KARACHI: Sindh Health and Population Welfare Minister Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho chaired the first provincial steering committee meeting to review the arrangements for an upcoming measles-rubella vaccination campaign starting next month.

The province-wide drive, targeting over 8.2 million children, is scheduled to run from Nov 17 to 29. A total of 6,000 teams are expected to take part in the campaign, during which children in selected districts will also receive oral polio drops.

During the briefing, the minister was informed that 12,732 measles and rubella cases had been reported in the country this year. Sindh accounted for 4,000 cases, with Karachi, Tharparkar and Khairpur being the most affected districts.

The minister emphasised the need to improve campaign quality, prevent fake entries, monitor refusal cases and strengthen public awareness efforts.

She directed the strict monitoring of vaccinators’ locations and working hours, ensuring that all hospitals were taken on board and that paediatric specialists were engaged to safeguard children’s health and safety.

She further instructed civil society organisations, associations and other stakeholders to submit their assessment reports by Nov 1.

Dr Pechuho underscored that private schools must fully cooperate, warning that action would be taken against non-compliant institutions.

“Measles and rubella vaccination has been made mandatory, with parents legally bound to have their children vaccinated, and failure to do so will result in legal action,” she said.

The minister directed Director-General Information Department Moiz Pirzada to launch an extensive public awareness campaign on the importance of immunisation, warning that no misinformation or rumours would be tolerated, and that those spreading false news on social or mainstream media would face action under cybercrime laws.

She instructed all district health officers (DHOs) to update their microplans, increase the number of fixed and outreach centres, and ensure proper waste disposal and hygiene standards.

Officials also briefed the minister that 140 new vaccinators had been hired for the campaign, and the vaccine would be administered through health facilities, school outreach, community outreach and mobile teams.

Dr Pechuho further directed that letters be sent to all relevant departments regarding security arrangements, adding that the police department, Rescue 1122 and the home department would provide full support to ensure the safety of vaccination teams.

She also called for engaging private school associations through the education and health departments for consultation, while awareness sessions would be organised in collaboration with Unicef and partner organisations to educate parents about the importance of the campaign.

Published in Dawn, October 23rd, 2025