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A synchronized campaign spanning five countries in the Lake Chad Basin aimed to immunize 83 million children against polio. Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, Niger and Nigeria collaborated in the undertaking, enlisting an estimated 1.1 million frontline workers (including vaccinators, social mobilizers and monitors) who worked to reach children under 5 with nOPV2. A response to 210 cVDPV2 detections in the region in the past year (per WHO), the push spanned April 24-28 in most areas.
- In Cameroon, the Littoral region targeted 742,667 children, deploying vaccination teams to homes and public spaces such as schools and places of worship; the Southwest region expected to reach over 350,000 kids.
- In Nigeria, Adamawa state targeted 1,405,881 children, Bauchi expected to deploy about 2.5 million doses of the oral vaccine, Jigawa targeted over 1.9 million kids “in virus-prone border communities,” Kano targeted 4.1 million children below 15 months, Katsina targeted “not less than 3 million children,” Kwara aimed to immunize more than 1 million children across all LGAs, and Plateau sought to vaccinate 68,000 children “through targeted interventions in high-risk areas.”
Ahead of the campaign, ministers of health from the five countries held a closed-door meeting to discuss challenges, review epidemiological data, and strengthen cross-border cooperation. WHO; Le Bled Parle; The Guardian Post; The Guardian; The Sun; Premium Times; The Nation; NAN; Brand Icon; Gazette
Syria targeted zero-dose children under 5 in a national vaccination campaign running April 21-30. The push was expected to provide immunizations to more than 250,000 children while assessing the vaccination status of approximately 3.2 million children total; during these assessments, vitamin A doses were set to be delivered, too. The first of its kind under the country’s new government, the exercise spanned all Syrian governorates, enlisting over 10,863 health workers in 1,094 fixed health centers, 82 newly established centers, and 1,008 mobile teams. SANA
South Sudan kicked off a cholera vaccination campaign at Wau Central Prison on April 23. Coming amid an outbreak in Western Bahr el Ghazal state with about 755 reported cases and 15 fatalities, the campaign followed 68 suspected cases at the prison itself, including four confirmed cases and two deaths. Meanwhile, in the eastern part of the country, the Greater Pibor Administrative Area launched an OCV campaign the same week in response to an outbreak that had claimed 108 lives and affected over 2,978 people by mid-April. The Pibor campaign targeted 270,937 people across nine administrative divisions in the most affected areas, especially flood-affected and high-risk regions. Eye Radio; Sudans Post
Uganda rolled out the R21 malaria vaccine on April 2, distributing 2.278 million doses to 105 districts with high and moderate malaria prevalence. Part of the shot’s introduction into the country’s routine immunization schedule, the initial campaign targeted children ages 6 months to 18 months with the four-dose jab, with doses scheduled at ages 6, 7, 8 and 18 months. In Pader district, 34 health facilities and 1,754 Village Health Team members supported the vaccination drive. Gavi; The Independent (1); The Independent (2)
Vaccination Week in the Americas
Countries sought to administer 66.5 million vaccine doses during the 23rd Vaccination Week in the Americas. Goals for the April 26-May 3 event included the deployment of 2.7 million doses of measles vaccine. UN; PAHO
Mexico conducted a national vaccination campaign April 26-May 3, targeting vulnerable population groups such as newborns and older adults with more than 29,167,000 vaccine doses. Taking place at hospitals, clinics, schools, state and municipal government sites, and other accessible locations, the exercise focused on administering all vaccines in the basic schedule, including measles, influenza, and tetanus, plus HPV for school-age children of both sexes ages 9-12. Vaccination teams were also deployed to health centers and high-traffic areas. Infonor; Gobierno de Mexico
Nicaragua recognized Vaccination Week in the Americas with a multi-antigen campaign running April 23-May 18. The push sought to administer 2,456,110 vaccine doses from the routine immunization schedule to multiple populations while also providing 1,223,128 doses of vitamin A supplements to children ages 6 months to 9 years and 2,083,791 doses of deworming medicines to children ages 1-16. PAHO
