Featured Stories
India’s Maharashtra state kicked off the second phase of a Japanese encephalitis vaccination campaign on March 1. In Pune, the exercise targeted 1,043,420 children ages 1 to 15; at least 6,692 vaccination sessions were scheduled, supported by 522 administrators, 365 accredited social health activists, 1,092 anganwadi workers, and 848 teachers. The campaign also included the Parbhani and Raigad districts. Hindustan Times; Free Press Journal
Pakistan launched the second phase of its polio vaccination campaign March 10-16, targeting approximately 560,000 children under 5 across 59 union councils in Karachi with fractional IPV (f-IPV) and OPV doses. The campaign followed the confirmation of a polio case in Sindh province’s Thatta district—the fourth case reported in the province and the sixth nationwide, according to Urdu Point. Around 11,000 frontline workers and supervisors conducted door-to-door vaccinations, with support from health officials, local authorities, religious leaders and law enforcement agencies. In Punjab, a 20-day drive focused on Eid holiday travelers began March 22, with children entering the state receiving polio drops at designated vaccination points. The targeted districts for the vaccination campaign included Attock, Bahawalpur, Dera Ghazi Khan, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Lahore, Mianwali, Multan, Okara, Rahim Yar Khan, Rajanpur, Rawalpindi, Sahiwal, Sargodha, and Sialkot. Special teams were also stationed at key locations, including bus terminals, railway stations, hospitals and shopping centers. Urdu Point; Daily Times
Spotlight on HPV Campaigns
India carried out an HPV immunization drive targeting 2,800 schoolgirls across four districts in Maharashtra: Gadchiroli, Mumbai, Raigad and Satara. Mobilizing over 50 medical professionals and operational staff, the push included an extensive awareness campaign (in more than 50 schools) that engaged over 1,000 teachers, reaching more than 5,000 students and 5,000 parents. CSR Mandate
India launched an HPV vaccination campaign in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, on March 20, targeting 500 girls and women ages 9 to 26, with approximately 170 receiving the jab as of March 23. Educational institutions were instructed to obtain parental approval before allowing students to take part in the initiative. Times of India; News 24
Brazil began its expanded HPV vaccination campaign in Caruaru on March 18, targeting children and adolescents ages 9 to 19. Adolescents between ages 15 and 19 who had not yet received the vaccine could visit the nearest health center to get immunized. The push is expected to run until June 21. Focus Caruaru; Diario de Pernambuco
Nepal resumed its HPV vaccination campaign on March 2, after snow-related delays in the mountainous regions of Dolpa, Humla, Manang and Mustang. Dolpa’s effort resumed on March 6. The nationwide campaign, which ran from February 4 to 18, reached 92% of its target. Khabarhub
Peru ran an HPV prevention campaign March 23-29. In addition to administering the vaccine, the campaign screened for HPV using three methods: cytology, visual inspection, and the HPV molecular test. The screenings were aimed at women ages 25-64, while the vaccination targeted girls, boys and adolescents ages 9-18. The campaign also offered disease prevention counseling to the entire population. The initiative took place at health facilities and in public spaces such as plazas, Line 1 stations, the Metropolitan Metro, and shopping malls. gob.pe
Spotlight on Measles Campaigns
Vietnam carried out a measles vaccination campaign March 15-31, with plans to deploy some 500,000 vaccine doses. In Lâm Đồng province—the site of 264 suspected measles cases in the first two months of the year—the campaign targeted 6,145 children ages 9 months to 6 years, with vaccinations carried out at communal health stations and off-site vaccination points in remote districts. Nationally, Vietnam has recorded nearly 40,000 suspected measles cases and five measles-related deaths in 2025. The majority of the suspected cases were in children ages 9 months to under 15 years, with most involving unvaccinated or undervaccinated children or those too young to receive the vaccine. Vietnam Law and Legal Forum; Viet Nam News (1); Viet Nam News (2)
The Philippines’ Metro Manila region ran a measles catch-up campaign March 17-28. The push targeted 435,576 children ages 9-59 months, with health workers visiting communities, conducting house-to-house immunization, and encouraging parents to vaccinate their kids. A parallel exercise in Makati targeted 10,000 children in the same age range. Other local government units are expected to launch measles catch-up drives in the second quarter. Government of the Philippines; The Philippine Star; Daily Tribune
Angola’s Lunda Norte province carried out a measles and rubella vaccination campaign March 20-28, targeting over 48,000 children in Chitato, Dundo and Mussengue. WHO Angola
Brazil conducted a measles vaccination campaign in Rio de Janeiro March 24-28, with vaccination posts set up at the Gentileza Terminal, Santos Dumont Airport, and the Central do Brasil train station. The initiative targeted adults ages 18 to 59 who were not immunized and those under 29 who had received only one measles dose.
