The Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) has issued a national red alert, declaring the immunisation gap a public health emergency due to 651,000 children in Pakistan remaining unvaccinated.Zero-dose children, defined as those who have not received the first dose of the DTP1 vaccine, pose a critical risk to herd immunity.The PMA attributes this crisis to systemic governance failures, corruption, and a weakened immunisation system.

The association demands immediate audits of provincial health funds, transparency in vaccine procurement, and prioritisation of routine immunisation as a national security issue.

It also calls for leveraging GIS data to locate and vaccinate missing children, modernising supply chains, and improving conditions for frontline health workers.

The crisis highlights administrative negligence, with Pakistan accounting for 14% of zero-dose children in the WHO's Eastern Mediterranean Region, despite not being in conflict.The PMA warns of an imminent resurgence of preventable childhood deaths unless urgent reforms are implemented.