Doctors urge vaccine push as ‘zero-dose’ crisis deepens

PMA calls for structural reforms as PIMA urges parents to complete children’s immunisation

IV Report

KARACHI: As countries across the globe, including Pakistan, mark World Immunisation Week 2026 (April 24-30) to promote wider vaccine coverage among children, two leading medical bodies have issued both cautionary and motivational messages, calling for stronger government action and greater parental responsibility to improve immunisation uptake.

The Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) on Friday warned of a growing “zero-dose” crisis, saying Pakistan remains at a critical juncture with over one million children having received no vaccinations. It noted that around 58 per cent of children are either unimmunised or under-immunised, leaving them vulnerable to preventable diseases.

Highlighting regional disparities, the PMA said routine immunisation coverage in Pakistan lags behind neighbours such as China and Iran, where coverage exceeds 95 per cent, and India and Bangladesh, which have crossed 90 per cent. The country continues to report a high disease burden, including an estimated 25,000 measles cases annually.

The association identified multiple systemic challenges, including reliance on imported vaccines and international support, damage to vaccination infrastructure due to natural disasters — including the destruction of over 1,700 sites in recent floods — and security threats faced by frontline workers. Misinformation and vaccine hesitancy were also cited as key barriers.

To address the crisis, the PMA called for investment in local vaccine manufacturing, expansion of digital immunisation registries, legal protection for healthcare workers, and wider deployment of mobile teams to reach underserved populations. PMA Secretary General Dr Abdul Ghafoor Shoro stressed that strengthening primary healthcare and prevention systems was essential to reducing disease burden and long-term economic costs.

Meanwhile, the Pakistan Islamic Medical Association Karachi urged parents to ensure timely vaccination of children, describing immunisation as one of the most effective safeguards against life-threatening diseases.

PIMA Karachi President Dr Syed Ahmer Hamid said vaccines protect against more than a dozen serious illnesses — including measles, polio, tuberculosis, diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, hepatitis B, pneumonia, diarrhoea, rubella, typhoid and HPV — and are available free of cost at government-run centres under the Expanded Programme on Immunisation.

He emphasised that vaccination is both a medical necessity and part of preventive care, warning that delays or refusal could expose children to severe complications, including disability and death. He also urged parents to rely on qualified medical advice, reject misinformation, and help build community awareness, noting that timely immunisation protects not only individual children but society at large.

The week is being observed globally under the theme “For every generation, vaccines work,” with health authorities and international partners stressing the urgent need for sustained immunisation efforts, particularly in countries with persistent gaps in routine coverage and rising risks of vaccine-preventable diseases.

Speaking in Islamabad, Dr Musa Khan, Director General, Federal Directorate of Immunisation, called routine immunisation “the foundation of a healthy nation,” stressing that timely vaccination of every child is critical for individual protection and building resilient communities.

He said every vaccination is a step towards a healthier Pakistan and urged parents to ensure children receive all routine immunisations on time to guard against 13 life-threatening diseases.

“Reaching zero-dose children in underserved and hard-to-reach areas remains a top priority,” he added.

Photos courtesy: Sindh EPI