Health dept launches 6-Day Measles-Rubella Catch-Up Vaccination campaign
Ferozepur, July 20, 2026: The Health and Family Welfare Department, Punjab, has launched a state-wide Measles-Rubella (MR) Catch-Up Vaccination Campaign from July 20 to 25, 2026, to eliminate measles and rubella by ensuring complete immunisation of eligible children. The campaign in Ferozepur was inaugurated by Civil Surgeon Dr. Meenakshi Dhingra.
Dr. Dhingra said the campaign aims to identify and vaccinate all eligible children who missed either the first or second dose of the Measles-Rubella vaccine due to any reason, ensuring full protection against these highly contagious diseases.
She said a recent review under the Universal Immunization Programme revealed that coverage of the second dose of the MR vaccine is lower than the first dose in some areas, leaving many children with incomplete immunisation and increasing the risk of disease transmission. The special catch-up campaign has therefore been launched to bridge this gap.
Dr. Dhingra informed that special emphasis will be placed on identifying unvaccinated or partially vaccinated children in border villages, migrant settlements, brick kilns, construction sites, urban slums and other high-risk areas. Dedicated vaccination sessions will also be organised at these locations to ensure maximum coverage.
She further said that adequate stocks of vaccines, syringes, cold chain equipment and other essential supplies have been made available at all vaccination session sites. District and block-level health officials will closely monitor the campaign, while daily reviews will be conducted to address any shortcomings without delay.
District Mass Media Officer Sanjeev Sharma, Dy MMOs Ankush Bhandari and Neha Bhandari appealed to parents to ensure that children who have missed the first or second dose of the Measles-Rubella vaccine receive it during the special campaign. They said timely and complete immunisation of every child is a vital step towards achieving a measles and rubella-free Punjab and urged the public to extend full cooperation to the Health Department teams.