Featured Stories
Pakistan started its second nationwide polio vaccination campaign of the year on February 26, aiming to reach over 45.8 million children under age 5. Running nationwide through March 3 (and targeting 33 districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from March 2-6), the exercise follows a January effort that immunized over 43 million but incurred fatal attacks on a polio official and police officers protecting vaccinators. According to the health minister, over 400,000 “polio heroes” were expected to participate in the new campaign, which also offers vitamin A supplements. In Sindh, over 80,000 polio workers and supervisors were set to administer polio drops to over 10.6 million children. Government of Pakistan; Arab News; The International News
South Sudan continued a mass vaccination campaign against hepatitis E. A response to a Fangak county outbreak with at least 501 known cases since April 2023, the exercise started mid-December and seeks to fully vaccinate 12,776 women and girls ages 16-45 with the three-dose regimen by June. According to Médecins Sans Frontières, teams are transporting some vaccine doses to the Jonglei state region by boat due to recurrent flooding, which has left an airstrip underwater and remote communities accessible only by canoe. The limited availability, high cost, cold chain requirements, and bulk of the vaccine represent additional challenges. Recommended for use in emergency settings by WHO in 2015, the hep E shot has been deployed in only one prior mass vaccination campaign, also in South Sudan. MSF; The Guardian
Outbreak Response
Afghanistan held Subnational Immunization Days against polio in late January and late February. The first exercise ran January 29-February 1 and sought to immunize 7,580,085 children under age 5. The second, running February 26-29, targeted about 7.6 million children under 5. Both efforts took place in 21 of the country’s 34 provinces. Polio Free Afghanistan; Xinhua (1); Xinhua (2)
Somalia conducted a targeted SIA January 21-25 to combat cVDPV2 across districts in the country’s southern and central regions. Using 12,758 vaccinators and 1,900 district field assistants, the effort targeted more than 2.7 million children under age 5. A separate exercise was conducted in Jubaland from January 28-31, aimed at 500,000 children under 5. ReliefWeb; FTLSomalia
Zimbabwe launched a two-round nOPV2 campaign against polio on February 20. Seeking to vaccinate all children under age 10, the campaign seeks to roll out more than 10 million doses of the oral drops, targeting about 4 million children during rounds running February 20-March 1 and March 19-29. Marking the country’s first deployment of the novel polio vaccine, the exercise (conducted house to house and at health facilities) follows the confirmation of cVDPV2 in Zimbabwe, per AP News. UNICEF; Xinhua; AP
Kenya ran an anti-polio campaign from January 27 to 31. Representing the third and final round of a national drive that commenced last year, the effort—pushed back from November due to rainfall-related road closures—spanned high-risk Mandera, Wajir and Garissa counties, aiming to administer oral drops to 755,011 children under age 5. In Garissa county, an additional 238,447 children up to age 15 were targeted in Dadaab and Fafi subcounties, home to refugee camps in which polio cases have reportedly been detected. Capital News; Xinhua; VOA; The Star; Government of Mandera County
South Sudan announced a yellow fever vaccination campaign in Western Equatoria state. The reactive exercise targeted about 610,000 people ages 9 months to 65 years in the counties of Ezo, Ibba, Maridi, Tambura and Yambio. In a six-day period, vaccinators reached over 220,000 people. WHO; Twitter
Northern Ireland launched an MMR catch-up campaign on February 6, a response to lagging vaccination rates and the recent identification of the region’s first measles case in seven years. The campaign, which runs through March 31, targets those ages 1-25 with first and second doses depending on prior vaccination status. Children age 5 and under can get needed doses through their general practitioners; those between ages 6 and 25 can attend vaccination clinics set up at local Health and Social Care Trust clinics. Physicians’ offices are making efforts to notify families of children who have not been fully vaccinated. BBC; PHA; NIDirect
Integrated Campaigns
Nepal kicked off a measles-rubella vaccination campaign on February 25, aiming to reach approximately 5.7 million children. In 24 high-risk districts—21 bordering India and three in the Kathmandu Valley—the exercise targets children from 9 months to 15 years; meanwhile, an additional 51 districts have a narrower focus (kids ages 9 months to 5 years). Running through March 20, the integrated campaign offers pentavalent vaccine, PCV and IPV to children who missed routine doses. Kathmandu Post; Himalayan Times
Peru ran an integrated nationwide catch-up immunization campaign from February 9 to 29. Mobilizing more than 3,200 vaccination teams, the effort sought to reach children under age 5 with shots against chickenpox, diphtheria, hepatitis B, measles, mumps, polio, rotavirus, rubella, and other maladies; Covid-19 and pneumococcal vaccines were offered to those over 60. Health officials went house to house in some areas seeking children not fully protected against measles, and shots were also offered in health centers, with extended hours available in some locations. Government of Peru (1); Government of Peru (2); Government of Peru (3); Government of Peru (4)
Local Campaigns
The Indian state of Madhya Pradesh launched a Japanese encephalitis vaccination campaign on February 27. Representing the second phase of an effort commencing last year, the exercise targeted over 2.5 million children ages 1 to 15 in the districts of Bhopal, Indore, Narmadapuram and Sagar. In Bhopal, home to the state’s capital, officials hoped to reach about 900,000 children by providing doses at health centers and government hospitals. Free Press Journal; Economic Times
South Africa’s Gauteng, Eastern Cape and Western Cape provinces launched HPV immunization campaigns. Running from February 6 (from February 5 in Gauteng) to March 20, the primarily school-based efforts focus on fifth-grade girls ages 9 and up. In a departure from previous years, the campaigns now administer only one dose. Government of South Africa; Government of Western Cape; IOL; Cape Town Etc.
India launched an MDA campaign on February 10, part of an effort to eliminate lymphatic filariasis nationwide by 2027. Officials focused on 92 districts across 11 states: Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. Set for two weeks, the exercise comprised the first of two phases in a twice-yearly scheme. Devdiscourse; ANI; Times of India; MOH