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Nigeria carried out integrated campaigns under the Big Catch-Up banner in February, seeking to reach underimmunized children with a range of vaccines. The targeted diseases included those covered by the pentavalent vaccine (diphtheria, Haemophilus influenzae type B, hepatitis B, pertussis and tetanus) as well as measles, polio, rotavirus and others. Campaign timing varied by state:
- Anambra state’s campaign ran February 14-19 and targeted children ages 1-5.
- Bayelsa state conducted its campaign February 11-16, targeting children under 5.
- Benue state targeted kids under 5 in a dozen of the state’s 23 LGAs.
- Edo state targeted children under 5 from February 17-24.
- Kwara state’s push commenced February 11, targeting 238,000 children through a combination of Big Catch-Up and local Immunization Plus Days activities.
- In Lagos state, the campaign ran February 14-19 and focused on immunizing kids ages 24-59 months with bOPV, IPV, PCV and pentavalent vaccine, while additionally vaccinating children ages 0-23 months according to the national immunization schedule.
- In Plateau state, officials aimed to reach 162,000 children under age 5.
- The Rivers state campaign ran February 21-26 in 11 of the state’s 23 LGAs.
- A campaign in Sokoto state was set to run through late February, with vaccines available at multiple fixed sites and door-to-door mobilization efforts underway.
Many of the campaigns represented the second round of multi-round initiatives that began in late 2024. Orumba North Media TV; Champion News; Vanguard; New Telegraph; Government of Edo; Premium Times; Lagos Television; The Guardian; National Ambassador; Relief Web; The Punch
Nepal carried out a two-week nationwide HPV vaccination campaign February 4-18, vaccinating 1.5 million adolescent girls in grades 6 to 10 and out-of-school girls ages 10 to 14. Held at schools and vaccination centers, the exercise was launched on World Cancer Day and marked the vaccine’s addition to Nepal’s routine immunization schedule. The campaign was postponed in four Himalayan districts due to limited accessibility caused by snowfall. The Rising Nepal; Gavi
Spotlight on Polio Campaigns
Ethiopia targeted more than 13.8 million children under 5 in a four-day anti-polio campaign that started February 21 and spanned 10 of the country’s regions. Officials enlisted about 85,000 healthcare professionals to administer nOPV2 to children, who were vaccinated regardless of their previous immunization status. The Peninsula; WHO Ethiopia
Afghanistan kicked off its second polio vaccination campaign of the year on February 24, aiming to immunize 6.3 million children under 5 across 16 of its 34 provinces. With door-to-door efforts still paused, the push required children to be brought to mosques and health centers, creating “obstacles” to immunization, according to the U.S.-based Amu news service, which covers Afghanistan. The campaign kicked off in Badghis province, where the country’s first polio case of 2025 was reported; some 118,000 children in the province were set to receive doses. Amu
Pakistan ran its first nationwide polio vaccination campaign of the year February 3-9, targeting over 4.54 million children under 5 with oral polio vaccine. The drive involved community-based vaccinations, mobile teams and 450,000 workers, with a five-day vaccination drive followed by two catch-up days. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, an expanded 12-day “Big Catch-Up” effort aimed to reach about 359,000 children with vaccines against polio and other diseases. Daily Times; Urdu Point
South Sudan ran a four-day anti-polio campaign in early February. Comprising the fourth round of an ongoing effort, the push targeted 3.47 million children under 5 with nOPV2. Later in the month, WHO said over 3 million children had received doses, with the coverage rate reaching 95%. WHO South Sudan (1); WHO South Sudan (2); WHO South Sudan (3)
Somalia launched a four-day anti-polio campaign on February 16. Targeting 2.5 million children under age 5, the door-to-door exercise aimed to administer nOPV2 in several states (Galmudug, Hirshabelle, Jubaland and South West) and the Banadir Regional Administration. The campaign also sought to strengthen routine immunization efforts and enhance community engagement to address vaccine hesitancy. WHO
Kenya targeted over 800,000 children with polio vaccine in a campaign spanning February 21-25. The push—in the counties of Garissa, Mandera, Marsabit and Wajir—aimed to give oral drops to kids ages 11 and under, regardless of previous vaccination status. A subsequent immunization round is scheduled for the same counties in April. UNICEF Kenya; Xinhua
