Vaccine Preventable Diseases in Pakistan

IG was awarded the cooperative agreement and IG’s Director and Senior Public Health Analyst traveled to Islamabad and met with NSTOP team for project kick-off meeting and discussions.

IG supported the expansion and recruitment of additional field officers in high priority districts throughout Pakistan, including North and South Waziristan, Killa Abdullah and Chaman. The NSTOP officers were able to identify 298 missed children and vaccinate them on the spot.

IG staff and NSTOP leadership facilitated a 7-day pre-deployment training for 20 newly inducted NSTOP field officers.

National coordinator monitors and supervises the administration of Health Camps in Karachi. Health Camps serve as outreach for high-risk areas of Pakistan and provide life-saving vaccines and other health services.

Bill Gates visited Pakistan’s National Emergency Operations Center (NEOC) to meet with leaders of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI). This gathering of leaders included the National Coordinator for the NSTOP (pictured below with Bill Gates) and Deputy national coordinator.

IG and NSTOP workers reacted to the first wild poliovirus case reported in 15 months from North Waziristan and positive environmental samples reported from same district of Bannu. Since that case, field staff have been deployed to continue Polio education initiatives.

IG facilitated a strategic planning meeting in Istanbul, Turkey for participants representing the CDC, Pakistan’s Ministry of Health, Polio Eradication initiative, Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) and NSTOP program. This meeting enabled information sharing and discussions to establish a synchronized approach to Polio Eradication and Routine Immunization Programs and strategies to maintain current momentum. IG visited Islamabad to begin planning for year two. Discussions on professional development opportunities for NSTOP and plans to ensure safety of stop officers moving forward were held. Polio Oversight Board visited Pakistan again and conducted site visits.

CDC Polio Eradication Branch Pakistan Team Lead, Richard Franka visited an Afghan refugee camp in Islamabad during a supplemental immunization campaign in June. CDC IG Senior Advisor Dr. Rana Safdar and NSTOP National Coordinator Dr. Kamaluddin Soomro escorted Richard during his visit to the camp.

CDC IG Senior Advisor Dr. Rana Safdar attended the TAG meeting in Oman from 3rd to 6th of October 2022 where policy guidelines were given to the program to complete the task of eradication within timeline. The Federal NSTOP team under the command of National NSTOP Coordinator attended the meeting virtually from Islamabad.

Nine new EPI-NSTOP officers were identified and assigned to priority districts: four for KPK and five for Balochistan. A five-day training was held in Islamabad from 12th -16th December 2022. The training was jointly facilitated by the Federal NSTOP Team, Federal Directorate of Immunization (FDI), TSO KPK, and subject matter expert nominated facilitators from WHO EPI Team.

IG’s Senior Public Health Analyst, Meara Bowe visited Islamabad to meet with NSTOP and NEOC leadership. Discussions began for further planning for new trainings and initiatives, including a large-scale training for all NSTOP officers to be held in Baku, Azerbaijan in the next quarter.

IG worked with in-country security expert trainers to organize four HEAT trainings for NSTOP officers. The training was split up by provinces, with one additional training for Sindh officers further from Karachi. The HEAT training prepared NSTOP officers to better prepare for deployment in high risk and security compromised areas by identifying potential risk factors and utilizing best practices to maintain safety.

June 2023 – International Retreat and Training: IG facilitated and organized an international retreat and training for NSTOP officers in Baku, Azerbaijan. This involved over 110 participants from the Government of Pakistan, GPEI, NSTOP and CDC. The one-week training covered topics such as strategic planning, data usage for risk assessments and decision-making, interpersonal communication skills and time management and goal setting.

In collaboration with CDC, IG organized a 5-day training on Advanced Disease Modeling techniques in Doha, Qatar. IG’s Advanced Analytics Team Lead, selected PEOC data analysts and epidemiologists and representatives from UNICEF, WHO and the Ministry of Qatar underwent training focused on data modeling concepts, techniques, and best practices. The training provided participants with the necessary skills to develop robust infectious disease data models, efficiently implement models and drive meaningful insights from their data to support decision making.

