The World Health Organization (WHO), in collaboration with the Government of Pakistan, has vaccinated 2.8 million children through the “Big Catch-Up” immunization campaign, addressing gaps caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The second phase of the campaign concluded this week, vaccinating over 1.3 million children between February and March 2025. This builds on the first round, which immunized 1.5 million children between October and December 2024. Notably, over 358,000 children who had never received any immunization were vaccinated during the campaign. A third and final round is planned for the second half of 2025.

The initiative is led by the Federal Directorate of Immunization (FDI) and the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI), with support from WHO and funding from Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. It was implemented alongside the Polio Eradication Programme, leveraging shared resources and personnel to maximize outreach.

“The overwhelming success of the second round of the Big Catch-Up demonstrates the dedication of the Government of Pakistan and its vaccinators working on the frontlines to safeguard children against preventable diseases,” said WHO Representative in Pakistan Dr. Dapeng Luo. “Vaccines work and save lives. WHO will continue to support and partner with Pakistan to deliver health for all and leave no child behind.”

The campaign focused on children aged 12–59 months who missed routine immunizations, especially in 83 high-risk districts. Over 65,000 teams of healthcare workers and social mobilizers were deployed across Pakistan’s provinces and self-governing territories. This marks the first large-scale effort to vaccinate children up to five years old, as routine immunizations usually cover children up to two years.

WHO Pakistan expressed gratitude to the FDI, Gavi, and UNICEF for their commitment to improving immunization coverage, particularly in remote and underserved areas, and strengthening Pakistan’s health systems.