PESHAWAR:
More than 108,000 under-immunized children have been vaccinated in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa through effective planning and coordinated implementation by the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) and its district teams with over 90% coverage in high-risk urban areas and a significant reduction in immunity gaps, an official said on Thursday.
KP EPI Director Dr Mehtab Khan said the immunization roadmap, launched under the leadership of the chief secretary, had delivered strong and measurable results in its first six months.
He said the initiative marks a major improvement in the delivery of public health services by strengthening accountability, modernizing service delivery systems and accelerating progress towards universal immunization coverage, adding that it reflects the government’s strong commitment to protecting children’s health.
A major achievement of the roadmap was a targeted immunization campaign carried out in Peshawar in November 2025. With close coordination between provincial and district EPI teams, the campaign successfully reached under-immunized children in high-risk urban locations and helped close critical immunity gaps.
Khan said routine vaccination services had also improved significantly, adding that the Department of Health also improved vaccinator monitoring systems to track individual performance, improving accountability and operational efficiency.
As a result, he said, community outreach coverage increased from 40 per cent annually to nearly 70 per cent by December 2025, expanding access to life-saving vaccines across the province.
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In addition to improving services, the government expanded physical infrastructure and human resources. Ten prefabricated EPI centers were established in neglected union councils, providing immunization services to a population of more than 0.3 million people.
A large catch-up activity was also carried out across the province to vaccinate children as young as five, further narrowing immunity gaps. Immunization services were strengthened in hard-to-reach and geographically difficult areas. Additionally, 150 vaccinators were deployed across the province to improve outreach, community engagement and accessibility to services.
Integrated service delivery in security-sensitive areas was strengthened to ensure the continuity of essential health services. These achievements represent an important step forward in strengthening the provincial immunization system and protecting children against vaccine-preventable diseases.
