Navigating Pakistan's immunization landscape: Progress and pitfalls

This article discusses the history of vaccines, the Expanded Program of Immunization (EPI) initiated by the World Health Organization (WHO), and Pakistan's own EPI, as well as the challenges Pakistan faces in its immunization efforts. Despite notable improvements in healthcare and living standards, Pakistan still has the third highest burden of childhood mortality in the world, with 70% of childhood deaths caused by infectious diseases. Pakistan's predominantly rural society, lack of education, limited healthcare infrastructure, and cultural resistance to vaccination are all challenges to effective immunization. The 2022 floods, which affected up to 100,000 km² of land, exacerbated these problems, leading to an increase in vaccine-preventable diseases in the affected provinces. Data analysis showed an increase in cases of vaccine-preventable diseases, with the greatest increase being seen in the cases of mumps with almost a 1000% increase in its cases year on year.