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PESHAWAR: An awareness session was held on Wednesday for students of City University of Science and Information Technology, Peshawar, as the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa launched a youth-led strategy to promote the importance of polio and other immunizations by engaging students from schools, colleges and universities as ambassadors to spread awareness and encourage vaccine acceptance in their communities.
Polio National Team Lead for UNICEF in Pakistan Melissa Corkum, Additional Secretary Health and EOC Coordinator Shafiullah Khan, Senior Programme Officer at the Gates Foundation Emaad Hassan, Dean City University Prof. Dr. Arif Shah and UNICEF Communication Officer Shahdab Younas attended the orientation session.
“The initiative, titled ‘Students & Adolescents for Health and Immunization (SAHI),’ is a youth-led social and behaviour change initiative that positions young people as trusted and informed immunization ambassadors within schools, colleges and universities across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” said Shahdab Younas in her inaugural address.
She said students would participate on a voluntary basis and not only promote immunization messages but also raise awareness about nutrition, hygiene and other healthy practices in their communities.
Welcoming the guests, Dean City University Prof. Dr. Arif Shah said it was a matter of pride that students of the university would contribute to a national cause aimed at protecting children from polio and promoting healthy practices in society.
Dr Imran of EOC, in his presentation, stressed the need for participation by every segment of society to improve immunization coverage.He said Pakistan and Afghanistan were the only two countries where wild poliovirus remained endemic and called for collective efforts to eradicate the disease from our country and the region.
Dr Imran said around 350,000 polio cases were reported in 125 countries in 1988, whereas, as of September 9, 2026, only 22 cases had been reported in Pakistan and Afghanistan, including three in Pakistan and 19 in Afghanistan, reflecting significant progress made through global eradication efforts.
UNICEF SBCC Specialist Jahan-un-Din said the SAHI initiative aimed to promote wellness and the importance of vaccination among young people.Senior Programme Officer at the Gates Foundation Emaad Hassan said the rationale for involving young people was to extend engagement with communities.
UNICEF Polio National Team Lead Melissa Corkum said students’ participation in the SAHI initiative would represent an important partnership in global efforts to eradicate polio.EOC KP Coordinator Shafiullah Khan said City University had a significant presence in urban areas of Peshawar and that engaging its students as immunization ambassadors could help improve vaccination coverage and address misconceptions about vaccines.
He said a network of around 500 youth and 300 adolescents would be developed to serve as ambassadors for immunization and other healthy practices across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.Later, students of City University asked questions of the experts to strengthen their understanding of issues and concerns commonly raised by community members and expressed their willingness to participate fully in the SAHI initiative.