Additionally, the municipality of São João de Meriti in Baixada Fluminense held a campaign day on March 22—a week after registering two confirmed cases—to administer the measles vaccine, targeting unvaccinated people ages 9 months to 59 years. Supplied with 2,000 doses, around 40 teams of health professionals participated in a street-by-street search for active cases near the residence where the cases were confirmed. Agencia Brasil
India’s Gujarat state planned to hold a special measles-rubella vaccination campaign March 15-16 to mark National Vaccination Day. The New Indian Express
Integrated Campaigns
Pakistan concluded the second phase of its Big Catch-Up campaign at the end of March. The exercise vaccinated 2.8 million children ages 12 months to 59 months who had missed routine immunization doses, particularly in 83 high-risk districts. Of those vaccinated, over 358,000 had never received any immunization doses. More than 65,000 teams comprised of skilled healthcare workers and dedicated social mobilizers were deployed across the country’s provinces and self-governing territories. The push marked the first time routine immunization activities for children over age 2 had been implemented in Pakistan on such a large scale. The campaign’s third and final phase is planned for the second half of 2025. WHO
Honduras launched a nationwide immunization catch-up campaign on March 14, targeting over 2 million people nationwide, from children under 5 to adults over 60. Priorities included DPT (diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis) and pentavalent, pneumococcal, rotavirus, hepatitis, and other essential vaccines for kids under 5; HPV shots for adolescents ages 12 to 15; tetanus and diphtheria immunizations for pregnant women; measles, mumps and rubella jabs for people over age 5; and monovalent Covid-19 vaccines for people with incomplete vaccination schedules. Notably, the exercise marked the first time the dengue vaccine was administered to pediatric patients in Honduras. El Heraldo; La Prensa
India held a pair of multi-antigen campaigns in March. Haryana launched a statewide exercise on March 17, seeking to vaccinate pregnant women and children under age 5 against 12 preventable diseases. The weeklong push prioritized children under 2 who had missed vaccine doses, those ages 2 to 5 who had missed measles-rubella doses, and pregnant women who had not received all recommended vaccinations. Focusing on 22 districts and paying particular attention to “high-risk blocks,” the campaign included 380 vaccination sessions in the city of Gurgaon, where authorities targeted 2,597 children ages 2 to 5 and 893 pregnant women. Also commencing on March 17, a special vaccination campaign in the Papum Pare district aimed to increase coverage of tetanus-diphtheria vaccines, achieve 95% MR1 and MR2 coverage, and vaccinate all eligible children with pentavalent vaccine. Times of India; The Arunachal Times
Mexico conducted a multi-antigen campaign in San Francisco de Campeche March 18-21, protecting children under age 1 with measles, rubella and pertussis vaccines. The campaign was launched in response to rising whooping cough cases in that age group and a recent epidemiological pre-alert for measles issued by PAHO. The initiative deployed mobile medical units, outreach in workplaces, schools, and public places, and door-to-door visits. In addition, free vaccination stations were set up in the Santa Lucia and Kalá neighborhoods. As of late March, nine cases of whooping cough had been reported across the state (in the municipalities of Calakmul, Carmen and Champotón), half involving children under 1 and 66% occurring in females. Sala de Prensa; Milenio
The Colombian city of Ibagué held a daylong multi-antigen exercise on March 22. With vaccination posts set up at medical centers, shopping centers, transit centers and other public places, the campaign offered scheduled vaccines for children under age 6; HPV jabs for people ages 9-17; tetanus shots for pregnant women and those of childbearing age; and yellow fever vaccines for those ages 1-59. Government of Ibagué
Outbreak Response
Ethiopia sought to vaccinate about 1 million people in an OCV campaign beginning March 30. The weeklong push was set to take place in all zones and refugee camps in the Gambella region, where cholera cases have been detected in eight districts and four refugee camps since the disease first appeared in February. Neighboring South Sudan has grappled with cholera outbreaks since last year. Xinhua
Nigeria launched a polio immunization campaign on March 12, targeting 946,600 people. Covering Jigawa, Oyo, Sokoto, Yobe and Zamfara states, the push was part of the country’s Targeted Local Outbreak Response (TLR) framework, a strategy dedicated to reaching all susceptible children in high-risk areas. WHO
A Zambian OCV campaign in Copperbelt and Muchinga provinces had reached 672,100 people by the first week of March. In the Chililabombwe district, 133,525 doses were administered (against an initial target of 129,837); in Kitwe, 337,697 doses were administered, meeting the target; and in Nakonde, 200,878 people were vaccinated (exceeding the target of 183,506). The country reported an additional 1,262,303 OCV doses that could be deployed to any identified hotspots. According to the health minister, the cumulative number of cholera cases in Zambia reached 301, with three new cases recorded from February 26 to March 2—two in Lusaka and one in Chililabombwe. The death toll stood at nine, per Xinhua. The Statesman; Zambia Monitor
South Sudan conducted an anti-polio campaign in Northern Bahr el Ghazal state in early March, targeting 293,108 children under 5. The campaign spanned Aweil West, Aweil North, and Aweil East counties as well as Aweil Municipal Council. A similar push had already been completed in Aweil South and Aweil Center counties. Radio Tamazuj
Uganda had received an additional 100,000 doses of mpox vaccine from Africa CDC as of late March amid preparations for the next phase of its prevention campaign. The push was expected to prioritize adults ages 25-35 in areas with high transmission rates, focusing on high-risk districts in Kampala; Buvuma, Masaka, Mukono, Nakasongola and Wakiso districts in central Uganda; and Hoima and Mbarara districts in the western part of the country. The campaign’s initial phase in February vaccinated 10,000 people. Xinhua
Nigeria launched a cholera vaccination campaign in Bayelsa state, targeting people ages 1 and above with 7,000 OCV doses. In the first five weeks of 2025, Nigeria recorded 886 suspected cholera cases—a 75% increase from the same period last year. The Times; Nigeria CDC
Local Campaigns
Sri Lanka began a special anti-typhoid campaign to immunize 50,000 food, manufacturing and marketing workers. The vaccine, recommended every three years, was offered at no cost to high-risk groups (such as mobile food vendors and restaurant employees) at 358 public health units. The Morning
Fiji launched a two-day typhoid vaccination campaign in Labasa on March 26. Vaccinations were administered at Fiji National University’s Nabuna Campus and at the Labasa Town Council. This effort was part of ongoing efforts that began in 2023; Labasa is the capital of Fiji’s northern division, which reported the highest number of typhoid cases (32) among the four divisions in the country. FBC News
Kenya’s Maji Moto ward in Narok county conducted an MDA against trachoma disease March 17-21, aiming to administer azithromycin to all residents. The exercise was set to be carried out house to house and in schools. Kenya News Agency