Peru ran catch-up campaigns April 26-May 3. The region of Piura targeted more than 38,224 residents for immunization against pneumonia, HPV, and 26 other preventable diseases. Taking place across Piura’s 65 districts, the initiative also focused on vaccinating the eligible population against measles, polio, hepatitis B, diphtheria, tetanus, rotavirus, pneumococcus, and other viruses. Vaccination teams were deployed to strategic high-traffic locations while also carrying out door-to-door visits and operating through available health facilities across the region. The region of Arequipa ran a similar campaign over the same timeframe, seeking to protect about 38,000 people. Government of Peru (1); Government of Peru (2)
The Philippines conducted a vaccination campaign April 24-30 in Calbayog, Samar, targeting around 31,000 children, seniors, and pregnant women. The initiative vaccinated children ages 0-12 months against measles, mumps, pneumonia, polio, rubella, tuberculosis and pathogens covered by the pentavalent vaccine. Senior citizens received flu and pneumonia shots, while girls ages 9-14 were given the HPV vaccine and pregnant women received the tetanus-diphtheria jab. Inquirer
Cuba conducted its 64th national bOPV campaign April 21-26. Coinciding with Vaccination Week in the Americas and World Immunization Week, the effort targeted children between 1 month and 3 years with polio vaccine drops. During the campaign’s second phase (scheduled June 16-21), the same population will receive a second dose while 9-year-old children get revaccinated. Ahora
Panama conducted a national multi-antigen immunization campaign April 23-30, mobilizing nursing, promotion, and social communication personnel by air, sea, and land. The initiative targeted children up to age 10, pregnant women, health officials, older adults, people with disabilities, indigenous people, migrants, and others. The campaign introduced new vaccines and improved coverage of existing shots, including a switch from the 13-valent to the 20-valent pneumococcal vaccine and from the tetravalent to the nonavalent HPV jab. Other preventive health activities—such as pet vaccinations, vitamin A distribution, and blood pressure and blood glucose monitoring—were also carried out. In the health regions of Colón, East, Panama Metro, San Miguelito, and West, the initiative was extended by two additional weeks to increase measles coverage. El Digital Panama
Spotlight on Polio Campaigns
Pakistan targeted over 45 million children with oral polio drops in its second anti-polio campaign of the year. The April 21-27 exercise was expected to deploy 400,000 volunteers, including 225,000 female vaccinators. The province of Balochistan targeted over 2.6 million children under age 5, dispatching 9,128 mobile teams, 920 fixed-site teams and 586 transit point teams. Islamabad Capital Territory targeted 461,125 children under 5; health workers went door to door while also visiting bus terminals and other public spaces and paying special attention to “urban slums, border areas with Rawalpindi, and locations with high population mobility.” In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, over 6 million children were targeted with vaccine drops April 21-25, including over 800,000 in Peshawar; during the campaign, over 30,000 vaccination teams were activated, with approximately 50,000 police personnel providing security. Meanwhile, Rawalpindi aimed to reach 1,006,712 children, including reaching 731,726 through “intensive house-to-house vaccination efforts”; elsewhere in Punjab, the southern region of the province targeted over 6.4 million children under 5 and deployed over 31,000 vaccination teams. Finally, Sindh province dispatched 69,724 trained polio workers door to door to reach more than 10.6 million children under 5. As of May 1, Pakistan had reported a total of eight WPV1 cases in 2025, according to the Pakistan Polio Eradication Program. The country’s next polio immunization push is set to run May 26 to June 1. Arab News; Pakistan Polio Eradication Program (1); Dawn (1); The News; The Nation; APP; Urdu Point; Dawn (2); PPEP (2)
Afghanistan ran a nationwide polio immunization drive April 21-24. The mosque- and clinic-based push aimed to vaccinate 11.6 million children under age 5 and also give them vitamin A supplements. Amu; Xinhua
Kenya held a five-day nationwide polio immunization campaign April 12-16. The effort was held concurrently in Garissa, Mandera, Marsabit and Wajir counties along with neighboring regions in Ethiopia and Somalia. The Garissa county exercise surpassed its initial target, reaching over 350,000 of its initially targeted goal of 317,000 children under age 5. The campaign came in response to the detection of new polio cases along the Kenya-Ethiopia border, per local media. Kenya News Agency