From the 11th to 16th of September, a six-day Induction Training for NSTOP EPI officers was organized by the National NSTOP Program and IG in Islamabad. 10 NSTOP officers from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were trained by expert facilitators from the Federal Directorate of Immunization, CDC, and WHO EPI.

Members of the NSTOP Federal Team, GPEI Partner Organizations, and representatives from Pakistan and Afghanistan met for a Cross-border Coordination Meeting. Additionally, IG, CDC and NSTOP leadership facilitated a South KP Focus Group Session for NSTOP officers and IG/CDC consultants to discuss challenges and priorities in the key endemic zone districts.

The National Program Management Team Meeting was called by the National Emergency Operations Center from the 19th-20th December. Both NSTOP federal and provincial leadership attended the meeting to deliberate on the next national six-month action plan per the updated risk categorization. A major outcome is the prioritization of union councils that require additional interventions of integrated service delivery in order to reach every child. Additionally, the high-risk district focus list for the next six months was drafted.

Dr. Shumaila Rasool, the Sindh team lead, was honored with the “Paul Harris Award,” the highest form of recognition by Rotary Club on her outstanding contribution in polio eradication efforts in Sindh. The award was presented to Dr. Rasool by Stephanie A. Urchick, President of Rotary International, and Mr. Aziz Memon, member of the International PolioPlus Committee and Chair of Pakistan National PolioPlus Chair for the country.

A Training of Trainers (TOT) was held from February 12th to 23rd, 2024, at the National Institute of Health (NIH). The training involved 14 participants, including nominees from NIH, NSTOP, and the Federal Directorate of Immunization.

March 2024- NSTOP Induction Training; NSTOP Immunization Cohort: A NSTOP Induction Training was held from March 11th to 15th in Islamabad with 12 participants (7 from KP, 3 each from Balochistan and Sindh). Notably, seven of the participants were newly assigned. The training was jointly facilitated by the Federal NSTOP Team, Federal Directorate of Immunization (FDI), TSO KPK, and subject matter expert nominated facilitators from WHO EPI Team. Additionally, a second session of TOT was held from March 18th to 29th, 2024. The training involved 15 participants, including nominees from NIH, the Federal office NSTOP, and the Federal Directorate of Immunization.

IG worked with in-country security expert trainers to organize four HEAT trainings for NSTOP officers from 18th-19th April 24 in Islamabad exclusively for the new 08 PEI/EPI officers. The HEAT training prepared NSTOP officers for deployment in high-risk and security-compromised areas. Additionally, Dr. Omotayo Bulo, the Branch Chief for Polio at the CDC, visited Pakistan. On April 29th, 2024, she engaged in detailed meetings with NSTOP Leadership and EPI consultants from IG, received a briefing on the current polio situation, held discussions with the NEOC Coordinator, met with the CEO of NIH, and received briefings from IFRC and Al-Khydmant.

National NSTOP Management and Coordination Meeting was held in Lahore on the 8th of May 2024. All Team Leads and TSOs participated to discuss progress of action points noted from previous meetings, new core indicators for all NSTOP officers, and security SOPs. A virtual session of the leadership circle was also held to enrich the participants’ leadership skills.

Dr. Nadeem Shah attended the cross-border meeting (AF-Pak) on the 3rd and 4th of July 2024. Additionally, the CDC and IG arranged a scientific writing workshop from July 29 to August 2 in Qatar. A total of 17 officers, including 13 from NSTOP and 4 IGH consultants, attended the workshop.

The National Coordinator for NSTOP, the National Coordinator of NEOC, and other colleagues of the NEOC met with the Prime Minister of Pakistan on August 9th, 2024, to discuss current challenges, way forward, and progress of polio programs in Pakistan. Additionally, the Annual NSTOP Advanced Analytics Team review was held from August 26 to 29, 2024. This event brought together 91 officers and 15 IG consultants from across Pakistan, with key stakeholders including representatives from government agencies, international organizations, and NGOs. The federal NSTOP team and the logistics team facilitated the preparations and execution of the review.

