenges in the country. Measles and rubella spread through respiratory droplets and can cause pneumonia and encephalitis. In the past three years, Pakistan has reported more than 131,000 measles cases, the NEOC said.

In the countrywide campaign 35.4 million children will be vaccinated against the two diseases as polio drops will also be administered to children.

While all three diseases are preventable through vaccination, sporadic outbreaks in the past have highlight gaps in immunization coverage, misinformation and access to health care in remote areas in the country. The NEOC said all children between the ages of 6 months and 5 years will be provided with free vaccines during the nationwide vaccination campaign.

“In specific high-risk districts, polio drops will be administered along with measles, rubella vaccine so that every child is protected,” it said in a statement.

The measles-rubella (MR) vaccine will protect 35 million children aged 6 months to under five years nationwide, the NEOC said.

Meanwhile, oral polio vaccination drops will be administered in 89 high-risk districts, reaching 22.9 million children under five to protect them from lifelong paralysis.

“Together, this nationwide effort will protect more than 36.4 million children across Balochistan, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and Islamabad,” the NEOC added.