Iran conducted the first phase of a polio immunization campaign April 12-14. The exercise, held in high-risk areas in the northern part of the country, targeted 300,000 children under age 5. A second phase is scheduled in the northern region from June 17-19. Tehran Times
Gaza postponed the fourth round of its polio immunization drive. Initially scheduled to start April 13 and target 600,000 children, the drive was postponed “due to the continuous bombardment and displacement orders from the Israeli Authorities,” according to UNRWA. An ongoing Israeli blockade has also prevented immunization supplies from reaching Gaza. UNRWA; ABC Australia
Spotlight on HPV Campaigns
Côte d’Ivoire carried out a seven-day HPV vaccination campaign April 7-13, targeting 3.5 million girls ages 10-18, both in and out of school. The nationwide initiative included girls who had missed immunizations, including during the Covid-19 pandemic. Gavi
Peru’s Callao region kicked off an HPV vaccination campaign in April, targeting 27,575 children and adolescents ages 9 to 18 with a single-dose vaccine. In addition to immunization, campaign workers provided health services including general medicine, nutrition, psychology, obstetrics and social services. Government of Peru
Tunisia launched an HPV vaccination campaign on April 7 targeting 12-year-old girls. The exercise was scheduled to take place in all primary schools, with vaccines available in primary healthcare centers for girls not attending school. Beginning in 2026, the vaccine will be included in the country’s routine immunization program. Tap
Austria ran a mobile HPV vaccination campaign, with doctors visiting multiple cities to offer HPV shots: Vienna on April 2, Klagenfurt on April 10, Innsbruck on April 15, Linz on May 6, and Salzburg on May 8. Kronen Zeitung
Spotlight on Hajj Campaigns
Several countries publicized Hajj campaigns in April to protect pilgrims and help them meet Saudi Arabian health requirements. In India, Pune held an immunization day for about 1,503 pilgrims on April 26, offering OPV and meningitis vaccines. In Nigeria, the state of Jigawa began vaccinating 1,518 pilgrims at the end of April with meningitis, oral polio and yellow fever vaccines, and Kwara state launched its Hajj campaign on April 28 for 2,174 pilgrims, providing flu shots in addition to oral polio and yellow fever vaccines. In Pakistan, meanwhile, Hajj campaigns were scheduled to start April 21 in Islamabad, Lahore, Multan, and Peshawar; April 22 in Faisalabad, Karachi, Rahim Yar Khan, Sialkot, and Sukkur; and April 23 in Quetta. Free Press Journal; Peoples Gazette; Informant; AAP
Outbreak Response
Angola announced the second round of a cholera vaccination campaign on April 1. Prioritizing the provinces of Bengo, Benguela, Cabinda, Cuanza Norte, Luanda, Malanje and Namibe, the exercise had reached 601,154 people as of April 28, representing 88% of the target. A mop-up campaign was scheduled for Luanda from April 28-May 2. As of April 28, the country had registered 16,102 cases since the first case was reported in January. OMS Angola; UNICEF
Nigeria responded to a meningitis outbreak with an April immunization campaign. In Kebbi state, the weeklong exercise targeted 513,051 people ages 1-29; the same demographic was targeted in Sokoto, and an extension of the campaign into Yobe was expected when more doses were available. Independent; Brand Icon Image; MSF
South Sudan’s Eastern Equatoria state began a weeklong follow-up measles vaccination campaign April 28, targeting 378,546 children ages 6 months to 59 months. The exercise, which typically goes house to house, took place in designated health centers and aimed to increase immunization coverage among vulnerable age groups. Radio Tamazuj
Kyrgyzstan targeted 70,000 people in a mop-up measles vaccination campaign in April, following a surge in infections that resulted in 4,055 confirmed cases, including eight deaths, since the start of the year. In the capital, Bishkek, measles-containing vaccine coverage is only 63%. 24 Kg; IFRC-DREF
Mexico ran a four-day measles vaccination campaign April 17-20, administering doses at nine locations across the city of Chihuahua. As of April 14, the initiative had delivered 43,694 measles vaccine doses, including 23,725 doses of the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine and 19,369 doses of the measles-rubella shot. El Heraldo