District NSTOP Officers facilitated 123 supervisory trainings, desk and field validated 143 Micro-plans, took 467 clusters, identified and covered 299 missed, converted 415 refusal children, and verified 140 covered refusal children. Officers visited 147 active sites to carry out active surveillance activities such as: case searches, healthcare worker orientations about AFP, and participated in 28 polio surveillance-related investigations. NSTOP Officers monitored 295 fixed sites and supervised 325 outreach sessions. They also validated 479 covered zero-dose children.

The high-level CDC delegation consisted of Andi Lipstein Fristedt (Deputy Director/Chief Strategy Officer, CDC), Omotayo Bolu (Branch Chief, Polio Eradication Branch, and Director of Polio, CDC), and Richard Franka (Team Lead for Pakistan, Polio Eradication Branch, CDC) visited Pakistan from November 18 to 22, 2024. The delegation conducted multiple important meetings in Islamabad, including with the Prime Minister’s Focal Person on Polio, the National Coordinator NEOC, and the Executive Director of the NIH. A full day was dedicated to discussions on the NSTOP Program and IG Consultants activities.

Dr. Richard and Dr. Abdinoor from CDC visited the Federal NSTOP Office for strategic deliberations with NSTOP leadership, including one-on-ones with provincial NSTOP leadership. Dr. Richard and Dr. Abdinoor also attended the TAG meeting held from 21st to 23rd January 2025 at Marriott Islamabad. The National and Deputy National NSTOP Coordinators and Provincial NSTOP team leads also supported preparations for and participated in the TAG meeting.

A national consultative workshop on EPI-PEI synergy was held in Lahore from February 12 to 14, 2025. The workshop was attended by Dr. Rana Muhammad Safdar, Dr. Kamaluddin Soomro, Dr. Tamkeen Ghafoor, Dr. Mumtaz Ali Laghari, and Dr. Nadeem Shah.

On March 12, 2025, the newly appointed Federal Minister for National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination, Mr. Syed Mustafa Kamal, visited the NEOC, accompanied by the Prime Minister’s Focal Person for Polio Eradication, Madam Ayesha Raza. During the visit, the NEOC team provided a detailed briefing on the current epidemiological status of poliovirus and the overall progress of the eradication program. The Acting National NSTOP Coordinator and the Deputy National NSTOP Coordinator were also present.

Dr. Richard from CDC visited Pakistan from 26th May to 5th June 2025. During his visit, he observed field activities of the May 2025 National Immunization Days (NIDs) in Karachi, accompanied by the NSTOP Sindh Team Lead. He also held advocacy meetings with the Commissioner of Karachi and the Coordinator of the Provincial Emergency Operations Center (PEOC) Sindh. At the NEOC in Islamabad, Dr. Richard participated in multiple meetings of the Strategic Committee of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (SC-GPEI).

NSTOP Hangu participated in a community jirga to resolve 15 community boycotts in the South KP district. NSTOP efforts resulted in the vaccination of 2780 children.

Nabil Ahmed, Director, Dr. Mamoon Munir, Global Operations Officer, and Jenna Buttolph, Senior Public Health Analyst, visited Islamabad to meet with NSTOP and NEOC leadership to plan new trainings and initiatives.

Dr. Omotayo Bulo and Dr. Richard Franka from the CDC visited Pakistan from September 8th to 12th, 2025. The delegation conducted multiple meetings in Islamabad, including with the Prime Minister’s Focal Person on Polio, the National Coordinator for NEOC, and the Executive Director of the NIH.

A virtual risk assessment training was conducted on October 22 to enhance capacity and expertise in risk assessment, district planning, and risk communication for District Emergency Operations Center (DEOC) members, including staff from NSTOP, WHO, UNICEF, and government health agencies. A total of 90 officers attended the training, 37 from WHO, 28 NSTOP officers, 21 from UNICEF, and 4 government health staff.