Pakistan is confronting a critical gap in its immunisation landscape with over one million children still missing routine vaccines. In response health experts convened in Lahore for a week long National Vaccinology Workshop. Held at the Pearl Continental Hotel the workshop runs until Friday and brings together leading experts from public health immunisation policy and international partnerships to address persistent barriers.

Speakers explored a wide range of important topics from the scientific fundamentals and history of vaccines to global immunisation trends coverage challenges and Pakistan’s reliance on Gavi. Pakistan is currently Gavi’s largest beneficiary under its strategic phases 4.0 and 5.0 but faces an urgent need to plan for sustainable immunisation beyond donor support. Experts highlighted Kenya’s recent struggles after transitioning out of Gavi support where vaccine stock disruptions necessitated rapid domestic funding adjustments.

A central theme was that vaccines alone cannot save lives unless vaccination reaches the people. Encouraging public trust securing consistent supply chains and bolstering disease surveillance infrastructure especially for monitoring new strains and tracking impacts of vaccines such as HPV and pneumococcal are essential not only for policy planning but also to reassure communities through visible health improvements.

Amid ongoing challenges Pakistan recorded a fresh poliovirus case in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Tank district bringing the national total to 24 cases this year. This underlines the unfinished business in polio eradication and the urgent need to close immunisation gaps.