The Philippines’ Iloilo city kicked off a monthlong catch-up measles/rubella immunization campaign in April, seeking to vaccinate 8,044 children between ages 9 months and 5 years across the city’s health centers. The initiative focused on administering an additional vaccine dose to all children in areas with detected infections while fully vaccinating those with incomplete or no prior immunization in safer areas. The campaign also planned to cover unvaccinated children ages 5-7 and 12-13, as well as adults, depending on vaccine availability. Panay News
Liberia began administering mpox vaccine doses on April 16. With over 10,000 vaccine doses available, the campaign’s targets included health workers, contacts of known cases, and other high-risk populations age 18 and older. As of April 29, 631 doses had been administered. WHO; Daily Observer
Argentina started a measles booster vaccination campaign on April 7, targeting children between 6 months and 5 years in the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area. The push aimed to curb the growing concern over measles in the region, where 17 cases had been confirmed. Pagina 12
Colombia launched a mass vaccination campaign against yellow fever on April 17, coinciding with the declaration of a national public health emergency due to increased cases. Starting in high-risk municipalities before a planned expansion nationwide, the push was expected to combine house-to-house strategies with immunization in schools, transportation terminals, military installations and other public places. From September 2024 to April 2025, the country registered 75 cases and 34 deaths. Colombia MoH
Integrated Campaigns
Nigeria conducted a malaria prevention campaign targeting 30 million children under age 5. Taking place across 21 high-burden states in the country’s north, the initiative delivered seasonal malaria chemoprevention (SMC) as part of the broader Rethinking Malaria Initiative, which distributed insecticide-treated mosquito nets in 12 states, rolled out the malaria vaccine in 17 additional states, and introduced new pilot projects for larval source management in six states, including Lagos and Rivers. All Africa
Brazil kicked off an integrated school-based campaign on April 14. Targeting 30 million students nationwide, the push aimed to immunize children ages 5-15 with age-appropriate vaccines against diphtheria, HPV, meningitis, pertussis, tetanus, yellow fever and other maladies. The country also introduced a digital vaccination booklet to help family members keep kids up to date with immunizations. Omaringa; Folha do Litoral
Nepal offered vitamin A supplements to approximately 2.2 million children nationwide April 19-20. Targeting children between 6 months and 5 years, the two-day campaign also planned to provide deworming medication to approximately 1.9 million children ages 1 to 5. During the initiative, children were given micronutrient powder while simultaneously screened for malnutrition. The campaign planned to mobilize 52,000 female community health volunteers and 15,000 health workers nationwide. The Himalayan
Somalia introduced PCV and rotavirus vaccine into its national immunization program on April 23. Coinciding with the launch, officials also kicked off a measles immunization catch-up campaign targeting millions of children across the country. UNICEF
Nigeria’s Kwara state ran the third round of its “Big Catch-Up” vaccination campaign April 12-17, targeting children ages 2 to 5 in three low-performing immunization areas: Baruten, Ifelodun and Ilorin East. The initiative focused on reaching zero-dose children and noncompliant households whose children may have missed scheduled vaccinations. Furthermore, the National Immunisation Plus Days campaign, which aims to vaccinate children under 5 against polio, took place in the state April 26-29. Health workers and volunteers administered two oral drops through a house-to-house campaign, as well as in religious houses, schools, and other community locations. Premium Times
In Pakistan, Punjab’s Multan district launched a vaccination campaign to protect children against measles and 12 other preventable diseases. The initiative also focused on preserving vaccine effectiveness by equipping vaccinators with motorbikes fitted with special storage facilities for safe vaccine transportation. UrduPoint
Local Campaigns
Peru launched a nationwide dengue awareness and vaccination campaign on April 10. The 2025 “Safe School, Dengue-free and Mosquito-free” program kicked off at an agricultural school in the Ucayali region, where students ages 10-16 received immunizations and about 250 students learned about Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. Officials plan to hold similar events at 5,000 schools throughout the year. Government of Peru