Gaza ran a polio outbreak response campaign February 22-26, aiming to vaccinate over 591,000 children under 10 with nOPV2. Since the paralysis of a 10-month-old child in August 2024, no further polio cases have been reported, although environmental samples in December and January confirmed continued transmission, according to WHO. Gaza plans an additional vaccination round in April. WHO
Ghana ran the third round of an anti-polio campaign February 27-March 2. Targeting children under 5 who missed previous campaigns, the push spanned nine districts in Greater Accra and sent health teams to locations including homes, bus stations, markets, schools and churches. Adom Online; WHO Ghana
Zimbabwe conducted the fourth round of an anti-polio campaign February 4-7. The push—a response to confirmed cVDPV2 in sewage samples as well as three human cases, per UNICEF—deployed nOPV2 through house-to-house visits and at health facilities; in addition, outreach teams traveled to schools, markets, bus stations and hard-to-reach areas. UNICEF Zimbabwe; Manica Post
Venezuela launched an anti-polio effort on February 11. Focused on children ages 1-5 (with an additional dose available for kids 6-8), the push aims to vaccinate children at schools nationwide through March 28. Frontera Digital
Integrated Campaigns
Somalia ran a weeklong “Big Catch-Up” exercise in four districts of the Sool region. Starting February 13, the campaign provided BCG, DPT, IPV, MCV and OPV across the Buuhoodle, Hudun, Las Anod and Taleh districts. At least 57,844 people were vaccinated, including 25,519 zero-dose children and 13,697 mothers. The exercise included adults, who were offered Covid-19 and tetanus vaccines. WHO
In Pakistan, Punjab’s Rawalpindi district kicked off a monthlong catch-up campaign in February. The exercise targeted children ages 2 to 5 with vaccines against 12 diseases. Meanwhile, Mirpur district in Azad Kashmir launched a 13-day “Big Catch-up” effort on February 17, aiming to vaccinate 16,358 children under age 5, also against 12 diseases. The Express Tribune; Urdu Point
Outbreak Response
Sudan aimed to reach over 1 million people with OCV during a six-day anti-cholera campaign that started February 21. A response to over 2,700 cholera cases reported in White Nile state in the first two months of the year, the exercise took place in the cities of Kosti and Rabak. UNICEF
Angola conducted a cholera vaccination campaign February 3-7. Combining fixed posts (in strategic locations such as health centers, churches and orphanages) with mobile teams deploying to remote communities, the initiative targeted around 930,000 people ages 1 and above in hard-hit areas. More than 1,974 vaccination teams participated in the effort, which reported 99.5% coverage. As of February 11, the country had registered 3,402 cholera cases and 114 deaths. WHO Angola
South Sudan ran weeklong anti-cholera campaigns in February. Jonglei state targeted 130,000 people with OCV, while Northern Bahr el-Ghazal state had 316,750 doses available for its seven-day push. WHO South Sudan; Radio Tamazuj (1); Radio Tamazuj (2)
The DRC conducted an mpox immunization campaign in Kinshasa. Launching in late February, the exercise took a two-pronged approach, targeting entire populations in hot spots while focusing on contacts of confirmed cases in other locations. Extending to children as young as age 1, by March 6 the initiative had already vaccinated over 300,000 people. CIDRAP
The Angolan municipality of Huambo launched a weeklong measles vaccination campaign on February 17. The push aimed to reach about 227,000 kids under age 5. Africa Press; Xé – Huambo
Ghana responded to cholera outbreaks with OCV campaigns in February. From February 14 to 17, health workers and volunteers visited communities in the Ablekuma South, Ashiedu Keteke and Okaikoi South districts to administer doses to people age 1 and older. Later in the month, teams deployed to Agona West and Effutu municipal districts in the Central Region for a four-day push. About 300 trained volunteers administered doses in Winneba, while 180 volunteers did likewise in Swedru. Ghana MoH; WHO Ghana; GhanaWeb
The Vietnamese capital of Hanoi ran a measles campaign in February, aiming to reach 95% of infants between ages 6 and 9 months across 30 districts. As of mid-February, Hanoi had recorded 441 measles cases compared to zero cases in the same period last year, per local media. Vietnam Plus; Hai Duong
Local Campaigns
India kicked off a national MDA against lymphatic filariasis on February 10. The door-to-door effort sought to distribute two- and three-drug antifilarial regimens to 175,000,000 people in 111 high-risk districts spanning 13 states: Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. India MoH
Peru’s Catacaos district sought to protect over 1,000 children from dengue through a house-to-house immunization push. Some 27 immunization brigades targeted kids ages 10-16 from February 14 to February 21. Peru MoH