RAWALPINDI, Jun 17 (APP):The District Health Authority has launched a comprehensive two-pronged vaccination drive, combining immediate immunization catch-up efforts and future disease prevention programs.
The currently running ‘Big-Catchup’ immunization campaign remains a major effort to address vaccination gaps among children under five years of age.
According to Dr. Waqar, the spokesman of District Health Authority, the initiative has specifically targeted two key groups including children who have missed their scheduled vaccinations (defaulters) and those currently due for immunization aged 0-59 months. “Additionally, the program incorporates special provisions to reach Still Missed Children (SMC) from previous vaccination drives, ensuring comprehensive coverage”, he said.
For the execution of important public health initiative, the district has mobilized an extensive workforce comprising 226 dedicated vaccination teams comprising trained vaccinators, team assistants, and social mobilizers working in coordinated units.
“Supporting these frontline workers, 35 supervisory staff members and 5 District Health Management Team officials are providing oversight and quality control across all operational areas”, said Dr. Waqar.
The campaign reach extends eight tehsils including Urban Areas, Kallar Syedan, Rural Zones, Rawalpindi Cantonment, Gujjar Khan, Kotli Sattian, Murree, and Taxila. Supervisory teams are further assigned for monitoring of both fixed vaccination sites and mobile outreach clusters to ensure optimal implementation.
Simulteousley health authorities have initiated critical preparatory work for September’s planned Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination drive.
Field teams have started collecting essential baseline data for girls aged 9-14 years, the target demographic for this cervical cancer prevention initiative.
“These dual initiatives reflect our commitment to both addressing current immunization gaps and preventing future health threats,” said Dr. Waqar.
“While our teams work tirelessly to protect children today through the Big Catchup program, we’re simultaneously laying the foundation to safeguard adolescent girls against HPV-related cancers in the coming months.”
The current campaign places particular emphasis on community engagement, with social mobilizers conducting door-to-door outreach to educate parents, dispel vaccine myths, and identify unvaccinated children. Team assistants provide crucial logistical support to vaccinators, managing cold chain maintenance, documentation, and site operations to ensure smooth service delivery.
In a brief talk with APP, CEO Health Authority, Dr. Asif Arbab Niazi said that the success of both vaccination initiatives depends heavily on community participation and encourages all eligible families to take advantage of these free, life-saving services.
“We strongly urge the citizens to maximize their cooperation for greater community health benefits”, he said adding that the authority has established multiple vaccination points across government health facilities, schools, and designated community centers for public convenience.
The immunization drive will continue till mid of July.
