Pakistan launches drive to vaccinate 57 million children against measles, rubella and polio

ISLAMABAD (AP) – Pakistan on Monday began a two-week nationwide vaccination campaign targeting more than 57 million children, aiming to curb rising cases of measles, rubella and polio, the country’s National Emergency Operations Center said.

The drive, running through Nov. 29, will provide measles and rubella shots to 34.5 million children and administer polio drops to 23.3 million, it said in a statement. The campaign follows training by the World Health Organization of more than 140,000 health workers to support vaccination teams.

Measles typically begins with a high fever and a rash that spreads from the face to the neck. While most children recover, the disease remains a leading cause of death among young children, according to WHO.

Over the past three years, Pakistan has reported more than 131,000 measles cases, highlighting the urgency of the effort.

Though drives against polio are frequently launched in Pakistan, despite militant attacks on vaccination teams and the police officers who escort them, campaigns against measles and rubella drives are usually launched every two to three years.

According to the World Health Organization, Pakistan and neighboring Afghanistan remain the only two countries where polio, a potentially fatal, paralyzing virus, hasn’t been stopped, according to WHO.

Since January, Pakistan has recorded 30 new polio cases, a setback in the fight to eradicate the crippling disease among children. Militants in Pakistan falsely claim that vaccination campaigns are a Western conspiracy to sterilize children.

Since the 1990s, more than 200 polio workers and police officers assigned to protect them have been killed in attacks.