The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced a partnership with the Pakistani government to train more than 140,000 health workers ahead of a nationwide measles and rubella (MR) vaccination campaign aimed at protecting 35.4 million children aged 6 to 59 months.
This preventive initiative, scheduled from November 17 to 29, 2025, will complement routine immunization efforts and address an immunity gap that would otherwise put more than 6.7 million children under the age of five at high risk of infection by 2026, a WHO press release said.
In selected high-risk districts, polio drops will also be administered to children under the age of five in collaboration with the Polio Eradication Initiative (PEI), whose teams will also support the measles and rubella campaign as part of a partnership between PEI and the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI).
The statement added that with financial support from Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, comprehensive cascade training sessions, supported by WHO, are being delivered for healthcare workers, including vaccinators, team assistants and social mobilizers.
“The sessions are customized for each team and cover aspects such as high-quality micro-planning, safe injection practices, community engagement and management of adverse events following immunization (AEFI).”
WHO’s support for the campaign includes technical guidance for planning, data analysis, readiness assessments and monitoring and evaluation, carried out in close coordination with Pakistan’s Federal Directorate of Immunization (FDI) and its EPI program at both the federal and provincial levels.
“Measles and rubella pose a significant threat to public health in Pakistan, with outbreaks reported in 432 union councils in 101 districts, the WHO said.
According to the United Nations health agency, Pakistan recorded an incidence rate of 80 measles cases per million in 2025, which is four times higher than the WHO threshold for classifying measles outbreaks as major and disruptive.
“As of September 30, more than 57% of the more than 16,000 measles cases reported in 2025 had affected children with zero dose (children who have not received a routine measles vaccine), underscoring the urgent need to reach every child,” the WHO statement said.
